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One-to-one IELTS lessons online, for people in Dubai
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service, not a test centre and not a class. Every lesson is one-to-one with Mike, live on Google Meet in English. He holds the Cambridge CELTA, teaches from Hanoi, and scored 7.5 overall and 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS. There is no classroom, centre or group class in Dubai. About Mike has more detail, and the page for Dubai and the rest of the UAE has the booking steps and a time conversion table.
A session can cover Listening, Reading, Writing (Task 1 and Task 2, marked against the public band descriptors) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format), on its own or mixed, with feedback during the session. See IELTS Speaking coaching, IELTS Speaking tutoring for the UAE and IELTS Writing feedback.
Three anonymous results have been reported back to Mike: 6.0 to 7.5 overall, 5.5 to 7.0 in Writing and 6.5 to 8.0 in Speaking. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work between sessions.
Dubai is 3 hours behind Hanoi, all year
The IANA time zone database defines Dubai as UTC+4 and Vietnam as UTC+7, with no daylight-saving rule in either, and the UAE Government's fact sheet says the UAE is 4 hours ahead of GMT. So the gap stays at three hours: 17:00 in Dubai is 20:00 in Hanoi, and 19:00 in Hanoi is 16:00 in Dubai.
The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone. No particular hours are promised, so look at what is open before you plan around a test date.
Where can you sit IELTS in Dubai?
Short answer: there is more than one place. IDP lists Dubai as a UAE test city, and the ielts.org finder shows listings with Dubai addresses from both IDP and the British Council. You book the test with IDP or the British Council, not with Band Booster, and this page prints no fee or test date.
- IDP. The test city selector on IDP's UAE homepage includes Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah among other places. Its test dates page says the booking platform offers dates across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and all major emirates, and it has a test centre finder with a city filter. Some venue names that contain "Dubai" are in other emirates, so check the address, not just the name.
- British Council. Its UAE dates and locations page says it offers IELTS tests in a number of locations in the UAE but names no city or venue, so use the ielts.org finder below, or ask the British Council, to see which locations are in Dubai.
- ielts.org. Its test centre finder for the United Arab Emirates lists venues from both providers. Several results have Dubai addresses; when read in October 2026 they included "IDP IELTS Dubai (Main Location)" and "Dubai British Council Office". Listings carry labels such as Computer, Computer (Writing on Paper), One Skill Retake and UKVI Approved, though not every listing has every label. The finder shows live data, so it reflects what is listed when you look.
This section was read in October 2026. Venue lists change and the sites do not always agree, so confirm the address and format on the provider's own page before you book.
If you need IELTS for UKVI
The British Council's UAE page on IELTS for UKVI says it offers that test in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and that UK Visas and Immigration accepts only tests taken in person at an official IELTS for UKVI test centre. The ielts.org finder marks some Dubai listings as UKVI Approved. Whether you need UKVI, Academic or General Training is for the organisation asking for your result to say; this page states no score. See Academic or General Training.
Is IELTS in Dubai taken on computer?
The providers' UAE pages describe IELTS on computer, with Speaking a live interview with an examiner, though how it is held varies: as read on 22 October 2026, the British Council's UAE Academic and General Training pages say some of its test centres deliver Speaking by video call while also describing a face-to-face interview, its UAE computer-delivered page says Speaking is live with an examiner, the IDP UAE pages read describe a face-to-face interview, and ielts.org's Guide for Test Takers says face to face or via video call. ielts.org announced on 5 March 2026 that from mid-2026 IELTS will no longer be offered as a paper-based test, with exact timelines varying by market, and some provider pages still mention paper, so confirm the format on the session you book. For the sources side by side, see computer-delivered IELTS in the UAE; for when and how Speaking is held, which varies by provider and centre, see Speaking tutoring for the UAE.
IELTS Online and One Skill Retake
According to ielts.org, IELTS Online is offered in some countries, for Academic only. The UAE pages of IDP and the British Council read for this page do not list it as bookable, so availability in the UAE is unconfirmed: ask the provider. For One Skill Retake, ielts.org says you need a full IELTS on computer result from a centre that offers it and must sit the retake within 60 days, and IDP's UAE site says availability depends on the venue and your test date. Our guide compares One Skill Retake and a full retake.
What to practise before test day, and how lessons fit with the practice materials
The Academic sample test page on ielts.org says its practice materials let you get used to the format and the types of task and review your answers against model answers. Its computer practice experience is not timed, and the timer, highlighting and notes work differently from the live test, so use your own clock. IDP's practice tests page lists computer familiarisation tests for Listening, Reading and Writing.
The table is for IELTS Academic, which takes 2 hours 45 minutes in total, per ielts.org. The right-hand column is general teaching advice, not guidance from IDP or the British Council, and promises no band.
| Section | Format (ielts.org, Academic) | What to practise |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | About 30 minutes, 40 questions; each recording is played once, per ielts.org's Academic Listening page | Entering answers while the recording plays. |
| Reading | 60 minutes, 40 questions, three sections, per ielts.org's Academic Reading page | Keeping to your own 60-minute clock on a screen. |
| Writing | 60 minutes: Task 1 (at least 150 words) and Task 2 (at least 250 words), per ielts.org's Academic Writing page | Both tasks in one sitting, giving Task 2 the larger share because it counts twice as much, with a few minutes to re-read. |
| Speaking | About 11 to 14 minutes, three parts, recorded, per ielts.org's Academic Speaking page | Answering aloud to another person, in the real part order. |
General Training shares Listening and Speaking with Academic, but its Reading and Writing differ, according to ielts.org; it has its own sample test page.
A simple routine: do a timed sample on your own, then bring the answers or the questions to a session. In Writing, Mike goes through your Task 1 or Task 2 against the public band descriptors; in Speaking you run Parts 1 to 3 in the real format. A session is practice with a teacher, not an IELTS test. Between lessons, the band score calculator and the Speaking Part 2 timer can help.
IELTS classes in Dubai, or a private tutor online?
A group class can suit you if you want a fixed timetable, a room to go to and classmates. One-to-one lessons can suit you if you want each session built around the skill you choose, booked as you need them. Band Booster offers only the second, and its calendar decides which slots are open. No band is guaranteed in either format; see how to choose an online IELTS tutor.
Prices and booking from Dubai
The booking page shows your price, in your own currency with the payment options, before you pay. There is no subscription or package, a paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a lesson. The page for Dubai and the rest of the UAE explains the pricing method. Lessons are in English; the website interface is also available in Arabic. Questions before you book? Message Mike on WhatsApp or Telegram at +84 383 390 963 (a Vietnam number), or email mkcenter007@gmail.com.