A month without finding an IELTS test preparation center
In recent years, when many universities have prioritized admission for candidates with IELTS certificates, learning English has become a "ticket" to help students increase their chances of being admitted. For that reason, many parents urge their children to study IELTS preparation courses in the hope that their children will have more advantages in their university application.
Dao Nhat Long - an 11th grade student at Co Loa High School (Dong Anh Commune, Hanoi) - set a goal of taking the IELTS certificate exam for university admission.
"I see many students with IELTS certificates getting points, some are even given priority when applying to university, so I also want to study to try my hand" - Long shared.
For more than a month, Nhat Long has proactively researched many centers in the Dong Anh area and Hanoi's inner city. However, at present, he has not registered to study at any center.
"Some places offer study consultation according to a few monthly roadmap, some places divide it into levels. With high tuition fees, I want to learn carefully so as not to waste it" - Long expressed.
Also on the journey to find an IELTS test preparation center for her children, Ms. Chu Thi Chinh - a parent with a child studying in grade 11 at a high school in Dong Anh commune, Hanoi - shared that, despite consulting many places, she still has not decided on a suitable place for her children because the market is so diverse and it is difficult to distinguish between quality.
"There are online teaching centers, some places teach directly, teachers are Vietnamese and speak the local language - each place has a different way of doing things. Many countries have also made output commitments. Therefore, I am still considering choosing the most suitable program" - Ms. Chinh shared.
Price matrix of IELTS certificate review service
According to Lao Dong reporters, the IELTS test preparation market in Hanoi is very vibrant, with hundreds of centers opening throughout the city and suburbs, with different tuition fees depending on the program and learning form.
Recorded at an English center specializing in IELTS testing on Nguyen Van Cu Street (Hanoi), the learning path from 3.0 to 6.5 costs more than 40 million VND, lasting about 18 months. Throughout the process, students can flexibly choose between online and in-person learning. The consultant here said that learners will be given an entrance exam to determine their current level, so that the center can provide specific and accurate advice on the learning path and tuition fees.
Also on the same axis of Nguyen Van Cu Street (Hanoi), at another center, a course with similar goals is introduced with different duration and tuition fees. The target from a score of 3.0 to 6.5 is a tuition fee ranging from 20 - 30 million VND, with a training period of 10 to 12 months.
In addition, at an international certificate exam preparation center on Chua Lang street (Lang ward, Hanoi), the IELTS course schedule with scores of 6.0 and 7.0 is priced at 15 million (27 classes) and 16.9 million VND (30 classes), respectively. These courses are applied to students with input abilities of IELTS score of 5.0 - 6.0 and the center will conduct an initial test.
"That is the basic price of the 2 courses, and if students set an IELTS score of 6.5 - 7.0, they should register for a combo of both routes, and receive a discount of 3 million, or a total of 28.9 million for 19 weeks of study (ie nearly 5 months)" - the consultant said and said that the center is committed to ensuring output.
In a further survey on IELTS certificate exam fees, currently, the two exam organizers, IDP and BC ( British Council) apply nearly equivalent prices, around 4 to 5 million VND.
Warning about scams for IELTS certificate proxy services
In addition to advertising the exam review and preparation packages, on social networks, groups and groups have appeared with huge advertisements about supporting IELTS, TOEIC, VSTEP English certificate exams...
Posing as a final-year student who urgently needs an IELTS certificate to graduate after many failed exams, the reporter contacted the Fanpage named "Ms Hoa TOEIC - International Foreign Language Support".
Previously, this page had many advertisements for taking the IELTS and TOEIC certificate exams in groups and especially committed to paying when knowing the scores.
With the IELTS target score of 6.5, this side offered a price of 13 million VND including the exam registration fee and the entrance exam fee, along with the advice to register now to get the certificate in time for March 2026 (at the reporter's request).
The trick is given that customers will register for the exam. There will be 1 person taking the same exam with the customer and when entering the exam room, the 2 people will switch seats.
"Unless I am sick, I cannot go to the exam room. Having gone to the exam room, following the instructions of students taking the entrance exam, keeping order is to ensure the desired scores" - admin of Fanpage named "Ms Hoa TOEIC - Support for Foreign Languages International" affirmed.
This page also commits to the risk ratio being very low and continuously urging customers to check in to register early, because it is also related to booking a schedule with students to take the exam.
"Each exam room next to us can only arrange 4-5 friends. We must announce in advance to schedule the contestants" - this person affirmed.
When the reporter contacted the TOEIC Ms. Hoa exam preparation center to clarify the advertising behavior for the exam on the Fanpage "Ms Hoa TOEIC - International Foreign Language Assistant", the center representative confirmed that this is a fake fanpage, impersonating the center to advertise, enticing students to transfer tuition fees and exam fees, thereby being able to appropriate customers' money.
"We recommend that parents and trainees carefully research information before making any transactions to avoid unnecessary impacts" - the center issued a warning.
