Today, we’d like to share the experience of Mr. Liam, a 49-year-old from Beijing. A few years ago, he made the life-changing decision to immigrate to Canada, which meant picking up English again after many years away from it. With determination and the support of Linguapass, Liam eventually broke through his IELTS bottleneck and took a major step toward his dream.
My name is Liam, I’m from Beijing, and I’m 49 years old. My English was about middle school level at best. In 2019, I decided to start learning again and spent about a year at a well-known language training institute.
In early 2021, I took the IELTS General Training test for the first time. The results were quite discouraging—I scored only 4 overall. The reading section was especially bad; I got a 1, which honestly reflected the fact that I didn’t understand the questions at all and basically turned in a blank answer sheet.
It was mainly for immigration purposes. I knew I needed to reach CLB Level 5. At the time, I felt I wasn’t too far from that target—just needed one more push.
But the problem was, after taking the exam in 2021, I didn’t touch English again for three years. Combined with my age, getting back into it was really tough.
The biggest challenges were listening and reading. I was basically starting over from scratch. During the first month of restarting, I hired a private tutor to focus on these two weak areas.
Even after a month, I still couldn’t understand much. I kept asking the same questions over and over, and eventually even the teacher became confused and ran out of patience.
That situation made me extremely anxious. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed, thinking:
"Aren’t we told that if we follow the right method, we’ll pass? So why am I still not getting it, even after all this effort?"
At that time, I reached out to a Linguapass advisor and shared my struggles. He explained everything very patiently and told me it’s perfectly normal for adult learners to go through a mental “crash” when preparing for standardized exams. Everyone experiences that phase.
He advised me not to obsess over short-term results and instead focus on consistent accumulation. He also suggested I speak to my dedicated learning advisor, Ms. Tina, to adjust my study plan.
Tina and I had a long, detailed conversation. By the time the call ended, I already felt much more at ease. She was incredibly thoughtful. She analyzed my learning habits and restructured my study plan, adjusted the pace, and walked me through how to use the Linguapass platform step by step.
After the adjustment, Tina arranged one hour of speaking practice each day. I would randomly draw questions from the IELTS speaking bank and practice intensively. Then, I’d go back and analyze the same questions, summarize my responses, and reinforce key points.
Linguapass had a deep understanding of where I tended to make mistakes. They adjusted the practice volume for specific question types accordingly. The end result was much better than I expected.
I’ve tried other education programs, but most were very standardized—teachers teach, students listen, and after that, you're on your own.
Linguapass is completely different. What I experienced was a “side-by-side” learning partnership. They not only designed a stage-by-stage study plan for me but also adjusted it in real time based on my daily performance and feedback. It was incredibly efficient.
When I hit a plateau a month later, they immediately helped me shift direction and didn’t let me waste time in the wrong rhythm.
The pressure of test prep was intense, especially since I needed to improve my English quickly. I was studying 5 to 6 hours a day—sometimes up to 8. It was extremely monotonous. I don’t think anyone can sustain that kind of intensity for too long.
That’s why psychological support was so important. Whenever I felt like I couldn’t keep going, I’d send a message to my advisor Tina. She would always reply with practical advice, or even call me just to check in.
That feeling—that I wasn’t studying alone—helped me keep going.
Yes, Linguapass provided some AI tools that made my learning process smarter and more efficient. For example:
Audio Text Conversion: I could convert any passage I wanted to memorize into audio, with adjustable speed and accent. That allowed me to absorb content just by listening during the day—and it also helped improve my pronunciation.
AI Feedback for Speaking and Writing: When practicing speaking, I used their AI voice feedback to find out within minutes which sounds I wasn’t pronouncing correctly. For writing, there was also an automated correction tool that not only flagged grammar mistakes but suggested alternative expressions.
Before, my learning approach was totally blind—I didn’t even dare ask many questions in front of teachers because I felt old and forgetful. Sometimes I’d ask one thing and end up realizing I had more confusion mid-explanation. That kind of experience was really discouraging.
Now, with AI, I can ask as many questions as I want without feeling judged, and I get instant feedback. For someone like me, with poor memory and limited time, this has made a huge difference.
I’m truly grateful to Linguapass. Without this platform, I might still be stuck at the beginning. Their support helped me not just with study methods, but emotionally too—I always felt like I had someone to lean on.
I believe that people like me—older, with a weak foundation—can still achieve our goals with the right kind of help. I hope Linguapass continues to support more learners like me, and help us step into a new chapter of our lives.
