Crikey – that was quite a year!
The Year of Covid is nearly at an end and with the mass production of a cheap vaccine, we can hopefully start to get back to normal in the second half of 2021.
Below we have summarised what we have done this year, as you will see – we have been very busy.
Our schedule is currently very full. If you need help with the IELTS test in 2021, don’t leave it too late – get in touch now!
Where We’ve Been
In January we reported on the UK’s exit from the European Union and the cancellation of all IELTS tests due to Covid-19, an early sign that this was to be a challenging year for test centres.
In February we were awarded the OET Knowledge Badge by OET itself!
March saw the launch of our newsletter. If you’ve missed out, you can sign up here.
In the April edition, we reported on new online OET, IELTS and TOEFL tests. These new versions helped test candidates to continue taking the test in the middle of a global pandemic.
In May we attended a webinar run by OET where we asked searching questions about the security of a new online version of the test called OET@Home – now accepted by the GMC.
June saw us in lockdown, but digitally we were busy teaching increasing numbers of students worldwide.
In July we reported on new lesson packages including quarterly language audits for past students. We also reported a success story from a student who obtained 8.5. Another student continued her lessons with us whilst self-isolating after moving from Spain to the UK. She got the score she needed the day after her release!
In August, we announced new 90-minute lessons. Our lessons are longer than other schools because we go more in-depth to really get to the root of your problems using our unique tools — including our Contextual Double Correction © method and our 80/20 Grammar Genie ©.
September saw us attending the annual OET Forum, which was held online for the first time. We were also nominated for the 2020 Digital Enterprise Top 100.
October and November saw us welcome a new writer to our team and launch our very first eBook.
Website News
In 2020, We added many more blog posts to our varied series.
We mostly focussed on supplying you with model essays for both the Academic and General IELTS Task 1 and 2, and model answers to the Speaking test.
Each month also saw a new edition of our Spotlight Vocabulary series which aims to give you ideas and vocabulary you can use on IELTS test day.
In other posts, we explained the marking criteria used to mark your test for the Writing and Speaking sections and explained how to convert your score out of 40 in Listening and Reading into a band score.
Where Our Students Came From in 2020
This year we had the pleasure of teaching students from all seven continents and at least 32 different countries!
EUROPE: London, England (yes, we teach native speakers too!); Moscow, Russia; Berlin, Germany; Baku, Azerbaijan; Romania; Poland; Rome, Italy; Paris, France; Belgrade, Serbia; Madrid, Spain;
NORTH AMERICA: Los Angeles, America; Toronto, Canada; Vancouver, Canada
THE MIDDLE EAST: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Doha, Qatar; Cairo, Egypt; Jerusalem, Israel; Dubai, United Arab Emirates
AFRICA: Port Louis, Mauritius; Accra, Ghana
SOUTH AMERICA: Chile
AUSTRALASIA: Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Brisbane, Australia; Hobart, Australia
ASIA: Beijing, China; Nanjing, China; Taiwan; Hong Kong; Tokyo, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Phuket, Thailand; Singapore; Istanbul; Turkey; Seoul, South Korea; Kolkata, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Karachi, Pakistan;
It doesn’t matter where you live; it doesn’t matter if you are locked down due to the pandemic – we can teach you!
Click here to read more about our lessons and book a demo.
Student Spotlight
We are finishing 2020 by shining the spotlight on one of our native English speakers, Isabel from England.
Isabel kept getting a band 6.5 for the Writing component, but after three lessons increased her score to a band 8.0…
Andy was a fantastic teacher and gave me some extremely valuable tips and feedback for the writing task. I managed to increase by a band in just 3 lessons.
Isabel, England
Congratulations to Isabel!
Is Isabel’s dream your dream? Would you like to achieve her level of success in 2020? We can help!
Take a look at our coaching options and get in touch!
When Can You Book An IELTS Lesson?
Our lessons are currently taking place from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm London time.
Using our online booking system, you can choose a time for our lesson that suits your schedule – you can even reschedule up to 6 before the session starts.
If you are planning to take the test in 2021, then please get in touch early. Mastering new skills takes time!
We are also in high demand – and our schedule can sometimes be filled weeks in advance.
If you would like to meet to discuss how we can help, contact us via our contact form or through our free demo lesson page.
That’s all for 2020!