How one-to-one lessons work for a student in Kaohsiung
Band Booster IELTS is online only. Mike teaches every lesson himself, one-to-one and live on Google Meet, in English. He holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi, and scored 7.5 overall and 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS (about Mike). Nothing is taught in person in Kaohsiung, there are no group classes, and lessons are not taught in Chinese.
A session can cover Listening, Reading, Writing (Task 1 and Task 2) or Speaking (Parts 1, 2 and 3). Writing is marked against the public band descriptors, Speaking follows the real three-part format, and feedback comes during the session. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work between sessions. See IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback (they quote Vietnam prices), and IELTS Speaking tutor for Taiwan.
One-to-one online lessons or an IELTS class in Kaohsiung?
If you are looking for IELTS classes in Kaohsiung, this is a different format: no classroom, centre or group class, just Mike, live online. A class may suit you better if you want a fixed timetable and classmates; one-to-one lessons are booked as you need them, from the slots open in Mike's calendar. No band is promised in either format. See private tutor versus group course (written for Hanoi, quoting Vietnam prices).
Time difference: Kaohsiung is one hour ahead of Hanoi, all year
The IANA time zone database puts Taiwan (Asia/Taipei) at UTC+8 and Vietnam at UTC+7, and neither has a current daylight-saving rule (Taiwan's last one ended in 1979). So Kaohsiung is one hour ahead of Hanoi all year: 19:00 in Hanoi is 20:00 in Kaohsiung. The booking page shows each slot in your own time zone; which slots are open depends on Mike's calendar.
How to book lessons, and where your price shows
The online IELTS tutor page for Taiwan covers Taiwan's price tier and the language of the lessons; online IELTS tutor explains how a session runs (its prices are for Vietnam). From Kaohsiung, booking works like this:
- Open the booking page; the calendar shows each slot in your own time zone.
- Pick a slot. Your price appears in your own currency before you pay, and the payment options are shown on the booking page.
- After payment, a Google Meet link and calendar invite arrive by email.
- Join your live one-to-one lesson in English. A regular lesson lasts 60 minutes.
Taiwan is in the higher regional price tier, so the price is above Vietnam's. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on a first booking. You can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot; a cancellation inside 12 hours is not refunded.
IELTS test centres in Kaohsiung: what IDP and the British Council list
IDP Taiwan lists a test centre in Kaohsiung, called IDP Kaohsiung, and its test dates page labels IDP Kaohsiung Office as a computer venue. British Council Taiwan lists Kaohsiung as a test location, but its English page names no venue. This page prints no street addresses, because venue lists change: use the provider pages below and your booking confirmation.
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutor, not a test centre or the exam board. It does not register candidates or set exam fees or dates, so this page quotes none. The notes below were read on IDP Taiwan, British Council Taiwan and ielts.org in October 2026; confirm them when you book.
| Provider page | What it says about Kaohsiung |
|---|---|
| IDP Taiwan, test centres | Lists IDP Kaohsiung, the only Kaohsiung entry. The page presents its list as computer IELTS test centres, but the Kaohsiung entry has no computer label of its own. |
| IDP Taiwan, test dates | Offers Kaohsiung as one of four cities (Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung) for computer IELTS, and marks its Kaohsiung computer venue as supporting One Skill Retake. The ielts.org finder (next row) shows that tag differently. |
| British Council Taiwan, dates, fees and locations | Lists Kaohsiung, with Taipei and Taichung, as a test location and says the test is taken on a computer at a test centre. The English page gives no Kaohsiung venue; the Traditional Chinese page mentions a Kaohsiung venue partner. |
| ielts.org, test-centre finder for Kaohsiung | Lists a British Council centre and IDP Kaohsiung, both tagged Computer and neither tagged Paper. The One Skill Retake tag is on the British Council centre but not on IDP Kaohsiung, which differs from IDP's own test dates page. |
The IDP test dates page also shows other Kaohsiung entries labelled for paper, which look out of date next to IDP's own statement that paper IELTS has ended in Taiwan. What applies to you is the venue and format shown on the session you book. The British Council's booking page says you receive an email with the start time, the venue address and your Speaking test date.
Paper IELTS in Taiwan: what IDP and the British Council say
IDP Taiwan's page on paper-based IELTS says paper IELTS has not been offered in Taiwan since 1 February 2026. British Council Taiwan's English IELTS page says it and IDP will no longer offer IELTS on paper there, with no date, and its Traditional Chinese dates, fees and locations page says that from February 2026 they no longer provide paper-format tests. That applies in Kaohsiung too, but some provider pages still carry older paper wording, so confirm the format when you book. IELTS Life Skills, a separate test, is not covered here.
On computer, ielts.org says Listening, Reading and Writing are on screen and Speaking is a face-to-face session with an examiner at the test centre, although its Guide for Test Takers says face to face or via video call; IDP Taiwan describes Speaking as face to face. British Council Taiwan's IELTS Academic page differs: it says some of its test centres deliver the Speaking test by video call, taken at the test centre, with the same content, scoring and timing as the in-person Speaking test. That page does not say which centres, so check your booking confirmation and confirm the Speaking arrangements with your provider. For Speaking, results timing and practice material, see computer-delivered IELTS in Taiwan.
IELTS One Skill Retake in Kaohsiung: what IDP and the British Council say
IDP Taiwan's test dates page marks its Kaohsiung computer venue as supporting One Skill Retake. The ielts.org test-centre finder, read in October 2026, shows the One Skill Retake tag on its British Council Kaohsiung centre (tagged Computer, and UKVI Approved on two of its listings) but not on IDP Kaohsiung (tagged Computer only), so the sources differ. British Council Taiwan's English One Skill Retake page names no venues, but its Traditional Chinese One Skill Retake page says its computer test centres in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung offer it, and that the independently run partner test centre in Kaohsiung cannot be booked across, so read that page before you book. Confirm with the provider before you book the full test. IDP Taiwan and British Council Taiwan both say you can retake one skill within 60 days of a completed full IELTS on computer test, at a centre that offers it. To compare it with a full retake, read IELTS One Skill Retake or a full retake.
What to confirm with the provider when you book
- The test format on your date, because some pages still carry paper-era wording.
- The venue, and how Speaking is arranged there: face to face, or, at some British Council test centres, by video call at the centre.
- Whether IELTS Online is offered in Taiwan: ielts.org says it is offered in some countries and for IELTS Academic only; IDP Taiwan's Chinese home page lists paper, computer and online formats although IDP says paper has ended there, so ask the provider before assuming either way.
- Which test your organisation accepts: Academic, General Training or, for a UK visa, IELTS for UKVI (ielts.org says it must be taken at a test centre). Ask whether UKVI is offered at a Kaohsiung venue.
Which Kaohsiung organisations accept IELTS?
IDP Taiwan's page on organisations that accept IELTS names four kinds: education, government departments and agencies, professional and industry bodies, and employers, and advises confirming the required score with the organisation. ielts.org's Who accepts IELTS? directory lists receiving organisations in Kaohsiung, among them National Sun Yat-sen University and National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, and says its scores are indicative and you should contact the institution.
Band Booster IELTS is not affiliated with, endorsed by or partnered with these organisations, IDP or the British Council; they are named only because those pages list them. A listing does not mean an organisation requires IELTS, and this page states no score requirements: ask the university, employer or authority that will receive your result. See IELTS Academic vs General Training and IELTS scores for study abroad.
What to practise before test day
Per ielts.org's Academic test page, Listening takes about 30 minutes, Reading and Writing 60 each, and Speaking 11 to 14. The advice below is general teaching advice, not guidance from IDP, the British Council or ielts.org, and no band is promised.
- Speaking. Practise aloud with another person in the three-part order, using the Speaking Part 2 timer for the long turn.
- Writing, Listening and Reading. These are answered on the computer, so practise typing both Writing tasks in one 60-minute sitting under a timer (Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1) and entering Listening answers as you listen, since the recording plays once.
British Council Taiwan's dates, fees and locations page (in Traditional Chinese) says it offers an IELTS on computer Familiarisation Test at no charge, to get used to the on-screen interface. The band score calculator shows how four skill scores average into an overall band.
Questions before you book? Message Mike on WhatsApp, Telegram or Zalo at +84 383 390 963 (a Vietnam number), or email mkcenter007@gmail.com.