Terms & Conditions
Terms of service
These terms cover payment, refunds, and how my IELTS coaching works. Paying for a service or booking a session means you accept them.
Terms & Conditions
These terms cover payment, refunds, and how my IELTS coaching works. Paying for a service or booking a session means you accept them.
Last updated: June 2026. IELTS Essay is operated by Tika (the "tutor", "I", or "me"). "You" means the person buying or booking a service.
I provide one-to-one IELTS coaching, including written feedback on essays and live speaking practice. Feedback, corrections, and any band estimate are my professional opinion, based on the official IELTS band descriptors. They are guidance to help you improve. They are not the official result, and they do not bind any test provider.
You can book and pay through my Setmore scheduling page or through PayPal, depending on the service. Payment confirms your order. For essay work, please send your essay only after payment has cleared. For sessions, your time slot is held once payment is received.
Prices are shown on the Services page and may change over time, but any order you have already paid for is honoured at the price you paid.
For paid coaching to be useful, I ask that you have sat a real IELTS exam, or completed a full mock test, so we both know your starting point. If you book without this, I may suggest you take a mock test first. That is for your benefit, not a way to delay your order.
Because the work is personalised and time-based, refunds work like this:
If you cancel before work begins, you get a full refund. "Before work begins" means before I have started marking your essay, or before a booked session has taken place.
Once work has started, payment is non-refundable. For an essay, that is the point at which I begin marking it. For a session, that is the session itself. This is standard for one-to-one tutoring, where the value is my time and attention.
If something goes wrong on my side, for example I have to cancel and cannot offer a suitable alternative, I will refund the affected part of your order.
Essay packs and session packs are sold as credits. You may use them across any IELTS module as you wish. Packs must be used within 6 months of the purchase date. Any credits left after that expire and are not refundable. If you know you will need longer, tell me before you buy and we can talk about it.
Single essays are returned within 48 hours. Pack and priority orders are returned within 24 hours. These are targets I work hard to meet. If I expect a delay, for example through illness or travel, I will tell you as soon as I can and agree a new time with you.
Please cancel or reschedule a live session at least 24 hours in advance. Sessions cancelled with less notice, or missed without notice, count as used. If you are running late, message me; I will wait where I can, but the session may be shortened to protect other bookings.
The work you send me must be your own. I help you improve your writing and speaking; I do not write essays for you to submit as exam answers, and I do not take part in anything that breaks a test provider's rules. Treat me with normal courtesy and I will do the same for you.
I cannot guarantee you a particular band. Your result depends on your starting level, your effort, and the test on the day, none of which I control. What I promise is honest, specific feedback and a realistic plan. Students who do the work usually improve, but the outcome is not something I can promise in advance.
I use the details and essays you send only to provide your coaching. I do not sell your information or share it with anyone else, except where I am required to by law. If you would like your essays or details deleted after we finish, just ask.
I provide coaching in good faith and to a professional standard. To the extent allowed by law, my responsibility for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for the service in question. Nothing in these terms removes rights you have under the consumer law that applies to you.
I may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your order is the one published when you paid. The date at the top shows when this page was last changed.
Questions about these terms, or about an order, should go through the contact page. Please ask before paying if anything here is unclear.
These terms are written in plain language as a fair starting point. They are not legal advice. If you need them to meet a specific legal requirement in your country, have them checked by a qualified professional.