Hi, I’m Fiona and I sell online IELTS courses and coaching. I do this because I enjoy teaching online, I think I can help a lot of people, and I need money to pay for stuff.
When I started online IELTS tutoring, I bought a LOT of online courses and I’ve made a LOT of mistakes, so the aim of this blog is to help you see through all the marketing and sales tricks, and to help you choose the right course for the right reasons at the right price.
So what should you actually look for in an IELTS course?
I’ve written a separate guide explaining what makes a good self-study IELTS course, including the lessons, practice, feedback and resources you should expect.
Summary of ‘red flags’ to check
🤔 Is the course REALLY full?
🧞♂️ Did a place magically become available just after you applied?
⚱️ Is it REALLY worth the price they claim it was before the discount?
🤨 Was the course REALLY sold at that higher price before the discount?
🥇 Is it REALLY the world’s most successful course?
👨🏻🏫 Is the teacher REALLY an expert or specialist?
🗑️ Does the website look cheap, with mistakes, stolen materials, images or adverts?
(🛍️ I’ve included useful marketing vocabulary which is underlined in bold – see the glossary at the end).
What I’ve learned from buying online courses
I remember the very first online course I bought.
It was on Udemy for just $9.99: How to Build a Website. Wow, what a bargain! The full price was $299, and I got it for $9.99. How good is that?
Well, not good at all.
I completed about two lessons before I got stuck, and there was nobody to ask for help. So I abandoned it. It was the first of many abandoned courses.
What a waste of money!
The most expensive mistake I made was buying a year’s access to a reputable marketing guru’s materials. What could go wrong?
Well, every time she added a new course or live class, there was an extra charge. It became impossible to get the full benefit from what I’d bought without paying for more classes.
😭 What a con!
The most disappointing experience I had was when an influencer I trusted recommended a $199 course at a 50% discount.
I bought it immediately, only to discover that it was little more than a few PDFs. There wasn’t even a single video, and there was no access to the teacher or a community where I could ask questions.
It was so bad that I thought I’d accidentally logged in to the free course.
I still see this “course” advertised for $497. When you try to leave the page, they offer a $100 discount.
I could go on and on.
I’ve fallen for all the tricks: glowing testimonials, false discounts, exaggerated claims and the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
So the aim of this article isn’t to tell you which online IELTS course to buy.
It’s to help you make better decisions and see through the hype when you’re choosing one.
What I’ve been told I’m doing wrong
I’m no expert at selling courses, so I look at how other people sell theirs, and I listen to feedback about the way I sell mine.
Here are some of the things I’ve been told I’m doing wrong:
“You’re too cheap. They’ll think it’s not a good course.”
“You’re too expensive. People can buy IELTS courses on Udemy for $1.99.”
“Why don’t you guarantee a Band 7? All the other sites guarantee Band 7.”
“Why don’t you pretend there’s a discount? Everyone loves a discount!”
“Tell them the course is full, so they panic-buy.”
“Tell them you’re doubling the price tomorrow, so they’ll think they’re getting a great deal.”
Ugh.
Why can’t I just be honest? Why can’t I just say that I think my course is the best IELTS course on the market?
“No one will believe you.”
“So I have to tell lies?”
“That’s what everyone else does.”
Well, I’m not going to do that.
But I do see plenty of questionable marketing tactics when I’m searching for online courses, and some of them are surprisingly effective.
So I’ve made a list of the tactics I’ve noticed. These aren’t limited to IELTS courses. They are things you may come across when you’re deciding whether an online course is really worth your money.
Here are my top 10.
1. Fake Scarcity – “Only 2 left!”
Scarcity means making something seem limited or difficult to get. In marketing, fake scarcity is when a seller creates a false sense of urgency by pretending that places are running out.
Have you ever got really excited about an IELTS course, clicked on the ‘Join Now’ button, only to find that the course is FULL?
How disappointing!
But then, miraculously, a place becomes available a minute later. You get a pre-recorded video telling you how amazingly lucky you are because someone has JUST passed their test, so now there’s a place for you.
No matter what time of day it is. 🤔
This is my Number 1 red flag: pretending that a course is full when it isn’t.
And yes, I have fallen for this trick myself. Very recently. Will I never learn?!
It was someone I respected, selling a course with a September 1st start date in the middle of August. Their website said there were ‘only 2 spots left’.
It didn’t even look as if they were trying very hard to make it believable.
I remember thinking: Why would they try to sell a course with only two places available?
It sounded a bit fishy.
In fact, I made a bet with a colleague that they would still accept me after the September 1st deadline.
And they did.
They’re still accepting people. In their Facebook group, they’re celebrating the fact that they’ve got 170 teachers.
All the red flags were there. So why didn’t I see them?
Did I just ignore the bad spelling and punctuation? Or did the pressure to buy blind me to the warning signs?
That’s exactly why this tactic works.
The marketing world calls it fake scarcity. The aim is to create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and a false sense of urgency.
You see a message like ‘only 2 spots left’, and instead of taking time to investigate the course, you start thinking:
I’d better buy it now, before I miss my chance.
But stop and think.
Why are there only two places?
Is there a genuine limit on the number of people who can take the course?
What happens when those two places are gone?
Is the course actually going to close?
There can be genuine reasons for limiting places. For example, a course might include live classes or individual feedback, and the teacher may only have enough time for a certain number of students.
That’s very different from creating an artificial shortage to pressure you into buying.
So if you see ‘only 2 spots left’, don’t panic.
Take a step back and ask yourself whether the limit is real.
If it isn’t, that’s a pretty big red flag.
Not all deadlines are fake
Now, there’s nothing wrong with deadlines.
Deadlines can be useful. Sometimes they give us the push we need to take action.
We need deadlines.
The problem is when a deadline is made up simply to pressure you into buying.
For example, I use deadlines when I run challenges because I want everyone to start on the same day. That’s a genuine reason for having a start date. If someone wants to join later, they can still do so because the materials are available for them to follow at their own pace.
That’s very different from saying “You have to buy this today because there are only two places left” when there is no real limit.
My Members Academy is also limited by the amount of individual Writing marking I can manage each week. That’s a genuine limit on my time.
But if 500 people suddenly needed my help, would I simply turn them away?
Probably not. I’d find a way to help more people, perhaps by bringing other teachers into the marking team.
So don’t assume that every deadline or limited number of places is a scam.
Instead, ask yourself:
Is there a genuine reason for the deadline or limit?
If there is, that’s fine.
If the deadline keeps moving, the “last few places” never disappear, or you are given a dramatic reason to buy immediately when there is no real restriction, that’s when you should be suspicious.
2. “Total Value $1999. Buy for just $99!” 💰
Here’s another trick to look out for: inflated value.🎈
I have to admit that I once used this technique myself.
I listed the individual courses included in my Academy and added up their individual prices to show the total value. And I genuinely did think the total value was at least $1,999, so I wasn’t trying to mislead anyone.
But there’s something important to understand about course pricing:
The “value” of an online course is not an objective figure.
You only have to look at sites such as Udemy to see courses with a very high “original price” followed by a much lower “sale price”.
So where do these prices come from?
They can be influenced by:
how much the seller has spent creating and advertising the course
how much they need to charge to make a profit
what similar courses are selling for
and, importantly, perceived value: what customers think the course is worth.
This means that a seller can put almost any number they like next to the word “value”.
Think about an e-book. Once it’s written, there are no printing, packaging or shipping costs for each extra copy. Yet e-books can sell for anything from $0.99 to $9.99 or much more.
So when you see:
Total value: $1,999
Today: just $99!
don’t automatically think:
Wow! I’m saving $1,900!
You aren’t necessarily “saving” $1,900. You’re paying $99 for something that the seller has decided to value at $1,999.
Of course, high-quality online courses can take a huge amount of time, technology and expertise to create. I’m not saying that online courses should be cheap.
I’m saying that the number attached to “value” isn’t necessarily evidence of what the course is actually worth.
So ask yourself:
Would I still think this course was worth $99 if I hadn’t been told it was worth $1,999?
That’s a much more useful question.
And if the answer is yes, great. You may have found a course that offers good value.
But don’t let a huge crossed-out number make the decision for you.
3: False discounts 🏷️
What exactly is a discount?
There’s nothing wrong with offering something at a lower price for a limited time. We all love a bargain.
But if a course is constantly discounted, or the seller always advertises it as being reduced from a much higher price, you have to ask:
Is the product really worth the original price they’re claiming?
In a normal shop, there is usually a reason why something is discounted.
Maybe there are too many of them in stock. Maybe the clothes are out of season. Maybe the shop is trying to clear old stock to make room for something new.
With a digital course, there isn’t the same problem. There are no boxes sitting in a warehouse that need to be cleared.
So when you see:
$499$99!
ask yourself whether the course was ever genuinely sold for $499.
If it has always been $99, then calling $499 the “original price” makes the discount look much more impressive than it really is.
This is another reason not to get too excited by a huge percentage discount.
50% off sounds fantastic. 80% off sounds even better.
But a discount is only meaningful if the original price was genuine.
I give discounts to students who have already invested in me because I want to reward them for continuing to work with me.
But when a complete stranger asks me for a discount, my answer is usually no.
Not because I don’t like giving people a bargain, but because the price is the price. I don’t want someone to buy my course because they managed to negotiate a cheaper deal. I want them to buy it because they think the course is right for them.
So when you see a huge discount on an online IELTS course, don’t just look at the percentage you’re “saving”.
Ask:
Was this course really sold at the original price?
And, even more importantly:
Would I buy it at the current price if there were no crossed-out price next to it?
If the answer is yes, that’s useful information.
If the huge discount is the main reason you want to buy it, stop and think before you click “Buy Now”.
Trick 4: False claims and false promises
Have you seen that scene in Elf where Buddy has just arrived in New York after being brought up by elves at the North Pole?
He sees a sign:
“The World’s Best Cup Of Coffee”
and believes it really is the world’s best cup of coffee because he doesn’t know any better.
That always makes me laugh, but there’s actually an important lesson here.
In Academic Writing, you learn to think critically, question sources and look for evidence. These are skills you also need when you’re choosing an IELTS course.
So when you see someone claiming to have “the best IELTS course in the world” or “the world’s most successful online IELTS course”, stop and ask:
What evidence is there for this claim?
False claims
False claims are difficult to detect and even more difficult to challenge. They sound impressive, but they are often vague and unsubstantiated. In other words, there is no clear evidence to support them.
For example:
“Buy the world’s most successful online IELTS course.”
What does “most successful” actually mean?
- Does it mean the course has made the most money for the seller? Possibly.
- Does it mean it has had the most students? Having more students doesn’t necessarily mean a course is better.
- Does it mean the students have had the best results? If so, how are those results being measured?
- Does it mean it has the highest success rate? What is the success rate, and compared with which other courses?
Where is the evidence for the claim?
If a seller tells you that their course is the best, most successful, most popular or most effective, don’t simply accept the claim because it sounds impressive.
Ask yourself:
How do they know?
False promises
A false promise is different. Instead of making an impressive claim about the course, the seller promises a particular result.
For example:
“Band 7 guaranteed – or your money back.”
This sounds very comforting. It’s a complete no-brainer, isn’t it?
You can take the course, keep using it until you get Band 7 and, if you don’t get the score, apparently you get your money back.
But no one can guarantee that you will get Band 7.
Your IELTS score depends on what you do in the test. A course can teach you the skills, give you strategies, provide practice and help you understand what you need to improve. But it cannot control your performance on test day.
So whenever you see a promise such as:
“Get Band 7 guaranteed!”
don’t just ask “What do I get if it doesn’t work?”
Ask:
“How can they possibly guarantee my score?”
That’s the important question.
6. Lifetime access ♾️
There’s nothing wrong with lifetime access. In fact, this week I was still able to access an Excel course that I bought six years ago!
Can you guess why I never accessed it before?
Because I had lifetime access.
I knew I could access it any time, so I never got round to doing the course.
And I still can’t use Excel.
Maybe lifetime access isn’t always such a good thing! 😂
But there’s another question you should ask:
What does “lifetime access” actually mean?
It might not mean what you think.
In some cases, it really does mean that you can access the course for as long as the course continues to exist. But it doesn’t necessarily mean “for the rest of your life, whatever happens.”
Check the small print.
What happens if the seller stops trading? What happens if they stop paying for the platform where the course is hosted? What happens if they close the course or replace it with a different one?
You could lose access.
So when you see “lifetime access”, don’t just think:
Great! I’ll have this course forever.
Find out exactly what the seller means by “lifetime”.
And perhaps don’t make the mistake I made with my Excel course.
Having lifetime access doesn’t mean you’ll actually do the course! 😄
6. Vague offers 🤔
Sometimes the problem isn’t that an offer is false. It’s that you don’t really know what you’re being offered.
For example:
“Unlimited writing and speaking.”
Great!
Does that mean I can keep writing and speaking 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? 😂
More importantly, how exactly can this promise be fulfilled?
I once made this mistake myself. I advertised “24-hour access to me”, meaning that I would reply to your email within 24 hours.
A student sensibly asked:
“Does that mean I can call you up any time for advice?”
Er…
I hadn’t thought that one through!
So when you see an offer that sounds impressive, ask yourself:
What exactly does this mean?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and always check the small print.
“Free to join” or “free tier”
You’ll also see offers such as:
“Free to join!”
“Join our free tier!”
There’s nothing wrong with offering free materials. In fact, there are plenty of excellent free IELTS resources available online.
But “free” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a substantial part of the paid course.
Sometimes, a free tier is mainly a way of getting your email address so that the company can market its paid products to you.
I’m not saying this is necessarily deceptive. It’s a perfectly normal marketing strategy.
But be aware of what you’re actually getting.
If the free membership gives you little more than information and materials that are already freely available elsewhere, don’t assume that you’re getting a free version of the paid course.
And ask yourself:
What would I actually have to pay for?
People often tell me that I have too much free stuff on my website and that I should create a “Free to join” level.
I call that a website. 😂
Maybe I’ll try it one day!
7. Affliate Marketing 💰
Here’s another thing to be aware of when you’re researching online courses: affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing means that someone receives a commission when you buy a product through their special link.
It’s a perfectly legitimate way of selling products online. But it does mean that you should sometimes ask:
Is this person recommending the course because they genuinely think it’s good, or because they’ll make money if I buy it?
For example, imagine someone is promoting a $5,000 course and receives a $1,000 commission every time someone buys it through their affiliate link.
That doesn’t automatically mean the course is bad.
But it does mean that their recommendation isn’t completely independent.
Look for the disclosure
You’ll often see something like:
“This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase.”
That’s actually a good thing.
It tells you that the person recommending the course has a financial interest in your decision.
I sometimes use affiliate links myself. For example, I use them for IELTS Writing Feedback.
But I don’t recommend something simply because I can earn a commission.
I only recommend people or services that I genuinely trust, whose work I’ve actually seen, whose quality I can vouch for, or who provide something that I don’t provide myself.
So when someone recommends an online IELTS course, don’t automatically dismiss the recommendation because it’s an affiliate link.
Just ask:
Is the recommendation still useful if I know they will earn money if I buy it?
And, as always, do your own research before you buy.
8. Testimonials ⭐️
Testimonials can be useful. If lots of students say they enjoyed a course, found it helpful or learned something from it, that’s worth knowing.
But remember:
You are seeing the testimonials the seller has chosen to show you.
They are unlikely to put the unhappy customers on the sales page!
So when you see a page full of glowing testimonials, ask yourself:
What do these testimonials actually prove?
For example:
“I took this course and got Band 8!”
That’s great for that student.
But did the course actually cause them to get Band 8?
Maybe they were already a very strong English speaker. Maybe they had taken IELTS several times before. Maybe they used five other courses at the same time.
You simply don’t know.
You might also see testimonials saying:
“This is the best IELTS course I’ve ever taken!”
Again, that’s someone’s personal opinion. It doesn’t tell you how the course compares with every other IELTS course available.
Look for specific evidence
I find testimonials much more useful when they are specific.
For example:
“I was stuck at Band 6 in Writing. After working on my Task 2 structure and getting feedback on my essays, I finally reached Band 7.”
That’s much more informative than:
“Amazing course! Highly recommended!”
The first testimonial tells you where the student started, what they worked on and what changed.
Even then, though, remember that one student’s experience is not a guarantee of what will happen to you.
So don’t ignore testimonials, but don’t let them make the decision for you.
Use them as one piece of evidence, not proof that a course will work for you.
9. Red flags 🚩
So, what is a red flag?
Literal meaning: A red flag is a flag used to indicate danger or to tell you that you should stop.
Modern meaning: A red flag is a warning sign that something may not be right.
When I’m making a decision about an online course, I look for warning signs that might tell me to stop and investigate before I buy.
I’ve already outlined many of them above.
Basically, if someone is trying to manipulate you, hide important information or make you feel pressured, that’s a reason to take a step back.
Here are some other red flags to look out for.
1. You don’t know what the person looks like or sounds like
This one is difficult because there are perfectly legitimate reasons why someone might not want to appear on camera.
But if someone is selling an expensive course and you can’t find out who they are, what they sound like or how they actually teach, I’d want to know why.
Someone once signed up for my Members Academy. They didn’t reply to my emails, attend any of the live sessions, submit any writing or join any of the community groups.
Eventually, I tracked them down and discovered their very popular IELTS website.
But there was still no face, no video and no social media presence.
That made me very suspicious.
Perhaps they were on social media, but when I looked at their video tutorials, someone else was doing the voiceover.
And yes, I’ve even come across IELTS teachers who use AI-generated voices for their teaching videos.
I’m not saying that using AI automatically makes a course bad. But if you’re paying someone to teach you, I’d want to know who is actually doing the teaching.
2. They copy other people’s work
If you keep seeing exactly the same ideas, examples, images or even entire articles appearing on different websites, that’s a serious warning sign.
Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s work as your own.
If someone can’t create their own teaching materials, I’d ask:
What exactly am I paying them to teach me?
And even if they’ve copied good material, how do you know they understand it well enough to teach it?
3. There are obvious spelling and grammar mistakes
One or two mistakes don’t necessarily mean anything. We all make them.
But if a website selling an expensive IELTS course is full of basic spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, I’d be cautious.
After all, you’re buying an English course.
If the sales page hasn’t been checked carefully, what does that tell you about the care that has gone into the course itself?
4. They use stolen images or other people’s material
Be careful if you see watermarked images, screenshots from other websites or images that clearly belong to someone else.
A particularly strange example is when someone has simply copied another person’s screenshot with the original watermark still on it.
That’s not exactly sophisticated marketing!
It makes me wonder what else has been copied.
5. The website is full of gimmicks designed to make you buy
Maybe there’s a giant flashing “BUY NOW!” button, a countdown timer that keeps resetting, a message saying:
“98 out of 100 places taken!”
or a flashing red arrow pointing at the price.
These things aren’t automatically proof that a course is bad.
But when you put several of them together with the other warning signs I’ve mentioned in this article, I’d stop and ask:
Why are they trying so hard to get me to buy this right now?
One final red flag for me is when someone constantly tells you how successful, important or expensive they are, while simultaneously using increasingly aggressive tactics to get you to buy.
I’m much more interested in what they actually teach.
And, as you’ve probably realised by now, that’s the whole point of this article:
Don’t let the marketing make the decision for you.
Test yourself: Can you spot the red flags?
Can you spot the 3 red flags?
I’ve trained my students to look out for these, and now they send me examples like this! 😂
The answers
1. They pretend they’ve been asked to contact you personally, but they don’t even know your name.
If someone is claiming to have been specifically asked to contact you, you’d expect them to know at least a little about you. This suggests the message is probably a generic sales email rather than a personal recommendation.
2. They claim that their time is worth hundreds of dollars, but they’re practically begging you to use them for free.
Why would someone whose time is supposedly worth hundreds of dollars be so desperate to give it away? This is designed to make you feel that you’re getting something extremely valuable for nothing.
3. They use shocking, emotive language: “Why you’ve failed.”
This is designed to get an emotional reaction. Instead of calmly explaining how they can help you improve, they use negative language to make you feel that something is wrong with you and that you need their help.
I find the whole tone sleazy and creepy. 🚩
Conclusion: 'Know, Like and Trust'
The best advice I was ever given about marketing was that if you want someone to buy something from you, they have to:
- know you
- like you
- trust you
These days, it’s quite easy to get to know and like teachers by watching how they teach and how they conduct themselves online.
But trust is different.
I see too many online businesses using tricks and gimmicks to persuade people to buy. Fake scarcity, inflated discounts, exaggerated claims and high-pressure sales tactics may work in the short term, but they can destroy trust.
If someone is trying to manipulate you into buying something, that’s a good reason to stop and think: Do I really want to give this person my money?
Of course, not all teachers and course providers use these tactics. There are plenty of independent teachers and smaller course providers who rely on something much simpler: the quality of their teaching and the trust they’ve built with their students.
So don’t let the marketing make the decision for you.
Look at the course. Look at the teacher. Ask questions. Look for evidence. And trust your own judgement.
Is there a better way?
I think so.
In the Members Academy, I try to do things differently.
There are:
- no false promises
- no fake discounts
- no manipulative offers
- no high-pressure sales tactics
- no artificial scarcity
You don’t have to panic-buy. You don’t have to wait for a special offer. And you don’t have to worry about missing your chance.
You can join any time you want and get instant access to the courses and materials.
The Academy covers all four IELTS skills, as well as grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, with structured courses and practical materials to help you prepare effectively.
I don’t expect you to take my word for it.
Have a look at the Academy and decide for yourself.
Glossary of useful marketing vocabulary
The language of advertising and marketing is useful for IELTS Speaking and Writing, where questions about advertising, consumer behaviour and shopping come up regularly.
Here’s a quick glossary of useful words and expressions. I’ll add to it over time.
👤 People
a second-hand/used car salesman – traditionally used as a stereotype for someone who is persuasive but not completely trustworthy. It is often used humorously.
a snake-oil salesman – someone who tries to sell a product or solution that doesn’t really work, especially by making exaggerated claims.
a con artist – someone who cheats or tricks people, usually to get money from them.
a cowboy – an informal British word for someone who is dishonest, careless or unqualified in business or a profession.
a charlatan – someone who falsely claims to have special knowledge or skills.
a creep – someone who makes you feel uncomfortable or uneasy. Informal.
🔨 Verbs
to sell snake oil – to promote or sell something that doesn’t really work, especially by making exaggerated or dishonest claims.
to fall for a trick – to believe something that is intended to deceive you.
to panic-buy – to buy something suddenly because you are afraid it will become unavailable or more expensive.
to deceive – to deliberately make someone believe something that is not true.
to manipulate – to control or influence someone in an unfair or dishonest way.
to rip someone off – to cheat someone by charging them too much money or giving them something that is not worth what they paid.
to get ripped off – to be cheated in this way.
💰 Nouns
snake oil – a product or solution that is claimed to be effective but is actually useless or fraudulent. The expression is now also used more generally for deceptive marketing.
a con – an act of deceiving or tricking someone.
a rip-off – something that is not worth the money you pay for it, or a situation in which you are charged far too much.
a bargain – something that is bought for much less than its usual price.
a steal – something that is extremely cheap or good value. Informal.
a no-brainer – something that is very easy to decide because the best choice seems obvious. Informal.
a claim – a statement that something is true, especially when there is little or no evidence to support it.
an affiliate – a person or organisation that promotes a product or service and may receive a commission when someone buys it through their link.
an incentive – something that encourages someone to do something.
a BS filter – the ability to recognise and ignore dishonest, exaggerated or misleading information. Very informal.
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out: the feeling that you might miss an opportunity if you don’t act quickly.
scarcity – a situation in which something is available in limited quantities or is difficult to obtain.
urgency – a situation in which something seems to need to be done immediately.
social proof – evidence that other people have bought, used or approved of something, such as reviews, ratings or testimonials.
🚩 Negative adjectives
misleading – giving the wrong idea or impression, especially by leaving out important information.
insincere – not expressing genuine feelings or intentions.
deceitful – deliberately trying to make people believe something that is not true.
untrustworthy – not deserving of trust.
unscrupulous – willing to behave dishonestly or unfairly in order to get what you want.
sleazy – unpleasant, dishonest or morally questionable, often in a way that involves trying to attract people through cheap or dishonest methods. Informal.
dodgy – dishonest, unreliable or suspicious. Informal, especially British English.
fishy – seeming suspicious or dishonest. Informal.
creepy – making you feel uncomfortable, worried or afraid. Informal.
overpriced – more expensive than something is reasonably worth.
overrated – considered to be better or more important than it really is.
overhyped – promoted or talked about as if something is much better or more important than it really is.
vague – not clearly expressed or explained.
- manipulative – using unfair or dishonest methods to influence someone’s behaviour.
- fraudulent – involving deception, especially in order to obtain money or an advantage.
👍 Positive adjectives
- transparent – open and honest, with no attempt to hide important information.
- good value – worth the amount of money that you pay for it.
- genuine – real, honest and not intended to deceive people.
💬 Useful expressions
- If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
- There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Something that appears to be free usually has a hidden cost or condition. - Always read the small print.
Check the detailed terms and conditions before agreeing to something. - Do your research.
Find out more information before making a decision. - Don’t take their claims at face value.
Don’t automatically believe that what they say is true. - Take it with a pinch of salt.
Don’t completely believe something because it may not be entirely true. British English. - Buyer beware.
A warning that you should be careful when buying something because you are responsible for making sure it is suitable and fairly priced.
Want more vocabulary about money and consumer behaviour?
👉 See my Money and finance vocabulary lesson.
P.S. Black Friday 🛍️
Don’t get me started on Black Friday cons!
About Fiona
Fiona is an IELTS trainer, ex-examiner and course creator based in the UK. She has a Master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Distinction) and over 35 years of teaching experience. She has helped thousands of IELTS candidates develop the language and exam skills needed to achieve their target scores.
Thank you for sharing this insightful article! It’s crucial to do thorough research before investing in an online IELTS course. Looking forward to Part 2!
Here is Part 2 https://ieltsetc.com/2021/11/best-online-ielts-course/
Hi Natalya
Thank you so much for your kind comment. It’s very nice to chat with you on Instagram and I’m so glad that you and your students are enjoying my materials and resources. Please spread the word about these misleading marketing offers!
Best wishes
Fiona
Hello dear Fiona
I say “dear” because you only one female- teacher, who can I trust on internet platform. You really had done hard work to make your online course ..trying different ways..to be the best for your students. I’m your follower for many years and I have been seeing desing changes of your courses but one is permanently true is your high qulificating of teaching us( students)
I really appreciate everything what you do for me exactly, I mean, your task, podcast, messages, planning, replies to my letters…I’m proud of you..and my students prepare for IELTS with you and Keith, recently we add Eli’s classes. Thank you very much for your post about misleading online courses, it’s worth reading..as I did)
My best regards.
Natalya
Hi Natalya
Thank you so much for your kind comment. It’s very nice to chat with you on Instagram and I’m so glad that you and your students are enjoying my materials and resources. Please spread the word about these misleading marketing offers!
Best wishes
Fiona
That’s really true. I did fall prey to many such tactics and false promises. Only after actually using them, realised and regret what a big mistake it was and the worst part is both your time and effort is in vain.
Hi Huzma. Sorry to hear you had this kind of bad experience (so did I, many times!). Hopefully we will learn from it so that it wasn’t all in vain. Many thanks for your comment, Best wishes, Fiona.
Hi Fiona – Thank you for writing this blog. This is really informative. There are loads of websites which claim band 7 and use all the tricks you mentioned above just to earn money and mislead students. I’m sure this blog will help IELTS aspirants to think critically before signing up.
-Mandeep
Thanks for your comment Mandeep. I really hope it will help students think more critically – a great life skill to develop!
Best wishes
Fiona
Hello Fiona,
This is so well articulated!! All the things that I see on the internet these days related to IELTS and other courses have the same things that you have mentioned above. I would definitely recommend everyone to atleast read this blogpost before buying any online courses. I’m much obliged you have provided us this truth of deep dark black hole of marketing world. Thank youu!
Regards,
Sidharth
Hi Sidharth. Thank you so much for your comment. I hope we can help people make more informed decisions before they get sucked into the black hole of marketing-speak!
Best wishes
Fiona
Dear Fiona,
This is a fantastic blog post – very thorough and informative. I think we all need reminding occasionally of the dodgy tactics used online. If something sounds too good to be true it often is.
Kind regards
Xavier
Thank you for your comment Xavier. My thoughts exactly!
Best wishes
Fiona
Dear Fiona,
In my opinion, this post is fantastic and helpful for many people. Not only can it help numerous people who prepare for the IELTS, but for all people who want to buy courses in general. I shared this link with my friends and they also consider that it a world-class post.
Thank you for everything
Slava.
Dear Slava. Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m very lucky that I get the brightest students!
Best wishes
Fiona
Fiona,
I’m very glad that I’ve found you, your character, conduct and passion for teaching and coaching people really impress me! Honestly, I think more people need to know about you, that’s why I highly recommend Ieltsetc.com.
I’ve already bought two courses, and even when I couldn’t be present on live session, I was always able to catch up anytime after in an incredible way. Another great attitude of yours, your videos on YouTube videos are straightforward, very didactic, without buy this or buy that.
I can assure that the resources you prepared and leave available for everyone, even for those whose aren’t members, are great, it’s unbelievable the amount of information you give out. The thing I like most about you is your sincerity and humbleness, if you don’t know about something you’re asked or if something goes wrong during the session you say “bear with me” and deal with it, even asking or accepting help from someone that could help you. In my opinion this is amazing!
Overall, by the attention you give to us (students) its really fells like you know each one of them personally. It’s so important to know that you are there, able to answer when we need.
I wish you all the best, and also I’d like to thank you for your support and dedication.
Best wishes
Angelica
Thank you so much Angelica! What a pleasure it was for me to have you as a student in the Academy!
I wish you every success with your test, and hope to see you in the Zoom Room again 🙂
Best wishes
Fiona
Dear Fiona,
This is really an eye-opener for those who go online and purchase courses blindly.
thank you so much for this blog, I will pass it to my friends and advise them not to follow things without any research and I may stop them to waste their valuable money.
Regards’
Anuj
Dear Anuj.
Thank you so much for reading it (it’s very long!). I hope that it will be useful to your friends and help them distinguish the real teachers from the money-grabbers!
Best wishes
Fiona
I would advise IELTS students to read this before signing up for an online course, there is a lot of deception out there around IELTS websites and courses and Fiona cuts right through that.
If you are an IELTS teacher with a social media following share this post around.
Thank you so much Ray. I’m planning Part 2 to be a more positive post about IELTS teachers that are genuine and trustworthy like you. I’m hoping that we can help students find teachers who are NOT just trying to make money out of them!
Best wishes
Fiona
Hi Fiona,
This is really one of the best blog posts that I’ve ever read concerning dodgy internet sales & marketing techniques. Like you & countless others I’ve fallen for several internet offers that initially looked fantastic but sadly turned out to be a complete rip off full of false promises.
On a more positive note, I’m sure that what you have written can help many readers to avoid costly mistakes in the future & I will certainly be encouraging my own students to share this post far and wide on social media platforms. The more people that read it the better – and hopefully some will want to share their thoughts on the topic in a comment….
Finally, it’s also an excellent topic for language teachers to discuss in speaking classes and that is exactly what I’ll be doing later today. So thanks a million for preparing my lesson – you are a star!
Big cheers from Hamburg
Will
Thanks Will. I’ve added the word ‘rip off’ to the list! Yes, so many false promises. I hope it will help people to at least think twice the next time they see this kind of offer. Best wishes, Fiona
Hi Will and Hi Fiona,
I totally agree with you, thank you for this blog post and Information.
Best regards from Berlin
Roya
Thank you for your comment Roya,
Best wishes
Fiona