Score Higher in IELTS:

Professional Tutoring

with

Kate Keating

 

Book a trial lesson now for just $9

ABOUT KATE KEATING

 

Hi, I’m Kate, the online IELTS tutor. I’ve worked with fantastic adult students like you for eleven years. Here’s my “why.”

Communication is a joy to me. I love learning languages, and I adore my language, English.

I wanted to be an English tutor as a young woman but didn’t get the chance as I was settled in England with a home-loving partner after graduating.

Thirty years later, I started learning Chinese with a tutor from Xi-An, China, via Skype lessons, and she said, why don’t you teach English online? I never looked back.

I’ve helped over 700 students improve their IELTS scores and get places at top universities and PR-Visas for Canada, Australia and the UK.

Through one-on-one online IELTS lessons, online programs, videos, blog posts and ebooks, I’ve been fortunate enough to connect with unbelievable students across the globe.

And the journey is only beginning…

My services are most effective for adults who are one or more of the following:

  • They want to unlock a higher band score in IELTS writing and speaking
  • They want a patient IELTS tutor who makes them feel confident but gives plenty of corrections.
  • They are feeling “stuck” because they are unsatisfied with their IELTS results and would like to know why they got that band score.
  • They want to learn by communicating, not by doing boring worksheets or grammar exercises.
The no 1 thing my students say is that I am patient and kind

FIND YOUR FLUENCY FOR IELTS – 12 WEEKS

This IELTS program is designed to make you more fluent fast. We’ll assess your IELTS level at the start and find out the things that you are doing that you need to change and the things that you aren’t doing that you need to start to learn to do. This program is designed to give you the “low hanging fruit” – the easiest things to learn that make the most difference to your score in the minimum time. For 12 weeks, you’ll go on a structured journey that will completely revolutionize how you answer IELTS questions and improve your performance in the exam.

The course is 12 online IELTS lessons and can be fast-tracked into 6 or 4 weeks.

The price is 8 GBP – British Pounds for a trial session which lasts 25 minutes, and then 297 GBP for the course of 12 lessons.

Exam Tactics – LAST-MINUTE IELTS

Exam strategy tips can get you up half a band – I will teach you this if you have 1-3 weeks before your test. It can completely transform the way you answer IELTS questions. This program is designed for motivated people ready to take on new ideas. Whether you’re a band 5 wanting a band 6 or a six wanting IELTS band 7+, this course can help you. This short course walks you through some carefully chosen parts of the speaking and writing exams for fast learning and immediate score increases.

The price is 8 GBP for the first trial lesson and then 147 GBP for five 50-minute sessions.

I can identify what needs to change about your English to go up one band in IELTS

Here are some video testimonials from past students

My story and why I can help you

I’m Kate Keating.

I used to be very shy. I wouldn’t speak in front of others. Speaking exams terrified me. But I joined an organisation called Toastmasters and became a confident public speaker, even becoming president of my group. Because of this, I understand the stress of the exam. And I’m very kind, and I want to help you.

On the other hand, writing has always been my strength, so I have many ideas to help your writing.

Finally, I was taught to teach IELTS by the British Council and am a fully qualified EFL teacher.

This course will save you time and money!

My courses are tailored to you. You won’t be wasting time doing work that other students need, but you already know or are good at already. We will only work on the things that YOU need to change to go up one band the fastest. This course is unique to you.

Book a FREE call with me now. Let’s meet online and discuss your goal band.

British IELTS Tutor Kate Nixon

Start Now!

Book Your FREE Trial Lesson Today

IELTS Course FAQ

Read my FAQ about the IELTS speaking test to learn how to increase your vocabulary score to a band 8.0.

How long are the lessons?

50 minutes.

What if I am unsatisfied with the course?

You won’t be. You don’t have to pay until after lesson 2. You will know how effective the course is by then. But if you need to leave the course, I will give you the money back for any untaught lessons. That is my satisfaction guarantee.

Can you guarantee I will go up a band?

No teacher could ever do that. It depends on your hard work as well as mine. It will be a lot of work.

How much time will I need?

At least 2 hours of your time to every one hour in class.

I don't have ideas to answer the questions. Do you have a solution?

Yes, book a trial and ill tell you what to do.

I need to go up two bands!

You will need more than one course.

Can I use very informal vocabulary in IELTS

Often very informal vocabulary sounds uneducated or rude to native speakers. It Is likely that you know when a word you have learned is too informal for the test.
But relatively informal words that are not rude are preferable to extremely formal words in the speaking test.
For example, the more informal expression “on top of that” sounds better than “moreover” unless you are discussing a weighty topic such as climate change or education.
Two synonyms for informal are relaxed and friendly. It is good to be able to sound relaxed, easy going and friendly when answering the IELTS part 1 speaking questions about your job, home, hobbies, likes and dislikes because it proves you can perform well in social English conversation.
In IELTS writing, the opposite is true and when you are writing serious points about such topics as climate change or education in third world countries it is better to use more formal language.

Should I use phrasal verbs in IELTS academic?

Most phrasal verbs are spoken English rather than written English.
I can illustrate this with the phrase “to give something back” and to “return something”. They both mean the same thing but the first is a phrasal verb and the second is a more formal alternative.
“To give something back” sounds better in speaking. The speaking test is the same in IELTS for both academic and general. For speaking, I would always recommend using phrasal verbs, except very informal ones which have rude connotations.
But phrasal verbs are informal and academic writing is not.
In a university essay, it would be better to use the word “return” than “give back” every time. And it is good to get into this habit earlier than later so if you are taking academic IELTS my advice is to start now.

How is the IELTS speaking test scored?

The IELTS speaking test is scored by how easy you are to listen to and understand as you are speaking English. The factors that affect this are

  • your vocabulary – see the more detailed explanation below
  • coherence – whether what you say makes sense
  • cohesion – how well the ideas within sentences and between sentences link together
  • how advanced your grammar and also how accurate and of course
  • your pronunciation.

What percentage of the IELTS speaking test is vocabulary?

It is 25% of the marks

How do I get an 8.0 IELTS vocabulary score?

To score an 8.0 in IELTS vocabulary in speaking you should use plenty of idiomatic vocabulary.
You should use less common words that identify very precise meanings. For example instead of “I agree” identify your level of agreement precisely with phrases such as “yes I definitely agree” or “well, I guess I kind of agree.”
You should use collocations accurately – words that naturally go together, for example, “take a walk”, or “make a mistake.”
You should also use less common collocations such as phrasal verbs. For example, instead of “I like my colleagues,” use “I get along well with my colleagues.”
Finally, you should understand how formal or informal the words you use are and be able to choose the right word for the right occasion.

Why You Should Work With Me

I have a standard British accent which is very clear and easy to understand and a good role model for your own accent

The number one thing my students say about me is that I am patient and kind which makes them look forward to and enjoy my lessons

I identify errors and help my students correct them, but it is not all grammar, I work on pronunciation and vocabulary, too and you will learn idiomatic language with me.

Let's Start!

IELTS Speaking Skills

Best speaking tutors will explain your band score to you. I do this. Courses to achieve 6, 7 and 8 in IELTS covering all aspects of IELTS marking: pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and fluency and cohesion.

IELTS Writing Skills

My courses in both academic and general IELTS writing are held through live online one-2-one student/teacher discussions of your work. Explanations of each mark are given.

What My Students Say

Carlota Álvarez Ramos

Katey is a great teacher. She's really nice and approachable. She helped me to be much more confident to reach a better score in speaking and writing. I highly recommend her classes to anyone who is looking for good IELTS results and/or to improve their English.
Let's Talk IELTS
5.0
2020-06-16T07:36:46+01:00

Carlota Álvarez Ramos

Katey is a great teacher. She’s really nice and approachable. She helped me to be much more confident to reach a better score in speaking and writing. I highly recommend 

Nadezhda Nikolova

Katey is a very knowledgeable and dedicated English teacher. Her teaching approach is outstanding. I am amazed by her ability always to find the most uncomplicated and comprehensive way in which to answer my questions. Having classes with her was the most effective instrument I used to achieve the needed IELTS results. I would like to thank Katey for her professionalism. I highly recommend her classes to anyone who is looking for good IELTS results and/or to improve their English
Let's Talk IELTS
5.0
2020-06-16T07:37:48+01:00

Nadezhda Nikolova

Katey is a very knowledgeable and dedicated English teacher. Her teaching approach is outstanding. I am amazed by her ability always to find the most uncomplicated and comprehensive way in 

Lee Zhu

Katey is an responsible and reliable English teacher. She specializes in IELTS test. My IELTS test speaking grade is 6 after learning from her. I would strongly recommend her if anyone wants to improve English.
Let's Talk IELTS
5.0
2020-06-16T07:38:58+01:00

Lee Zhu

Katey is an responsible and reliable English teacher. She specializes in IELTS test. My IELTS test speaking grade is 6 after learning from her. I would strongly recommend her if 

Nikolay Antipov

Katey is a highly professional teacher. She helped me to achieve needed IELTS results for Speaking and Writing sections. Every single lesson had a significant contribution to my experience. Katey taught me how to focus on topic context and use relevant vocabulary, how to make my response better and well structured.
Let's Talk IELTS
5.0
2020-06-16T07:40:11+01:00

Nikolay Antipov

Katey is a highly professional teacher. She helped me to achieve needed IELTS results for Speaking and Writing sections. Every single lesson had a significant contribution to my experience. Katey 

Boyco Boychev

Katey is more than professional English teacher, she is an adviser and a coach who takes personal pride in striving for the success of anyone who approaches her. She was exceptional to me, because she helped me gaining much needed speaking confidence in just two on-line, face-to-face lectures. Thanks to the Skype conversations with Katey my IELTS speaking result improved from 6.0 to 7.5. Last but not least, Katey is master of many trades, for whom the pessimistic assumption that learning somehow 'stops' when you leave the university is at odds with the evidence. Isn't she a great example for every learner?
Let's Talk IELTS
5.0
2020-06-16T07:41:42+01:00

Boyco Boychev

Katey is more than professional English teacher, she is an adviser and a coach who takes personal pride in striving for the success of anyone who approaches her. She was 

Jane, China

I had 5 hours courses with Kate for my IELTS speaking test. She helped me successfully improve from 5.5 to 6 just in half a month!
I am very grateful for Kate's useful advice which efficiently improved my speaking skill and score. And she is a good teacher who is really worthy of my recommendation for mainly 3 reasons. Firstly, she is so experienced that she can quickly grab the points where you can improve your score efficiently. For example, she knew my vocabulary is not good and I need to get 6 score so she suggested me to mainly focus on my fluency. Secondly, she was prepared for my courses. I had had some courses with other speaking teachers before I met her, she was the first one who asked me in details so that she could make a good plan for my courses. Last but not least, she is a very patient and lovely person. I was really upset and had no idea for the test at that time. But when I was chatting with her, I just felt really comfortable because she could make some interesting topics for us to talk about and told me how to express better during the talk.
Finally, I want to express my thanks for those happy time genuinely again
Let's Talk IELTS
5.0
2021-07-05T20:57:09+01:00
I had 5 hours courses with Kate for my IELTS speaking test. She helped me successfully improve from 5.5 to 6 just in half a month! I am very grateful 

Tonn, Thailand

If you are looking for a remarkably professional coach for your IELTS speaking, Kate is going to be one of the best choices.
In the beginning, my problems with English speaking were lacking fluency and idioms. After a few lessons with Kate, I got many tips and technics to solve that. Kate is very supportive, patient, well-prepared and results-oriented. Her fluency game is really helpful!
I've estimated my speaking skill around 5.5-6.0, but after 8-9 lessons, I got band 7.0 thanks to her. So, I would like to recommend her to everyone who aims for band 7.0 on IELTS speaking.
Let's Talk IELTS
5.0
2022-01-17T13:23:21+00:00
If you are looking for a remarkably professional coach for your IELTS speaking, Kate is going to be one of the best choices. In the beginning, my problems with English 
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Let's Talk IELTS