The questions people actually ask.
Grouped by what you are trying to work out. If your question is not here, ask it directly and I will answer.
Jump to
Getting started
What is the difference between the Fit Call and the Diagnostic Session?
The Fit Call tells you which service you need. The Diagnostic Session tells you what is actually holding your score back.
The Fit Call is free, lasts fifteen minutes, and includes no assessment, no sample test, and no advice on your specific score. It exists so you do not buy the wrong thing. The Diagnostic is a full sixty minute review with a written report and a plan. See pricing.
Do I need a score report before I book anything?
No. The Diagnostic works just as well from a goal and a deadline. First time candidates are one of the groups it helps most, because choosing the right test the first time saves far more than the session costs.
I have never taken an English test. Where do I start?
Start with the free Fit Call if you want to talk it through, or go straight to the Diagnostic if you want a proper recommendation with a plan. Either way, the first thing to establish is which test your destination actually accepts, because that decision comes before any preparation.
How do I know which exam I should take?
It depends on your destination, not on which test feels easier. Universities, visa routes and professional regulators each accept different tests, and some accept fewer than people assume. The UKVI page covers visa routes, and each exam page covers who it suits. If you want a definite answer for your specific goal, that is what the Diagnostic is for.
What is a score report?
It is the official document the test provider sends after you sit the test. It shows your score in each skill separately, your overall result, and depending on the test, extra detail underneath. For IELTS that is four skill bands. For PTE it is four communicative skills plus six enabling skills. For OET it is four sub test grades. It is the single most useful thing you can send me, because it contains the answer to why your score is where it is.
How is my score report worked out?
Differently for each test, and this is where most confusion starts.
IELTS gives a band per skill, and Writing and Speaking are each an average of four separate criteria. So a Writing 6.5 is usually three criteria at 7 and one at 6.
PTE uses integrated scoring, which means one task can feed two skill scores. Read Aloud contributes to Speaking and Reading, so a low Reading number is often a speaking problem.
OET grades each sub test separately, and Writing and Speaking are marked on clinical communication criteria as well as language.
Reading your report properly is usually worth more than another month of practice. See this article for the PTE version.
Can I just ask a question without booking?
Yes. Use the Contact page and choose General enquiry. If it is something I can answer in a sentence, I will.
The Diagnostic Session
What exactly do I get for £40?
Sixty minutes, plus a written report afterwards. In the session we review your score report line by line, or mark a piece of your writing against every criterion. You leave with the specific weakness named, a written report, and a one page plan setting out the two things to fix first.
Is the fee deducted if I go on to book a programme?
Yes, if you book within 7 days of the session.
What if the Diagnostic shows I do not need lessons?
Then I will tell you that. It happens reasonably often. Sometimes the answer is a remark rather than a retake, or a different test entirely, or one specific fix you can do yourself. You still leave with the report and the plan.
Can you tell me what band I will get?
No, and be careful of anyone who says they can. Any estimate I give is professional opinion and is indicative only. Only the test provider issues a real score.
What actually happens in a Diagnostic Session?
Sixty minutes, live, on video. It runs in four parts.
1. Your report or your writing. We go through it line by line. If you have no score report, we do a short skills check instead: across all four skills if this is your first time, or focused on the weakest one if you have sat before.
2. The finding. I name the specific criterion, skill or route that is holding your score, and show you the evidence for it in your own work.
3. The plan. What to fix first, what to fix second, and what to ignore for now.
4. The honest bit. Whether you need lessons at all. Sometimes the answer is a remark, a different test, or one fix you can do yourself.
Afterwards you get a written report and a one page plan by email.
How is this different from just doing more practice tests?
Practice only helps if it is aimed at the real cause. Writing forty essays with no criterion level marking rehearses the same error forty times. The Diagnostic finds which specific thing is costing you the band, so the practice that follows is pointed at something.
Exams and scores
My writing is stuck at 6.5 and everything else is higher. Why?
IELTS Writing is marked on four separate criteria and your band is the average. A 6.5 usually means three criteria at 7 and one at 6. Which one it is varies by person and is diagnosable from a single essay. See the IELTS page.
Why is my PTE Reading score low when my English is fine?
PTE uses integrated scoring. Read Aloud feeds your Reading score as well as Speaking, so a speaking task problem shows up as a reading number. Many people practise reading for weeks fixing something that was never broken. See the PTE page.
Does my accent affect my PTE score?
No. Pronunciation and fluency are machine scored precisely so accent and identity cannot be judged, and the system never sees who you are. What feels like an accent penalty is usually rhythm, chunking or hesitation, all of which are coachable.
Is PTE accepted for nurse or doctor registration in the UK?
No. PTE is not accepted by the UK NMC, the UK GMC, Ireland’s NMBI, or CGFNS and VisaScreen in the United States. Several websites claim otherwise. For healthcare registration your accepted options are IELTS Academic or OET. Always verify with your own regulator directly.
Why do I keep getting Grade C in OET?
OET is assessed on clinical communication criteria as well as language. In Writing it is usually case note selection, meaning too much included rather than poor English. In Speaking it is usually skipping the relationship building the criteria explicitly reward. General English practice does not move either. See the OET page.
TOEFL changed in 2026. Is my preparation still valid?
Partly. Core English skills transfer, but the test became adaptive in Reading and Listening, moved to a 1.0 to 6.0 band scale, and dropped to roughly 90 minutes on 21 January 2026. If your materials predate that, they are teaching a test that no longer runs in that form. See the TOEFL page.
Should I request a remark or retake the test?
It depends on your deadline, which skill, and where you sat the test. A remark reviews your original answers. A One Skill Retake gives a fresh attempt at one skill within 60 days of a computer delivered test, though it is not available everywhere and not every destination accepts it. If your deadline is close, the Urgent Decision Session exists for exactly this.
Do you help with Reading and Listening, or only Speaking and Writing?
All four skills, in whichever combination is actually holding your score back. Plateaus are most common in Writing, but the same diagnostic approach applies wherever the gap is.
Lessons and logistics
Are lessons online, and which platform do you use?
All lessons are online, on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Tencent Meeting. We agree which one before your first session, depending on what works best for you and where you are.
Can I choose which platform we use for the class?
Yes. We use Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Tencent Meeting, and you pick whichever suits you. Tencent Meeting is there specifically for students in mainland China where the other two can be unreliable. We agree it before your first session and stay on the same one throughout, so there is nothing new to learn each week.
Do you teach students outside the UK?
Yes. Students join from many countries and time zones. Evenings and weekends are available.
Are sessions recorded?
Not by default. Recording is strictly prohibited unless permission has been obtained in advance and in writing, and that applies to both of us. If you would find a recording useful, ask and we will consider it. See the Safeguarding Statement.
What happens if I miss a lesson?
Give at least 24 hours written notice and we will reschedule or refund. Less than 24 hours, or a no show, and the fee is retained. Full detail in the Refund Policy.
How much homework is there?
Enough to make the next lesson worth having, and not so much that you stop doing it. Usually one focused task tied to whatever we identified as the priority.
Can I book a single session without committing to a programme?
Yes. The Diagnostic and Conversation Practice are both standalone. Nothing obliges you to book more.
Conversational English
Why do I freeze when I understand everything?
Understanding and speaking are different systems. Listening and reading are receptive, which is recognition. Speaking is productive, which means building the sentence in real time under social pressure. Years of input train recognition brilliantly and production almost not at all. That is a training gap, not a level problem.
Is this for advanced learners only?
No. It works for anyone who understands more than they can currently say, which covers a wide range. Complete beginners need foundation work first.
Can you help with work meetings and phone calls specifically?
Yes. Tell me that is your goal and sessions focus there: making a point clearly, disagreeing politely, thinking on your feet, handling calls without preparation.
What if I am shy or a perfectionist about mistakes?
That is the most common profile here, not an obstacle. The whole point is a space where being imperfect is fine. We start where you are comfortable and expand from there.
Will you fix my accent?
No, and I would push back on the goal. I work on intelligibility, which means the specific sounds and stress patterns affecting whether you are understood. Your accent is not a problem to solve.
Is this exam preparation?
No. Exam Speaking is scored against published criteria and needs different work. This is real life English. See Conversational English.
Pricing, payment and refunds
Why does the Urgent Decision Session cost more than the Diagnostic?
Because it is booked within 48 hours and reshuffles my week. You are paying for speed, not for more content. If your deadline is not urgent, the Diagnostic covers the same ground for less.
Why is a group class cheaper than one to one?
Because the time is shared. Group Conversation Practice is £18 per person for 2 to 3 people, against £25 for one to one. You book your own place at a scheduled slot and you do not need to bring anyone.
Do you offer instalments?
Yes, on the Full Exam Programme. It is raised during your Fit Call.
Can I get a refund if I change my mind?
You have a legal right to cancel within 14 days of purchase. If sessions have already happened in that window, we refund the balance after deducting what was delivered. After 14 days, packages are not refundable but remaining sessions stay available until the end of the validity period. Full detail in the Refund Policy.
What payment methods do you accept?
Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, bank transfer, and payment in three instalments through Klarna. Everything is processed securely by Stripe, so we never see or store your card details. Prices are in GBP.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes. Klarna lets you split the cost into three instalments spread across three months, at no extra cost to you. Choose Klarna at checkout. You will need to register with Klarna and pass their eligibility check, which is done on their side, not ours. Visit klarna.com to register and check whether you are eligible.
Trust and safety
Do you guarantee a score?
No, and nobody responsibly can. Your result depends on your effort, the conditions on the day, and the time available. What I can do is tell you precisely what is costing you marks and what to do about it. If you want a guaranteed band promised upfront, I am not the right tutor.
Do you teach learners under 18?
Yes, from age 16. Where a learner is under 18 we require written consent from a parent or legal guardian before the first session, and a parent or guardian contact stays on file. Full detail in the Safeguarding Statement.
What happens to my score report and my essays?
They are used to deliver the service and are kept for 12 months after your last session, or sooner if you ask us to delete them. We never publish your material without permission. See the Privacy Policy.
Do you give immigration advice?
No, and we are not regulated to do so. We restate what test providers, regulators and the Home Office have published about which English tests they accept, and tell you where to check it. Requirements change, so always confirm your own route with the relevant official body before booking a test.
Are your qualifications and experience verifiable?
Yes. Background, credentials and my own exam results across IELTS, TOEFL and PTE are on the About page. Quick Talk Tutor Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company number 16435617.