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.
1:1 IELTS Tutoring
1:1 IELTS tutoring, all the way to your target band
Fourteen years at Pagoda Academy and an IELTS Band 9.0. The method that took hundreds of students to their target score, rebuilt around one person.
Not sure what to write? Send something like this
Hi — I'd like to ask about 1:1 IELTS tutoring. Target: Overall 7.0 (Writing 6.5) Current level: 6.0 (taken May 2026) Test planned: December 2026 Availability: weekday evenings
Who this is for
Studying abroad · 6.5 to 7.0
Usually one skill is holding the overall score down. We start by finding which one.
How to Get IELTS 7.0 — for People Stuck at 6.5Immigration · nursing registration · 7.0+ in every band
When every band has to clear the bar — not just the overall — the plan itself has to be different.
IELTS Score Requirements for Study Abroad, Immigration & PromotionWriting that will not move
The one skill you cannot mark for yourself. Every essay comes back with exactly what to fix.
High-Scoring IELTS Writing Task 2 StructureStarting out · around 5.5
Half the work is deciding what to do first. We build that order together.
IELTS Study Plan: A Complete 3-Month Plan & 4-Week Crash RoadmapYour first two weeks
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A free 30-minute level check
Send your target score and availability on KakaoTalk, and we look at where you stand and what is holding you back.
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A free trial lesson
Try the lessons before committing to see whether the style fits. Nothing is charged up to here.
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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.
Student Reviews
Real score-improvement results
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.
Registration required a minimum in all four skills. By tackling my weaker areas first, I passed on the first try. Truly grateful.
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.
I always ran out of time on Reading. After learning the right question order and scanning technique, I actually started finishing early. Genuinely surprising :)
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.
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
Learn from anywhere
Live 1:1 on Zoom from anywhere in Korea or abroad — study comfortably, with no commute.
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
Band 9.0 score and a full-time career at Pagoda Academy - Gangnam — verifiable on the official 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
Your first level check and 30-minute consultation are free — try it with no pressure.
Direct feedback
I review your writing and speaking directly and show you exactly what to fix and how.
What comes back
A real report, minus the student
Every essay you send comes back marked up like this. Note what is missing: there is no band number anywhere in it. A number invites an argument. A list of things to fix invites a rewrite.
This is an example written for this page, not a student's work. The format is exactly the one used in lessons.
The submitted answer (excerpt)
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.
Writing Task 2 · feedback
Overall
Your position is clear from the first sentence and it never wavers, which is worth keeping. Two things cost you the most here. One of your reasons ends after a single sentence with no example behind it, and every link between sentences is the same word, Moreover.
Task Response
The question asks to what extent you agree, but you only state that you agree. The other side never appears. You do not need to give it a whole paragraph. One sentence conceding that new roads do ease congestion in the short term is enough, and that single sentence is what separates the two bands here. At this pace you will also fall short of 250 words.
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
The word transportation appears four times. Repeating it does not raise your lexical score. You can rotate between public transport, mass transit, and rail and bus networks. Traffic jam belongs to speech; in an essay the expected phrase is traffic congestion.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Your errors are not scattered; two patterns repeat. First, articles and plurals on countable nouns (issue, country, road, environment). Second, subject-verb agreement (people who uses). Fixing just these two closes most of the gap in this criterion.
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. In modern society is an opener examiners see dozens of times a day, so it earns nothing. Singular and plural also clash in three places: problem, issue, 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 transport Invest 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 home The verb after who agrees with people, so it must be use. Switching to commuters also removes one more repetition of people.
One level up
- ease congestion during peak hours
- a viable alternative to private cars
- at a fraction of the cost
For next time
- In your next essay, include one sentence that concedes the opposing view before you move on.
- Allow yourself Moreover exactly once per essay and write within that limit.
The guides behind this feedback: Why memorised language costs you marks Linkers and Coherence & Cohesion The grammar that actually gets marked
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
What score can I realistically reach?
Most students aim for 6.5 to 7.5+. The curriculum is built around your starting level and goal, so we focus precisely on what you need to improve.
Are lessons online or in person?
Lessons are one-on-one online via Zoom, so you can join from anywhere in Korea or abroad, with flexible scheduling.
Academic or General Training — which do you cover?
Both. I coach IELTS Academic and General Training across all four skills — Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking — tailored to study-abroad, immigration, or career goals.
How are materials provided?
You get a private student portal with class notes, homework, lesson videos, and downloadable handouts (PDF) — organized per class so reviewing is easy.
What is Brian's background?
Brian holds an IELTS Band 9.0 (perfect score) and taught IELTS full-time for 14 years at Pagoda Academy - Gangnam — verifiable on his official Pagoda instructor profile.
How do I get started?
Message the KakaoTalk open chat and we start with a free level check and a 30-minute consultation to assess your level and map out a study plan.
Contact
Start now
The level check and the trial lesson cost nothing. Just send your target score and when you are free.
Not sure what to write? Send something like this
Hi — I'd like to ask about 1:1 IELTS tutoring. Target: Overall 7.0 (Writing 6.5) Current level: 6.0 (taken May 2026) Test planned: December 2026 Availability: weekday evenings
Or search ID gammabrian on KakaoTalk
Or email pagodabrian@gmail.com