You can write ten essays and keep losing marks for the same reason.
You can practise Reading regularly and still not understand why True / False / Not Given in particular remains a weak spot.
You can learn advanced vocabulary but use it unnaturally and see no improvement in Lexical Resource.
That is why, on this course, what matters is not only the number of tasks completed but also what happens after them. We find out why marks are being lost, work on the problem and check the result again.
1Practice
2Feedback
3Analysis
4Targeted practice
5Another attempt
↺ and back to practice
If a mistake recurs, it is not left as a correction in an old piece of work. We bring it back into further practice.
Two stages of preparation
IELTS READYBAND BOOSTER
OctNovDecJanFebMar
Holiday break 27 December – 15 January: consolidation with no new theory
October – January
IELTS READY
The first four months are spent working systematically on the whole exam. We go through the IELTS format and assessment criteria, the main Reading and Listening task types, Writing Task 1 and the main types of Writing Task 2. Alongside this, we work on grammar, vocabulary, paraphrasing, collocations and language accuracy.
By the end of January, students should be able to make their own decisions:
how to approach a particular task
where to look for evidence in Reading
how to recognise a distractor in Listening
what to include in an overview
what position to take in an essay
how to develop an argument
By the end of January, the core IELTS theory has been covered.
February – March
IELTS BAND BOOSTER
In the second stage, the programme no longer centres on the next topic but on the student’s own results. We run mock tests and look not only at the overall band score but also at the reasons for lost marks.
For one student, it might be timing in Reading; for another, distractors in Listening; for a third, underdeveloped ideas in Task 2. Some students regularly lose marks on grammatical accuracy, while others write Task 1 without an accurate enough overview.
After this diagnosis, each student is given practice on their own weak spots and then takes a retest.
Band Booster includes:
Mock Tests
Band Gap Analysis
Writing Clinics
Reading & Listening Clinics
Error Bank
Targeted Practice
Retesting
Writing without memorised templates
IELTS Writing is not a test of ready-made phrases. Above all, a high band score requires the ability to understand the task correctly, select relevant information or ideas, organise the answer and express ideas precisely enough.
In Writing Task 1 we work with graphs, tables, charts, mixed charts, maps and processes. We learn to select key features, write an overview, group information logically, compare figures and describe changes accurately.
The point is not to memorise a separate template for each type. Students learn to look at a new question and work out for themselves what exactly they are being asked, what position to take, which ideas actually answer the question and how to develop them sufficiently.
Writing Task 1
graphs
tables
charts
mixed charts
maps
processes
Writing Task 2
In Writing Task 2 we cover the main question types:
Agree / Disagree
Advantages / Disadvantages
Discuss Both Views + Opinion
Positive / Negative Development
Problems / Solutions
Causes / Solutions
Two-Question Essays
Teacher’s Eye
Usually a student writes an essay, the teacher reviews it, the student reads the comments and moves on to the next piece of work. The problem is that a week later the same mistakes often reappear.
That is why, on this course, we gradually learn to analyse Writing against the same four criteria that IELTS is marked on:
TRTask Achievement / Task Response
CCCoherence and Cohesion
LRLexical Resource
GRAGrammatical Range and Accuracy
Writing Task 2 · feedback by criterionexample
Nowadays, more and more people is choosing a growing number of people are choosing GRA
online education. It has many advantages and disadvantages.1
In my opinion, the most important benefit advantage LR
is flexibility, because students can combine study with work.
1 No position yet: what do you think, and why? TR
Students analyse real answers, pick out strengths and weaknesses, work out what exactly may be lowering the score and then compare their analysis with the teacher’s. After that, they apply the same approach to their own work.
The aim is to learn to spot problems before the teacher or the examiner sees the work. For Band 7+ this is especially important: at this level, simply knowing the structure of an essay is no longer enough.
IELTS Speaking Lab
Speaking is a standalone part of the programme: 60 minutes every week is devoted to Speaking alone.
From October to January we work step by step on Parts 1, 2 and 3, answer development, Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammar and Pronunciation. We learn to speak with more substance without memorised answers, develop ideas in Part 3, use more precise vocabulary, control grammar and work more confidently under exam conditions.
From February, the Speaking Lab switches to Band Booster mode: mock Speaking tests, analysis of results against the criteria and targeted work on individual problems.
Some answers are recorded. Students can listen back to themselves, notice problem areas, get feedback and do the task again.
Part 2 · recorded answer · 2:00
Speak
Notice
Improve
Speak Again
Personal Error Bank
Throughout the course, each student builds up their own Error Bank. It collects the recurring problems that can actually affect their IELTS band: grammar, vocabulary and collocations, paraphrasing, Writing, certain Reading task types, mistakes in Listening and specific Speaking issues.
We bring these mistakes back into further practice and track whether they have been corrected. This way, feedback stops being a comment on work that is already finished and becomes part of the next stage of learning.
Error Bank · recurring mistakesexample
Grammarthe number of students have increasedthe number of students has increasedin 3 tasks
Collocationmake a researchdo researchclean runs 1/2
Task 1overview in the last paragraphoverview right after the introductionclosed
Progress you can see
The course begins with the Starting Diagnostic, followed by regular checkpoints.
Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking are tracked separately. That way, students see not just another test result but how their preparation is developing: what has already become stronger, where results remain inconsistent and which problems are still affecting their band.
By the end of the course, each student has an individual Band Profile and a clear plan for further exam preparation.
October Check31 OctoberStrategy and Task 1 after the first month
November Check28 NovemberTask 1 and first steps in Task 2
December Check26 DecemberEverything covered before the holiday break
IELTS Ready Check30 JanuaryAll main task types are familiar; Band Profile
Mock 16 FebruaryGap between current and target band
February Check27 FebruaryHow well the targeted practice has worked
Mock 213 MarchMock 1 and Mock 2 under comparable conditions
Final Band Profile27 MarchFinal exam simulation and a preparation plan
Starting Diagnostic1–7 October
October Check31 October
November Check28 November
December Check26 December
IELTS Ready Check30 January
Mock 16 February
February Check27 February
Mock 213 March
Final Band Profile27 March
Your personal account
Each student will have a personal account on the website. It is a workspace for the whole course, not just a folder of files.
Task 1 · Processesdraftsaved, you can finish it later
Grammarhave increasedhas increasedin 3 tasks
Paraphrasethe graph shows the graphthe chart illustratesclean runs 1/2
mitigate the effectsreduce the impact
a steady declinea gradual fall
to a large extentlargely
Reading
Listening
Writing
Speaking
by checkpoint, for each skill separately
Mock 16 FebruaryBand Gap Analysis: current band → target → gap
Mock 213 Marchcompared with Mock 1: what’s fixed, what still recurs
Final Band Profile27 Marchresults in all four skills and an exam plan
What the account looks like · example
Your personal account brings together:
class and self-study materials
homework with deadlines and completion status
reviewed work and teacher feedback
Writing: submissions, comments, revised versions and progress history
Personal Error Bank and tasks for working on recurring mistakes
Progress Trackers with results from diagnostics, interim checks and mock tests
Vocabulary Cards: words, collocations and expressions to review
Grammar Practice, including tasks based on each student’s own mistakes
Speaking Practice and recorded answers for self-analysis
results of Mock Tests and progress in each skill
class recordings and additional materials
Students do not need to search their messages for homework, try to remember where their reviewed essay is, or collect materials from different links. Your personal account shows what you have already done, what you are working on now and what you need to do next.
AI as an extra tool
For Writing, there is a preliminary AI review set up to work with the IELTS criteria. It does not replace the teacher’s review.
Read more
Its job is to help students get an initial analysis more quickly, spot some of the problems and start editing their text. After that, the work continues with the teacher, who analyses content, logic, the development of ideas, language and recurring mistakes.
Here, AI is an extra tool for practice. Teaching decisions and final feedback remain with the teacher.
Language Development
Exam technique cannot make up for a lack of English. That is why grammar and vocabulary are built directly into the IELTS programme.
We work on paraphrasing, collocations, academic vocabulary, lexical precision, sentence structure, cohesion, punctuation and grammatical accuracy.
We do not work through coursebooks mechanically, from the first unit to the last. Language material is brought in when it is needed for a specific IELTS skill or helps fix a problem we have noticed in a student’s work.
CORECollins Vocabulary for IELTSVocabulary by exam topic, plus exam practice
ADVANCED 7+Cambridge Vocabulary for IELTS AdvancedUsed selectively, by skill and topic; supports Band Booster
TARGETEDGrammar for IELTSEntry Test first, then units based on mistakes from the Error Bank
Who the programme is for
The course is designed for students at B1+/B2 level and above who are preparing for IELTS Academic and aiming for a high score.
This format is especially useful for those who do not want to limit themselves to learning the exam format and doing endless tests, but want to understand their mistakes, see their progress and work systematically on what really affects their score.
There is a diagnostic before the course starts.
Natalia GridinaEnglish language teacher with more than 25 years of experience.
PhD in Philology
Cambridge CELTA
Cambridge DELTA
Cambridge Advanced Methodology
LCCI Teaching Business English
English C2
Specialises in IELTS, Academic Writing, Business English and English for professional purposes.
97% of my students who took IELTS achieved Band 7.0 or higher.
Week-by-week programme
October 2026 – March 2027. Core course on Saturdays, Speaking Lab on Wednesdays.
Core course · 27 stages
IELTS READY October – January
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
IELTS BAND BOOSTER February – March
Feb
Mar
Each point on the track is a class: select it to see the topic and stage outcome.
1–2 OctoberStarting Diagnostic
Diagnostic: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking
Stage outcomeWe establish starting levels and individual priorities
Studying with Natalia is not so much lessons as a real journey into English! I take my time comparing options when it comes to courses, and I can say with confidence that I chose right. Attention to detail, full commitment at every lesson, support and the way material is presented — that is what truly wins you over. Natalia turned out to be not just a teacher but a person who genuinely burns for her subject. The result speaks for itself — IELTS 8.0. Thank you so much!
DDaniil N.
7.5IELTS
I was looking for a teacher to prepare for IELTS Academic and chose lessons with Natalia. At the first lesson she assessed my level in detail, identifying my strengths and weaknesses. The lessons covered every part of the exam: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Natalia gave detailed individual feedback on every task, helping me not only fix mistakes but avoid them in the future. After six months I scored 7.5 (C1) in IELTS Academic. I recommend her with full confidence!
AAnatoly · Profi.ru
7.0IELTS
A true motivator of a course! Thank you, Natalia, for the endless positivity, drive and a genuinely huge stock of useful information, materials and tips for IELTS! And thank you for my 7.0, which I reached after just two months of preparation!
NNastya K.
IELTS makes more sense when you know not just the right answer, but why you got it wrong.
Over six months, we will go from the Starting Diagnostic and systematic work on all four parts of IELTS to mock tests, an individual Band Profile and targeted work on what is holding your score back.
The whole path stays visible in your personal account: classes, assignments, reviewed work, mistakes, flashcards, trackers and progress.