See open times in your own time zone
Check that Google Meet opens for you before you book
Lessons run on Google Meet, and Google services are generally not reachable in mainland China without extra tools. The UK government's China travel advice, read in October 2026, lists Google among the services permanently blocked there. It does not name Google Meet itself, so this page cannot tell you whether Meet opens on your network in Guangzhou.
Before you book, open Google Meet and the booking page from the place where you will have the lesson, and message Mike first if you are not sure. No other platform is promised. You can reach him at mkcenter007@gmail.com or +84 383 390 963 (Zalo, WhatsApp, Telegram), though those routes may not work on every network in mainland China either.
How lessons with Mike work from Guangzhou
Every lesson is taught by Mike himself, live and one-to-one, 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 Guangzhou, and lessons are not in Chinese. About Mike has more detail.
- Open the booking calendar and pick a slot. Every time is shown in your own time zone.
- See your price in your own currency before you pay; payment options are shown on the booking page.
- Receive the Google Meet link and a calendar invite by email once your payment is confirmed.
- Have your lesson, with feedback during the session rather than days later. Written progress notes go into your account afterwards, and a session can be recorded on request.
A 60-minute session can cover Listening, Reading, Writing (Task 1 and Task 2) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3). You can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot; a cancellation inside 12 hours is not refunded. See IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback for how those sessions run (their prices are for Vietnam); online IELTS tutor for students in China covers the pricing method.
Guangzhou is one hour ahead of Hanoi, all year
Guangzhou is one hour ahead of Hanoi at every time of year: 19:00 in Hanoi is 20:00 in Guangzhou. The IANA time zone database puts Vietnam at UTC+7 all year (Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh for the south, and a comment in the file says to use Asia/Bangkok, also UTC+7, for the north) and mainland China's national time, Beijing Time (Asia/Shanghai), at UTC+8, and it records no summer time in mainland China after 1991. Its zone entries are named for Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Shanghai; none is named for Hanoi or Guangzhou, so this page treats Hanoi as being in northern Vietnam and Guangzhou as being on China's national time.
| Hanoi (UTC+7) | Guangzhou (UTC+8) |
|---|---|
| 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 20:00 | 21:00 |
| 23:30 | 00:30, the next day |
These rows show the conversion only, not open slots, and times from 23:00 in Hanoi fall on the next date in Guangzhou. The booking page lists every slot in your own time zone; Mike's calendar decides which are open.
Where can you take IELTS in Guangzhou?
IDP China's test-centre finder lists one Guangzhou venue, in Tianhe District, under IELTS on Computer Academic, and British Council China's One Skill Retake page lists a computer-test centre in Guangzhou. This page does not confirm British Council's full list of Guangzhou centres for regular tests; start from British Council China's home page, which points to its centre lookup.
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutoring service. It does not run the test, register candidates or set exam fees, so this page quotes no fee, date or street address. The table was read on the providers' own pages in October 2026; those pages change, differ from each other and are mainly in Chinese, so confirm on the provider's page before you book.
| Source | What it says about Guangzhou | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| IDP China test-centre finder | Lists one Guangzhou venue, IDP IELTS Guangzhou Tianhe Test Center, in Tianhe District, under IELTS on Computer Academic. The only other Guangdong venue it lists is in Shenzhen (Futian). | Its test-type list shows Academic only, so it does not say whether this venue offers General Training. |
| British Council China, One Skill Retake page | Names Guangzhou among eight mainland cities with retake centres and lists one computer-test centre there. | It covers retake centres only, not every place where regular tests are held. |
| British Council China, computer-test page | Says all its IELTS tests use computer mode, with nearly 100 test centres in more than 40 mainland cities. | It does not list the cities or centres. British Council China's home page points to a centre lookup on its registration site; this page does not reproduce that list. |
What to check before you book a test in Guangzhou
- Computer delivery. British Council China says all its IELTS tests use computer mode, IDP China's finder lists its Guangzhou venue under IELTS on Computer Academic, and ielts.org says it is withdrawing the paper-based test, with timelines varying by market. Confirm the format on your booking; computer-delivered IELTS in mainland China covers each section.
- Academic or General Training. IDP China's FAQ advises checking with the organisation you are applying to which type it accepts before you book. See Academic versus General Training.
- Dates and fees. IDP China's finder shows a button to view the test schedule on each centre card, and its test-dates page lists sessions; British Council China's home page points to its test dates on its registration site. This page states no dates; ask the provider for current fees.
One Skill Retake in Guangzhou
Both providers list a Guangzhou centre for One Skill Retake: IDP China's FAQ names its Guangzhou Tianhe centre, and British Council China's retake page names its Guangzhou centre. Eligibility depends on which provider ran your full test; One Skill Retake or a full retake sets out the rules.
What to practise before test day
The first two points come from ielts.org and the China providers; the last is general advice, not guidance from them. None of it promises a band.
- Speaking is an interview with an examiner. ielts.org describes a face-to-face interview of 11 to 14 minutes in three parts, recorded, although its Guide for Test Takers says face to face or via video call. IDP China describes a one-to-one video call with an examiner and British Council China a video call with a live examiner, and IDP China says it is normally on the same day as the written sections. The wording differs between sources, so ask your provider how your own Speaking test is held.
- The written sections run back to back. IDP China's FAQ says Listening, Reading and Writing follow each other with no break. For Academic Writing, ielts.org's Writing format page gives 60 minutes and two tasks, and says Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1.
- Practise the way you will be tested. Speak out loud, on video if you can, and get feedback on what you actually said; a lesson with Mike is one way to do that, and it is practice, not the IELTS test. If your booking is computer-delivered, also read on screen, type full Writing answers against a 60-minute timer and play Listening recordings once only.
Using ielts.org's preparation materials with your lessons
ielts.org's preparation resources page lists sample tests, Writing test preparation resources, courses, apps, webinars, videos, books and articles. Its sample test questions page describes its practice papers and resources as available at no cost, and its Writing test resources page has videos on how Writing is scored. The pages read did not say whether every other item is at no cost, so check each one.
As a suggestion: do a sample paper alone and timed, then bring your Writing and the answers you were unsure about to a lesson for feedback. The band score calculator and the Speaking Part 2 timer help between lessons.
One-to-one online, or a class in Guangzhou?
This is one-to-one coaching online, not a classroom course. This page does not list classes, schools or courses in Guangzhou, and Band Booster does not name other providers. A class can suit you better if you want a fixed weekly timetable or classmates; one-to-one lessons depend on which slots are open in Mike's calendar. In either format no band is guaranteed. Private tutor versus group course, written for Hanoi, compares the two.
Price and trial session
Mainland China is in a regional price tier above the Vietnam price, and the booking page shows your price in your own currency before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial session is available once per student, on a first booking.