Work directly with Brian on Academic or General Training, preparing the skills you need for a target of 6.5–7.5. Choose in-person lessons in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, or online lessons on Zoom. If you live abroad, share your time zone to arrange availability. Brian taught IELTS at Pagoda Gangnam from 2013 to 2026.
Hi, I'm looking into 1:1 IELTS tutoring.
Current score (or level):
Target score:
Test date:
Ask about fees with your current level, target, deadline and the skills you want to work on. A writing answer or speaking recording is useful if you have one, but neither is required to inquire.
You can start without talking to anyone
Everywhere you look, the first step is «book a consultation». But getting on a call with a stranger and saying your current score out loud is uncomfortable for anyone — so most people put it off and never reply to anybody. So the order is reversed here: send one essay and it comes back marked up, with no call. I would rather show you than tell you, and you can judge afterwards.
Hi, I found your website.
I'd like the free marked-up report on one writing answer.
(I'll send the essay next)
노베이스로 첫 시험 L/R/W/S 8/7.5/6/6.5 받았었고, 브라이언 선생님께 약 3주간 각 1시간씩 총 8번 writing, speaking 수업을 진행했고, 결과적으로는 9/8.5/7/7.5 를 받았습니다. …
유** · Soomgo review · Dec 2025
★★★★★
… 선생님 아니였으면 2주만에 노베이스에서 6.5 못 받았을거에요! 저는 애버리지 6점 각 5.5이상이 필요 했는데 한번에 더 높은 점수로 여유있게 합격 할 수 있게 도와주셨어요!! 강추합니다!!!!
임** · Soomgo review · Sep 2025
Copied unedited from Soomgo, a Korean tutor marketplace (long reviews shortened, in Korean as written). As of Oct 28.
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My writing was stuck at 5.5 for half a year and I'd nearly given up. He pinpointed exactly what was wrong with my essays, and I improved visibly with every correction.
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My mind used to go blank just thinking about Speaking. Practising under real exam conditions every week, I wasn't nervous for the first time — and hearing that my phrasing had become natural made my day.
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Registration required a minimum in all four skills. By tackling my weaker areas first, I passed on the first try. Truly grateful.
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Honestly I never expected an 8.0. Writing 7.5 is a score I could never have reached on my own — the way I see argument structure completely changed.
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I always ran out of time on Reading. After learning the right question order and scanning technique, I actually started finishing early. Genuinely surprising :)
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I was in a rush for my immigration score. He got me to my target in a month — General Training needs its own strategy, and his prep was spot on.
No essay or recording is required. Tell me which skills you need, whether you prefer in-person or online lessons, and when you are available. I will explain the lesson format and fees. You can also send an essay or speaking recording to try the feedback first.
A 30-minute level check and a free trial lesson
If you would like to explore lessons, a 30-minute level check and free trial lesson help establish your starting point and whether the approach suits you. We arrange the time together.
Your plan and the student portal
We sequence the skills starting with the one that can climb fastest, and homework, materials and replay videos all live in one portal.
How the lessons work
The four skills are not run in parallel. Time goes where it is costing you the most band right now.
Listening
Scored section by section, so we can see exactly where it breaks. Every test you sit fills in your Cambridge progress chart.
Reading
Scored per passage, with the numbers of the questions you missed. When one question type keeps costing you, we drill that type alone.
Writing
Hand in an essay and a written report comes back showing what to change and how. Rewrites are marked against the same criteria.
Speaking
I listen to your recording and mark phrasing, fluency and pronunciation. Next lesson you say it again, fixed.
Why Brian's 1:1
In person or on Zoom · from abroad too
In person in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, or on Zoom, whichever suits you. Zoom works from anywhere in Korea, or from the US, Canada, Australia or Europe with the slot set to your local time.
Fully 1:1, tailored
Instead of a fixed batch curriculum, every lesson adapts to your level and goals, strengthening weak areas step by step.
A background you can check
An IELTS Band 9.0, and a full-time instructor into a 14th year (2013–2026) at Pagoda Academy - Gangnam — the career is on Pagoda's official instructor profile.
Free trial lesson
Try a free trial lesson before you commit, to see whether the style fits you.
Private student portal
Homework, class notes, replay videos and study materials — all in one place.
Start free
From the first marked-up essay to a 30-minute level check and a trial lesson — nothing costs anything until you decide to start.
Direct feedback
I review your writing and speaking directly and show you exactly what to fix and how.
What comes back
What a report looks like
The feedback identifies what to work on, explains the changes and gives you a next practice task. This short example demonstrates the format; it does not predict a test score.
This is an example written for this page, not a student's work. The format is exactly the one used in lessons.
Illustrative practice answer
Some people think governments should invest in public transport rather than building new roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
In modern society, transportation problem is one of the most serious issue in many country. I strongly agree that government should invest more money to public transportation rather than building new road. Moreover, public transportation can reduce the traffic jam. Moreover, it is good for environment because the people who uses bus and subway do not use their own car. Therefore, government should focus on public transportation.
Sample report
Writing Task 2 · feedback
Overall
The position is clear and consistent. In this example, work on developing the reasons and reducing repetitive linking. This short practice answer is not enough to assess a full essay or assign a band.
Task Response
You may fully agree; a concession is optional. Explain why public transport can reduce congestion and support the point with a specific example. A full Task 2 answer requires at least 250 words; this short practice answer demonstrates the feedback process.
Coherence & Cohesion
Moreover opens two sentences in a row. Linkers do not earn marks by quantity, only by pointing at the right relationship. Your two ideas, reducing congestion and helping the environment, sit side by side as parallel reasons. Rather than swapping the second linker for another one, give each reason its own example and let it breathe.
Lexical Resource
Repeating public transportation is not automatically an error. Keep references precise; public transport or bus and rail networks may suit the context. Traffic jam is a valid expression. Here, traffic congestion conveys the general problem more clearly than the traffic jam, which suggests a particular incident.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Check plural countable nouns: one of the most serious issues and many countries. Use the environment in this context. Change people who uses to people who use, and invest to to invest in. Then apply these patterns in new sentences.
Sentence rewrites
You wrote: In modern society, transportation problem is one of the most serious issue in many country.→ Traffic congestion has become one of the most serious problems in many countries.Naming congestion directly makes the opening more specific. The rewrite also corrects articles and plurals for problem, issue and country.
You wrote: I strongly agree that government should invest more money to public transportation→ I strongly agree that governments should invest more in public transportInvest takes the preposition in. You also mean governments in general rather than one specific government, so the plural reads more naturally.
You wrote: the people who uses bus and subway do not use their own car→ commuters who use buses and subways leave their cars at homeThe verb after who agrees with people, so it must be use. Commuters identifies the people travelling to work more precisely here.
One level up
ease congestion during peak hours
a viable alternative to private cars
at a fraction of the cost
For next time
Explain how congestion is reduced and add a specific example supporting that reason.
Check the relationship between sentences and keep only the linkers you need.
How do I find out the lesson fees and available times?
Send your current score, target, test date, the skills you need and your preference for in-person or online lessons by KakaoTalk or email. Brian will explain the format, fees and available times. No essay or phone appointment is needed to ask.
Are lessons online or in person?
Both. Choose whichever suits you: in person in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, or one-on-one over Zoom from anywhere. If you live abroad, lessons run on Zoom in your own time zone. Either way, everything we cover stays in your private student portal to review later.
I live abroad — can the time zones work?
We check availability together using your location and time zone. A particular morning or evening slot is subject to availability. Just tell me where you are and when you are free. Explanations are given in Korean, so you can understand grammar and essay logic in your first language while living in an English-speaking country, and you sit the test locally.
Do you teach both Academic and General Training?
Yes, both. Most students take Academic (target 6.5–7.5) for graduate study, university admission or professional registration, and General Training for immigration is taught the same way. Listening and Speaking are identical; Writing Task 1 (a letter) and the Reading passages differ, so we confirm which test you need first and plan with the matching materials. Per-band minimums, such as CLB for immigration, are built in from the start.
What score can I realistically reach?
Most students aim for IELTS Academic 6.5 to 7.5+. The curriculum is built around your starting level and your goal, so we spend the time precisely where you need it. If your requirement is a minimum in every band — 7.0 across all four, say — rather than an overall score, the plan itself has to be built differently.
How long does 6.5 to 7.0 take?
Honestly, it varies, and I would distrust anyone who promises a number of weeks. What can be seen early is what is actually in the way, and the free level check usually shows it. If one skill is holding you back, we focus there and it moves relatively fast. If all four sit at 6.0–6.5, the foundation has to be rebuilt and it takes longer. The time needed depends on your starting skills, practice time and the changes required in each area.
How are materials provided?
You get a private student portal with class notes, homework, replay videos, and downloadable handouts (PDF). Everything in it is yours alone, so reviewing is easy — and your writing and speaking feedback reports and score history live in the same place.
What is Brian's background?
Brian holds an IELTS Band 9.0 (perfect score) and taught IELTS full-time at Pagoda Academy - Gangnam from 2013 to 2026, into a 14th year. His official Pagoda profile documents his teaching role; it is not a score report.
How do I ask about lessons and availability?
Availability and details are shared personally in a consultation. I recommend starting with a free trial lesson to check the fit before you commit — just reach out on KakaoTalk or by email. If you are abroad, mention where you are and we will start from the time zone.
Do I have to book a call first?
No. You can ask about lessons and fees with just your level, target and test date. Send one writing answer (or a speaking recording) on KakaoTalk and it comes back marked up, with no consultation and no phone call: which sentence loses marks, why, and a fixed version. No band number. It is free, and you decide what happens next after reading it. If you have nothing written, I will send you a question to answer.
How do I get started?
Share your current score, target and test date on KakaoTalk. If you have an essay, you can also try a free review first. Only if the report makes you want to continue do we move on to a 30-minute level check and a free trial lesson, after which you get a study plan built around your goal. Nothing is charged up to there.
Contact
Start now
Share your current score, target score and test date. I will explain the lesson format, fees and available times. Ask without an essay, or try the free writing feedback first.
Hi, I'm looking into 1:1 IELTS tutoring.
Current score (or level):
Target score:
Test date:
9.0IELTS Perfect-Score Holder & Instructor
View official Pagoda profile →
4.6 · 10 reviews on Soomgo · hired 32 times