Before you book: check that Google Meet opens in Shenzhen
Lessons run on Google Meet, and Google services are generally not reachable in mainland China without extra tools. The UK government's travel advice for China, read in October 2026, lists Google among the services that are permanently blocked there. This page cannot tell you whether Google Meet opens on your network.
Please open Google Meet on the connection and device you will use for the lesson before you book, and message Mike first if you are not sure. No other platform is promised. You can reach Mike on +84 383 390 963 (Zalo, WhatsApp and Telegram on the same number) or at mkcenter007@gmail.com. The email address and messaging apps listed on this page may not work on every network in mainland China, so check which route opens for you.
One-to-one lessons with Mike for students in Shenzhen
Band Booster IELTS has no classroom, centre or group class in Shenzhen. Mike teaches every lesson himself, one-to-one and 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 (About Mike). Band Booster is a tutoring service, not a test provider: it does not register candidates or set exam fees.
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). Feedback comes during the session, and written progress notes follow in your account. See IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback for how those sessions run. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
Mainland China is in the middle regional price tier, above the Vietnam price. The booking page shows your price in your own currency, and the payment options, before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking. The online IELTS tutor page for China covers lessons for students across mainland China and has a Chinese-language version, 雅思口语一对一在线辅导.
Shenzhen is one hour ahead of Hanoi, all year
Shenzhen uses Beijing Time, which a Chinese Academy of Sciences web page (in Chinese) describes as the single standard time adopted across the country. The IANA time zone database puts Beijing Time (its Asia/Shanghai zone, described there as used throughout China) at UTC+8, with daylight-saving rules that ended in 1991. For Vietnam, its Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh entry is UTC+7 with no daylight-saving rule since 13 June 1975, and the database notes it agrees with all of Vietnam since then, so Hanoi is UTC+7 too. With no daylight-saving rule in force for either place, the gap is one hour all year: 19:00 in Hanoi is 20:00 in Shenzhen.
The booking calendar shows every slot in your own time zone. Mike's calendar decides which slots are open and no particular hours are promised, so if you can study only at fixed times, check it first.
Where IELTS can be taken in Shenzhen, according to ielts.org and the providers
This section was read on the ielts.org test-centre finder on 22 October 2026 and on IDP China's and British Council China's own pages in October 2026; centre lists change, so confirm them before you book. This page quotes no exam fees or test dates.
| Source | What it lists for Shenzhen | What this page cannot confirm |
|---|---|---|
| ielts.org test-centre finder (China, Shenzhen) | Four centres, all marked Computer (named below). | Which provider runs the three centres other than IDP Futian. |
| IDP China | IDP Shenzhen Futian Test Center, in Futian District, among the 29 centres shown for IELTS on computer, Academic. It is the only Shenzhen entry on that list. | Whether General Training or IELTS for UKVI is offered there; ielts.org lists only Academic. |
| British Council China | A One Skill Retake venue in Nanshan District, among 13 retake venues. | Whether it also runs the full computer test in Shenzhen. The ielts.org finder shows no Shenzhen retake venue besides IDP Futian. |
IDP China's test-centre page gives the Futian centre's address, metro access and a contact email. Our guide to computer-delivered IELTS in mainland China covers the mainland as a whole.
What the ielts.org finder shows for Shenzhen
The ielts.org test-centre finder (China, Shenzhen, read on 22 October 2026) shows four results, all marked Computer:
- IDP IELTS China Shenzhen Futian is also marked One Skill Retake; its ielts.org page lists only IELTS on Computer Academic.
- Wuhan University Shenzhen Institute (Nanshan District), Shenzhen University (Yuehai Campus) and a centre on Hua Qiang Road, North each list Academic, General Training, UKVI Academic and UKVI General Training, and link to ielts.neea.cn to book.
ielts.neea.cn is the registration site that British Council China's IELTS site links to, but ielts.org does not say which provider runs these three centres, so confirm with the provider. British Council China's One Skill Retake page also lists a Nanshan District retake venue that the finder does not show; this page cannot tell which list is more current.
British Council China's computer-based IELTS page says it has close to 100 computer test centres in more than 40 mainland cities but names none, and ielts.org names no operator for the three centres that book through ielts.neea.cn, so this page neither says nor denies that the British Council runs the full computer test in Shenzhen. The British Council's centre lookup is on the registration site, ielts.neea.cn; check it before you plan around a British Council test in Shenzhen.
How the providers describe the computer test
Both China providers describe Listening, Reading and Writing as taken on a computer, with Speaking as a video call with a live examiner. ielts.org's Speaking format page calls Speaking a face-to-face interview with an examiner, 11 to 14 minutes in three parts, and says it is recorded, while its Guide for Test Takers says face to face or via video call. British Council China's registration-site FAQ says Speaking is still delivered face to face by an examiner, through a video call from your registered test centre, and IDP China's computer-based IELTS page describes an online video call for real-time face-to-face communication with the examiner. The wording therefore differs between sources, but the provider pages describe a video call with an examiner; check your provider's candidate instructions. Providers post notices on their own sites, so look at British Council China's announcements page and IDP China's site shortly before test day.
One Skill Retake in Shenzhen
One Skill Retake lets you retake one of Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking instead of all four. IDP China lists IDP Shenzhen Futian first among the 29 centres on its One Skill Retake page, and British Council China lists its Nanshan venue, which the ielts.org finder does not show. Conditions apply, including a 60-day window after your full computer test, which must have been with the same provider: IDP China requires IDP computer IELTS at an IDP China centre, and British Council China requires its own computer test taken in mainland China. Both providers advise checking that the institution receiving your result accepts a retake score. The conditions are on each provider's page and on ielts.org; our page on One Skill Retake or a full retake helps you choose.
Three things to check before you book your IELTS test
- which provider and which centre your booking is with, using each provider's own list;
- which test, and which score, your university, employer or immigration body asks for: Speaking and Listening are the same in Academic and General Training, but Reading and Writing differ (ielts.org). See Academic versus General Training and IELTS scores for study abroad;
- whether that centre offers the test type you need: ielts.org lists only Academic at IDP Futian, and General Training and UKVI tests at three other Shenzhen centres.
What to practise before test day
ielts.org gives Writing as 60 minutes with two tasks, and says Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1. The three tips below are general teaching advice, not guidance from ielts.org or either provider, and they promise no band.
- Practise Writing on a computer. Both China providers describe Writing as taken on a computer (British Council China adds that it is typed and editable), so practise typing both tasks in one 60-minute sitting, giving Task 2 the larger share, and confirm the format with your centre.
- Keep Speaking live. It stays a conversation with an examiner, so practise answering aloud to another person. The Speaking Part 2 timer helps you time a long turn.
- Know how scores combine. The IELTS band score calculator shows how four skill scores average into an overall band.
ielts.org's own preparation materials, and how lessons fit
ielts.org's sample test questions page offers practice and sample questions and answers at no charge. Its Writing resources page has videos on how Writing is scored and a PDF of the Writing band descriptors, and the Speaking band descriptors are also on ielts.org as a PDF.
ielts.org also describes a Trial Test: a familiarisation test, at no charge, for Listening, Reading and Writing, held at participating locations under timed conditions and marked by an examiner. Its scores cannot be used for study, immigration or work. The page does not say whether a location is available in Shenzhen. It is not a Band Booster lesson.
One way to combine these with lessons, as general advice:
- Sit a sample section against the clock and check it against the answers.
- Note which skill, or which marking criterion, costs you the most marks.
- Bring that to a lesson: Mike marks Writing against the public band descriptors and runs Speaking Parts 1 to 3 with feedback in the moment.
- Read the matching band descriptors, then practise before the next lesson.
One hour with a tutor cannot replace your own practice. To register for the test, use the registration site linked from British Council China's IELTS site (ielts.neea.cn), or IDP China's site.