See open times in your own time zone
Who teaches you, and how a lesson works from the Bay Area
Mike is a Cambridge CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi. In his own IELTS test he scored 7.5 overall and 8.5 in Speaking. He teaches every session himself, one-to-one, live on Google Meet and in English. Band Booster IELTS is independent of the organisations that own IELTS, has no classroom, test centre or group class in California, and does not register you for the test. About Mike has more.
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), with feedback during the session and written progress notes in your account afterwards. See IELTS Speaking coaching, the Speaking tutor page for the USA and IELTS Writing feedback.
Results that students have reported back include 6.0 → 7.5 overall, 5.5 → 7.0 in Writing and 6.5 → 8.0 in Speaking. These are individual outcomes, not averages or typical results. No band is promised; progress depends on the starting point and the work between sessions.
IELTS classes in the Bay Area? This is one-to-one online coaching, not a class
Each lesson is one-to-one, with no classmates and no fixed timetable, and Mike's calendar decides which slots are open, so check it first if your hours are fixed. A class can suit you better if you want a weekly routine and other learners; this page does not cover other providers' classes. See how to choose an online IELTS tutor.
Price and booking
The United States is in the higher regional price tier, above the Vietnam price. Your price appears in your own currency on the booking page before you pay. A regular session lasts 60 minutes, there is no subscription and no package to commit to, and your first booking can be a paid 30-minute trial, available once per student. Rescheduling is at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot, and payment options are shown on the booking page. The booking steps are on the online IELTS tutor for the USA page.
Time difference: 14 or 15 hours, and it changes twice a year
Hanoi is 14 hours ahead of the Bay Area while the Bay Area is on daylight saving time (PDT, UTC-7) and 15 hours ahead on standard time (PST, UTC-8). Hanoi is on UTC+7 all year: the IANA time zone database gives Vietnam a fixed +7:00 offset with no daylight saving rule. The Bay Area is on US Pacific time. We take that to be the database's America/Los_Angeles zone, set out in its North America file. NIST says US daylight saving time begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. Applying that rule ourselves, Bay Area clocks go back on Sunday 1 November 2026 and forward on Sunday 14 March 2027.
Hanoi's clock does not move, so a slot at a fixed Hanoi time shifts by an hour on your clock when the US changes. The table is a conversion, not a list of open slots: Mike's calendar decides which times are open, and no particular hours are promised.
| Bay Area time | Hanoi time when the Bay Area is on daylight time (UTC-7) | Hanoi time when the Bay Area is on standard time (UTC-8) |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00 | 21:00, same day | 22:00, same day |
| 18:00 | 08:00, next day | 09:00, next day |
| 19:00 | 09:00, next day | 10:00, next day |
The booking page shows every slot in your own time zone, so check the time there before you confirm, especially near a clock change or your test date.
Where to take IELTS in or near the Bay Area
ielts.org's test centre locator for the United States lists one centre in the Bay Area, in San Francisco. The centre's page on ielts.org lists four options: Academic and General Training, each on computer and on computer with Writing on Paper. It shows no pause and links to the centre's website.
The centre's own web page, read on 22 October 2026, says IELTS testing is temporarily on hold while the centre moves to a new location, with a waiting list for new dates. ielts.org shows no pause. Confirm with the centre and on the IELTS USA portal before you plan.
This was read in October 2026 and locations can change, so check the locator before you plan. It listed 27 US centres and none under other Bay Area cities such as Oakland or San Jose. That is one snapshot, not proof that nothing else exists or will be added, so search the locator for your own town. The only other California centres listed were in San Diego and in Walnut, in the Los Angeles area. You book the test yourself, not through Band Booster IELTS.
How to book the test and pick your Speaking date
The British Council's US exams page says the British Council USA does not offer examination services, and its IELTS page for the US says US testing runs through independent testing providers managed by the IELTS USA office in Washington. Booking goes through the IELTS USA registration portal, which describes three steps: check availability and choose your test date (you select a separate date for the Speaking test), create an account, then book and pay. Look at both dates before you plan your last lessons.
This page quotes no exam fee, test date or ID list. ielts.org and the centre's own page list different amounts, so check with the test centre and on the portal, and follow the portal for the ID it accepts.
What to ask the centre, and where the rest is covered
- One Skill Retake. ielts.org's One Skill Retake page says you can retake one section within 60 days of a full IELTS on computer test taken at a centre that offers it, and to check with your test centre for specific availability. When this page was written, ielts.org's centre search with the retake filter ticked listed no US centre, so One Skill Retake is not confirmed for the Bay Area: ask the San Francisco centre. See One Skill Retake or a full retake.
- IELTS for UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration). The portal says IELTS for UKVI and Life Skills tests are only offered at one test centre in the United States, in Arlington, Virginia. Going by the portal, there is no UKVI test in San Francisco, so check the portal before you plan a UK application.
- Format, results and IELTS Online. How IELTS on computer works, how long results take and why IELTS Online is not confirmed for the USA are covered on computer-delivered IELTS in the United States.
Which test and score do you need?
Your university, employer or professional body decides. The IELTS USA page says more than 3,400 institutions in the USA recognise IELTS, and recommends that you check with your organisation to confirm which test is required before you book. This page states no score and gives no visa or immigration advice. See Academic or General Training and IELTS scores for study abroad.
What to practise before test day
ielts.org's IELTS Academic test page gives Listening as approximately 30 minutes, Reading 60 minutes, Writing 60 minutes and Speaking 11 to 14 minutes. Speaking and Listening are the same in Academic and General Training; Reading and Writing differ. The points below are general teaching advice, not a rule from IELTS, and they promise no band.
- Practise the way you will sit it. For the computer test, practise answering on screen and typing both Writing tasks in 60 minutes. If you choose Writing on Paper, handwrite them to the same limit.
- Practise Speaking to time. ielts.org's Speaking page describes a recorded face-to-face interview in three parts, with one minute to prepare in Part 2. The Speaking Part 2 timer helps with the long turn.
- Use the sample questions. ielts.org publishes sample test questions. Try them, note what you could not do, and bring that to your next lesson. The computer-delivered IELTS page linked above says how this practice material differs from the live test.
- Know your four section scores. With a score for each skill from practice material, the band score calculator shows how they combine into an overall band.