English exam preparation
English exam preparation, organised by what you need it for.
The English examination landscape is the largest of any language, and most candidates are sent to the wrong test at least once. We start from the objective — a university, an employer, a regulator, a visa route, a school — and work back to the paper.
Which route are you on?
Start with the objective, not the acronym.
Nothing about English testing is universal: the accepted test, the minimum score and the validity period are all set by the organisation asking for it. Bring us their published requirement and the right paper becomes obvious.
- University admission
- Most UK and international universities publish an accepted-test list with a minimum overall score and minimum component scores. The component minimum is what catches candidates out.
- Professional registration
- Regulators in healthcare and other professions set their own English requirements, often with a higher writing or speaking threshold than a university would ask.
- UK visa and immigration routes
- Certain routes require an approved Secure English Language Test taken at an approved centre. Approved provider and centre lists are published by the Home Office and change.
- Qualifications you keep
- Cambridge English certificates do not expire, which is why candidates who want a permanent record often choose them over a time-limited test score.
The examinations
English examinations we prepare candidates for.
IELTS
The most widely accepted test in our candidate base, in three distinct versions that are not interchangeable.
IELTS results are time-limited and the version accepted is set by the organisation asking for it. Check their published requirement before booking a sitting.
- IELTS Academic
- Academic reading and the data-description writing task are the two components that most often hold a score down.
- IELTS General Training
- Different reading and writing papers from Academic — including a letter task with its own conventions.
- IELTS for UKVI
- Administratively distinct: taken at approved centres under additional requirements. Approved test and centre lists are published by the Home Office.
Cambridge English
Fixed-level certificates that do not expire — the choice when the goal is a permanent qualification.
- B2 First
- Widely used by employers and schools; heavy on the Use of English paper, which rewards drilled technique.
- C1 Advanced
- Accepted by many universities as evidence of English, with demanding reading and long-form writing.
- C2 Proficiency
- A long-horizon project, prepared for over terms rather than weeks.
- B1 Preliminary and A2 Key
- Useful staging posts where a family wants formal evidence of progress.
Other admission and professional tests
Where an institution names something other than IELTS or Cambridge.
Accepted tests and minimum scores are set by each institution or regulator and change. We prepare you for the paper; the requirement must be confirmed with them.
- TOEFL iBT
- Integrated tasks combining reading, listening and speaking — a different discipline from IELTS and prepared for differently.
- PTE Academic
- Computer-scored, which puts an unusual premium on timing, pacing and clarity of delivery.
- Occupational and admissions interviews
- Structured speaking preparation for interviews conducted in English, including school and sixth-form admission interviews.
School English for second-language pupils
For pupils in UK and international schools who are examined in English alongside first-language peers.
- GCSE and IGCSE English
- Including English as a Second Language specifications where the school enters pupils for them. Preparation is on the specification's assessment objectives, not on general fluency.
- A-Level and IB English
- Essay technique, textual analysis and timed writing, with work marked against the board's criteria.
- Independent school entry
- Written papers and interviews for pupils joining a UK school from another system.
Preparation
What English exam preparation actually involves.
Almost every candidate who arrives disappointed by an English score speaks English perfectly well. The score was lost to the format: the wrong task type, an unbalanced component, or an answer that was fluent and did not do what the band descriptors ask for.
The specialist is matched from our network for that examination and that candidate, with a chemistry call before you commit, a review at week six, and oversight through to the exam date.
- Band descriptors read properly, then written against
- Task 1 and Task 2 writing frames drilled to time
- Speaking parts rehearsed with recorded feedback
- Reading strategy for volume, not just comprehension
- Component balance, so no single skill caps the overall score
- Full timed mocks in the run-in, marked as the examination marks them
Two ways to prepare
Private English preparation, or a small exam cohort.
One candidate, one paper, one date.
A English specialist matched from our network for your examination, a programme written around your actual gaps, and scheduling that fits around school or work.
From £89/hr
See the investmentNo English exam cohort is open yet
Group exam terms run only where enough candidates share the same examination and level — we do not advertise cohorts that are not scheduled. Register your interest and you will hear first when a English exam term is timetabled.
Who we prepare
Trusted by families, schools and organisations.
English candidates reach us from two directions: pupils in schools that expect a grade, and professionals whose next step depends on a certificate. Both are prepared by a specialist matched from our network.
Corporate clients
Professionals sitting English and English tests
Employees at these organisations have prepared with us for language tests, official diplomas and the requirements attached to a move abroad.
Partner schools
Pupils preparing for school examinations
Pupils at these schools have prepared with us for English language papers, against the board and specification their school actually follows.
Investment
What English exam preparation costs.
Private preparation is bought as hours, used at the pace the exam date demands. The more hours you commit to, the lower the effective hourly rate — and every plan carries the identical service.
Hours of private exam preparation, delivered online and typically used at one hour a week. All prices include VAT. Face-to-face lessons in London, intensive revision courses and additional hours are quoted individually.
Flexi
4 hours
Month to month
£105/hr£420 in total
Discovery
12 hours
Up to 3 months
£100/hr£1,197 in total
Momentum
24 hours
Up to 6 months
£95/hr£2,268 in total
Mastery
48 hours
Up to 12 months
£89/hr£4,284 in total
Every private plan, whichever you choose, includes
Bespoke programmes — not lesson bundles.
- Exam and board diagnostic
- Specialist matched for that qualification
- Chemistry call before you commit
- Programme dated to the exam
- Marked past-paper practice
- Monthly progress reports
- Week-six review
- Timed mocks in the run-in
£950 for a ten-week term
Per learner, 10 × 90-minute sessions — 15 teaching hours. Including VAT. Maximum six candidates, one exam objective, one level.
Before you book
English exam preparation — your questions, answered.
- IELTS or Cambridge?
- If an institution names one, take the one it names. If both are accepted: IELTS gives a time-limited score quickly and is the more widely accepted for admissions; Cambridge gives a certificate that does not expire. Candidates who need proof of English repeatedly over years often prefer Cambridge.
- Which test do I need for a UK visa?
- Certain routes require an approved Secure English Language Test taken at an approved centre, and the approved lists are published by the Home Office and change. Check the current list for your route, then bring it to us — we prepare for the test, we do not advise on the application.
- My overall score was fine but one component was below the minimum. What now?
- That is the most common reason a strong candidate is rejected, and it is a preparation problem rather than an English problem. We diagnose the component, work only on what the descriptors reward there, and mock it under timing before you re-sit.
- Do you prepare children and teenagers for English examinations?
- Yes — school English for second-language pupils, entrance papers and interviews for UK schools, and Cambridge certificates as staging posts. Preparation is age-appropriate and reported to parents monthly.
- How long before the test should we start?
- For a half-band or one-component improvement, six to ten weeks of weekly work with marked practice is realistic. For a full band across all four skills, plan in terms. We will tell you honestly at the discovery call which of those you are looking at.
- Is there a group English exam course?
- Not currently. English conversation and structured group terms run online, and an exam cohort will be scheduled when enough candidates share a target test and level. Register interest and you will hear first.
Ready to work backwards from the exam date?
Schedule a chat with Maria.
Tell us which English examination, which board or level, and when it is sat. You will get an honest view of the gap and which specialist we would match you with.
Maria Toubbe
- 20 minutes
- A conversation, not a sales call.
- With Maria
- Our founder, every time — not a call centre.
- No obligation
- Advice you can use even if you never book.
20 min · video call · free
Prefer to write?