Visited 2 hours ago
NICK IELTS Speaking
Professional TeacherTeaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Italian
Spanish
German
Russian
Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin)
Japanese
Former EXAMINER for the IELTS Speaking Test and IELTS Writing Test / DELTA Qualified
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Italian
Spanish
German
Russian
Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin)
Japanese
Former EXAMINER for the IELTS Speaking Test and IELTS Writing Test / DELTA Qualified
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From United KingdomLiving in Poole, United Kingdom (23:19 UTC+00:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Mar 18, 2019InterestsEnvironment & NatureScienceBusiness & FinanceTravelSports & Fitness
Hi! I'm Nick - Former IELTS EXAMINER + British Council Teacher
* Professional English Teacher - I live in Poole, England
* FORMER EXAMINER for the IELTS Speaking Test and Writing Test
* DELTA Qualified Teacher - Advanced Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults
* Teaching English as a Foreign Language since 1980
* Studied English Language + Linguistics - Sheffield University
* Honours Degree in English Language + Post Graduate Certificate in Education - PGCE
* Lived + taught English in 8 countries: France, Germany, Egypt, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Italy + England
* Speak 5 languages to varying degrees of proficiency - English, French, Spanish, Italian and GermanMe as a Teacher
IELTS Speaking Test + Writing Test Specialist + IELTS Examiner (ex)
EXAMINER - IELTS Speaking Test at British Council - Hong Kong - 2 years
EXAMINER - IELTS Writing Test in Hong Kong - 2 years
EXAMINER - IELTS Speaking Test at the British Council - Tokyo, Japan - 3 years
* Examined 1000+ candidates
* Teaching IELTS for 39 years - since 1985 - all 4 skills - mainly 1:1, but classes, too
I’ve taught English at all levels from absolute beginner (A1) to advanced (C2), as well as English for Doctors, English for Nurses, English for Lawyers, Business English, English for Academic Purposes, Exam English - including B2 First (formerly FCE) and Cambridge Proficiency of English (CPE) My lessons & teaching style
IELTS Speaking Test Practice
Every 60-minute class with me consists of 4 parts – each part lasting for about 15 minutes:
Part 1 focuses on the “Introduction and Interview” part of the test – that’s you talking about yourself
Part 2 focuses on the “Long Turn”. That’s where you talk alone, uninterrupted, for two minutes
Part 3 focuses on the “Discussion” part of the test, during which, I hope, you’ll be expanding your ideas
Part 4 is a speaking test that is exactly like the IELTS Speaking Test
Everything we do in the lesson will be preparing you for the 3 actual parts of the IELTS Speaking Test, followed by an IELTS – like Speaking Test for 11 - 14 minutes at the end of each classMy teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Presentation slides/PPT
- Audio files
- Image files
- Video files
- Flashcards
- Articles and news
- Test templates and examples
- Graphs and charts
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
The Royal Society of Arts Diploma in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language to Adults - The Royal Society of Arts - 1985This is a high-level teaching diploma that is best taken when you've already been teaching for about 5 years. It allows you to hone your skills, so that you go from being an average-ability teacher to a really competent teacher! It took a full year to get this certificate and involved written course work, as well as being observed by a teacher trainer twice a week at the British Council in Cairo, Egypt for a whole year! At the end of the year, we also had to take 2 written exams! It was tough!
Certificate verified
Post Graduate Certificate in Education in TEFL - Sheffield University - 1980One year of study at Sheffield University, including two lengthy periods over 4 months doing two separate periods of teaching practice - one in the language unit of a Secondary School in Sheffield, and the other at a College of Further Education in Hull, in the north of England. This certificate allows me to teach any age group in the UK - from 3 years old right up to university and college level and also, to teach English at most institutions in other countries - right up to university level.
Certificate verified
Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours in English Language - Sheffield University - 19793 years of studying English Language, to enable me to teach English as a Foreign Language anywhere in the world.
Certificate verified
Education
1976 - 1979
Bachelor’s - English LanguageSingle Honours Degree in English Language involving the study of Old English, Old Norse, Middle English, Modern English, Linguistics and Sociolinguistics
1984 - 1985
Other - Royal Society of Arts DIP TEFLARoyal Society of Arts Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Langague to Adults (now known as the Cambridge DELTA)
1979 - 1980
Other - Postgraduate Certificate in EducationPostgraduate Certificate in Education specialising in Teaching English as a Foreign Language with Teaching English as Additional Language as a Subsidiary Subject
Work Experience
2016 - 2022
Private Tutor for IELTS SPEAKING TESTTutoring students in preparation for the IELTS Speaking Test
2002 - 2016
Teacher at Primary SchoolI taught children between 4 and 11 years old, specialising in EAL (English as an Additional Language), as well as teaching the entire school French (550 children) and teaching the older ones Spanish, too. I was the only teacher trained to teach English as a Foreign Language and Foreign Languages in the school. So, I've taught all ages from 4 to 85 years old!
2001 - 2002
Teacher in a Secondary SchoolI taught children between 11 and 16 years old for about 8 months before retraining to teach in a Primary School.
1994 - 2000
Teacher of EFLI taught English as a Foreign Language to adults from all over the world for 6 and a half years at Bell Language School, which was, and still is the most prestigious school in the United Kingdom, where I was an exams specialist for Cambridge Proficiency (CPE), Cambridge Advanced (CAE) and First Certificate (FCE) Exams. I was also the coordinator for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL).
1993 - 1993
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageI taught adults, who were mainly Spanish, for 12 months at all levels of English, from Beginner to Advanced, specialising in Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) and First Certificate of English (FCE) Exams. FCE is now called B2 First! I was also an Examiner for the Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) and First Certificate of English (FCE, now B2 First) Speaking Tests during my time there.
1992 - 1992
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageI worked for the months of August and September, 1992 as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language at the Summer School at The Bell Language School in London, England.
1992 - 1992
Specialist Business English TeacherI worked for 4 months at the International House Business Centre, teaching a large number of businessmen and businesswomen from all over the world! It was a really fascinating job and a wonderful experience! International House is as good as the Bell Language School in the UK - especially their Business School, which is of a very high calibre, indeed!
1987 - 1990
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageI was an Examiner for the IELTS Speaking Test while I was working at the British Council Cambridge English School in Tokyo, Japan - examining about 12 candidates every two weeks for more than three years. Of course, I also taught adults, who were mainly, but not exclusively, Japanese, English as a Foreign Language at the School, where I was the Coordinator for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Manager of all the Elementary Courses, for more than three years. I loved life in Japan!
1985 - 1987
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageI was an Examiner for the IELTS Speaking Test and I also marked the Written Test for two years while I was working at The British Council in Hong Kong (although it was called "ELTS" when I was an examiner, then!) I taught English at all levels from Beginner to Advanced and was involved in teaching for the Cambridge First Certificate Exam. I was also Head of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL).
1983 - 1985
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageI taught English as a Foreign Language to adults, who were mainly Egyptian, and who were the liveliest students I've ever taught anywhere in the world! They were brilliant fun to teach! I was really sorry to leave Egypt! There, I also worked as a Course Developer and as a Coordinator for Needs' Analyses in Commercial Firms in Cairo. You should really visit Egypt at some point in your life! It's a brilliant place! And Egyptian people are fabulous - really friendly! At least in my experience!
1983 - 1983
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageI worked for two glorious months in the summer of 1983 at a Summer School in Oxford. The School was named after Michael Swan, who was a very influential person in the early stages of the development of English language teaching in the world! He was one of the first people who developed the idea of teaching languages communicatively. I'm not sure if the school still exists any more, actually! But, when I worked there, it was absolutely delightful! Run by a lovely woman (Elsie??)! Great memories!
1982 - 1983
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageI taught adults for a year in Northern France, working for the French "Chambres de Commerce de Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing", at "La Chambre de Commerce de Roubaix", teaching mainly General English courses, but also specialising in teaching Business English to a variety of businessmen and businesswomen. That was the hardest job I've ever done, teaching up to 35 contact hours a week - except working in an English Primary School - which is incredibly tough, believe me! 62 hour working week - minimum!
1980 - 1982
Teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageMy first professional job! I worked in this school for two years and had great fun teaching German students, who were always very friendly and sociable! It got me started as a teacher, but to tell you the truth I wasn't that great because I didn't really know what I was doing back then! I reckon it took me about five years to become a really competent teacher - and I'm still learning now, after all these years! Doing the RSA DELTA was what really made me become a truly competent teacher in 1985!
5.0
Rating
1,198
Students
11.2k
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
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♣ IELTS GENERAL WRITING TEST TASK 1 + TASK 2 ♣
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♠ IELTS ACADEMIC WRITING TEST: TASK 1 + TASK 2 ♠
B2 - C2Test Preparation1,041 lessons completed
USD 40.00
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Availability
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1,080 Reviews
Ale A
5 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
I’ve just had a wonderful lesson with Nick! If you’re looking for somebody who’s remarkably professional and able to combine a meticulous study of the language with a joyous and relaxed atmosphere, don’t hesitate to contact him!
May 2, 2020
Giulia
18 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
超级棒的老师！ 纠正了我很多错误，并在课上反复的练习让改了过来，可以说是非常耐心了！
Apr 14, 2019
italki514209
156 English lessons
I do like Nick's lesson, because on his zoom, I can enjoy speaking English freely. Nick is an understanding teacher, and he can understand me quickly even though when I can't express some English words exactly. His thought is very deep, so I always eager to get his comment . Now I am learning reading following Nick. In the past, I thought reading of IELTS was very difficult for me to cope with. I found it was impossible to finish all on time. Now I find it is a little funny doing reading. I can find answers more quickly than past. I even find a "secret" between the questions and answers, because of Nick's instruction. The most valuable thing Nick have taught me is the thoughts about how to find answers. His teaching method is more effective than I had ever learned in books, but it still keep in a very simple way, so I like it very much.
Feb 26, 2026
Daria
10 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Thank you for this lesson and the previous ones!
Folks, if you are looking for someone who is an expert on IELTS, you have already found him. Nick is result-oriented and has a good sense of humor. He can help you with a lot of advice on the speaking part.
Jun 17, 2019
Аня Осьмакова
25 English lessons
Top 1 English teacher on Italki according to my personal ranking!
Feb 26, 2026
Andrea
3 English lessons
As always, a great lesson. Very encouraging and helped me see my problems clearly. Highly recommend!
Feb 25, 2026
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