Your coach
Hello — I’m Isabel.
A native English speaker based in Melbourne. CELTA certified. Running a deliberately small, personal IELTS coaching practice.
I'm a native English speaker, CELTA certified, and based in Melbourne. I've been coaching IELTS candidates one-on-one for the last two years, and before that I taught general English to adult learners.
What I kept seeing across IELTS candidates is that they weren't failing because their English was poor. They were failing because exam-technique gaps — not language gaps — were costing them half a band in two skills. One writing paragraph with a weak topic sentence, or a 90-second speaking answer that repeated rather than developed an idea.
That gap is what this practice exists to close. Coaching is deliberately one-on-one. Feedback is specific. Timelines are honest. And the default assumption is that you're a serious person with a real deadline, not someone browsing.
Teaching approach
How I teach.
Four principles that shape every session, every correction, and every piece of written feedback.
01
Band descriptors, not vibes
Every piece of feedback maps back to an IELTS public band descriptor. You learn what examiners actually reward — not one teacher's opinion.
02
Weakest skill first
We spend session time where it changes your band. If writing is a 6 and speaking is a 7.5, we're not doing pronunciation drills.
03
Output over explanation
Lessons are mostly practice-with-feedback, not lecture. You'll write, speak, and re-draft more than you'll listen to theory.
04
Honest timelines
If your goal isn't realistic in your timeframe, I'll say so in the consultation. No one benefits from a programme that can't deliver.
Background
A short timeline.
How the practice got here, briefly.
TODO
Began teaching English
Started with adult language learners — migrants, professionals, and students preparing for study and work in English-language contexts.
TODO
CELTA certification · Cambridge Assessment English
Formal training in English-language pedagogy, with assessed teaching practice across multiple learner levels.
~2024
Focused on IELTS preparation
Shifted to IELTS-specific coaching after seeing how many students were failing on the per-skill minimums rather than overall English ability.
Today
Independent IELTS practice
Running a small, deliberately personal coaching practice from Melbourne, serving students in person and online worldwide.
Ready to talk it through?
A free 15-minute call. Honest read on what Band 7+ will take — no sales pitch.