# TesIELTS

> A cheaper way to practise for the IELTS speaking test

- **Client**: SaaS
- **Date**: 2024-2025
- **Metrics**:
  - Monthly Students: 100+ (Students preparing for IELTS exams)
  - Cost Reduction: 90% (More affordable than traditional tutoring)

## Details

In 2024, [Faiz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/afaizn) reached out about a problem he kept seeing. People in Indonesia wanted to study or work abroad, but IELTS preparation was expensive. Speaking was the awkward part: hire a tutor, or talk to yourself in your room and hope you were getting better.

Faiz had the English teaching and IELTS expertise. I had the technical skills. So we built [TesIELTS](https://tesielts.id) together.

This was my first SaaS with paying users. People were using it to prepare for an exam that could change where they lived and worked.

## The speaking problem

There were not many good ways to practise IELTS speaking without spending a lot of money. We wanted to give students useful feedback at a price they could afford, not pretend that an AI conversation was exactly the same as an examiner.

## The product

Faiz and I built [TesIELTS](https://tesielts.id) as an AI coach based on the real test format. Students talk with it and get feedback in four areas:

- **Fluency & Coherence**: How smooth and logical your speech sounds
- **Vocabulary**: The variety and quality of words you use
- **Grammar**: How correct and complex your sentences are
- **Pronunciation**: How clear and natural you sound

It listens for hesitation, checks grammar, and scores pronunciation. Students get a band score from 1 to 9 for each area, along with concrete suggestions for the next practice session.

## The difficult bit

The hardest part was making the feedback useful. The system had to deal with pauses, grammar, pronunciation, and the messy way people speak when they are nervous. Basic speech-to-text was not enough.

## After launch

More than 100 students use the platform each month. After we built and grew it, I left the company.

The useful lesson was not that AI can replace an examiner. It was that you need to define good feedback before you can automate any part of it.