A Marked-Practice
IELTS Simon Alternative
IELTS Simon is the teaching home of Simon Corcoran, an ex-IELTS examiner known for radically simple Band 9 model answers — one of the most trusted methods in IELTS preparation. What his archive is not built to do is mark your writing or measure your reading. That is the half IELTSbiz adds.
The short answer
IELTS Simon is the archive of an ex-IELTS examiner whose "simple is better" method is among the most trusted in the field, and nothing on IELTSbiz competes with what he teaches. What the archive is not built to do is mark your attempt or measure your reading. IELTSbiz is where you apply the method: unlimited practice, a Writing Checker scoring all four criteria on what you actually wrote, a Band 8 Trainer that marks your introduction and each body paragraph separately, and a band tracked per reading question type. Read Simon for the method, practise here to find out where your version of it falls short.
- A model answer shows the destination; it cannot mark your route to it.
- The Band 8 Trainer marks each paragraph separately against the blueprint for that essay type.
- Rewrite and re-mark the same essay three times in an evening — no archive offers that loop.
- Reading gets measured too, which the Simon archive does not attempt.
Choose IELTSbiz if…
- You know the method and need to apply it
- You want your own writing marked, not a model
- You want each paragraph marked separately
- You want reading measured too
Choose IELTS Simon if…
- You want an ex-examiner’s method and model answers
- You want Band 9 samples to study
- You prefer a one-off purchase with lifetime access
4
IELTS papers practised and marked
11
reading question types, drillable alone
1,200
essays in our published grading study
Free
every paper, within an allowance, no card
A method is only half of it
Simon's "simple is better" approach is genuinely excellent, and after his long-running blog's host shut down in late 2025 the archive and paid materials moved to ielts-simon.study, with ebooks and a video course sold as one-off purchases with lifetime access. Reading model answers, though, is not the same as producing them:
Nobody marks your attempt
A model essay shows the destination. It cannot tell you that your own Task Response is a band below your Grammar. The free AI Writing Checker scores all four criteria on what you actually wrote.
A fixed archive, however good
The lessons and model answers are finite. IELTSbiz generates unlimited fresh reading passages and Task 2 questions, so there is always another one to attempt.
No measurement of your reading
Simon's strength is Writing and Speaking method. IELTSbiz names the trap on every wrong reading answer and tracks a band for each of the 11 question types.
IELTSbiz vs IELTS Simon: feature comparison
A side-by-side look at what each platform offers serious IELTS candidates, as of 2026. Features and pricing change — check each provider for the latest before you decide.
| Feature | IELTSbiz | IELTS Simon |
|---|---|---|
| What it gives you | Marked practice and measurement | Method, lessons and model answers |
| Author | AI grading, validated against examiners | An ex-IELTS examiner's own teaching |
| Essay feedback | AI marking on all four criteria, free every month | Model answers to compare against |
| Reading practice | AI-generated, unlimited and fresh | Lessons and worked examples |
| Band tracking | Per question type, over time | None |
| Structure | Guided Band 8 Trainer, stage by stage | Self-directed reading of the archive |
| Price | Free within monthly allowances; Pro $6.99/mo or $29 lifetime | One-off ebook/course purchases |
Where we checked
Prices and features change without notice. The only reliable figure is the one on IELTS Simon’s own site today.
Why serious test-takers choose IELTSbiz
Apply the method to your own writing
Simon teaches a clear four-paragraph discipline. The Band 8 Writing Trainer marks your introduction, each body paragraph and your conclusion separately, so you find out whether you actually executed it.
Unlimited attempts, instant marking
Rewriting the same essay three times in an evening with a criterion breakdown after each attempt is the fastest route from Band 6.5 to Band 7.5. No archive can offer that loop.
Reading gets measured too
A band for each of the 11 reading question types, with the trap named on every wrong answer, so reading stops being the skill you hope is fine.
The two fit together naturally
Read Simon for the method and the model answers; practise on IELTSbiz to find out where your version of it falls short. Nothing here competes with what he teaches.
About IELTSbiz
IELTSbiz is an AI-powered IELTS preparation platform built around one idea: measured progress you can trust. It covers all four papers. Reading and Listening are written fresh rather than drawn from a bank of past papers, and are marked against an answer key — the same answers always produce the same band, so a rise in your score is progress rather than a different marker on a different day. Writing and Speaking are marked criterion by criterion for an estimated band — accurate enough to aim at, and reported as an estimate rather than an examiner’s verdict.
Reading goes deepest, because it is where most candidates quietly lose marks. Every wrong answer is labelled with the trap that caused it — Partial Truth, Extreme Language, Opposite Meaning, Outside Text, Distractor Word or Temporal Confusion — and shown beside the line of the passage that settles it. Your estimated band is then tracked separately for each of the 11 reading question types, so “reading is my weak skill” becomes “Matching Headings is my weak type”. When you want the whole paper, there is a full 40-question Reading test under a 60-minute clock, and a guided four-skill mock.
That measurement focus runs through everything we build. Our AI grading was validated in a study of 1,200 Writing Task 2 essays against certified examiners, and every guide on the site is written by our named editorial team and checked against official sources — you can read exactly how in our editorial policy. We sell trust and measurement, not hype: no band guarantee, and no accuracy percentage we have not published the method for.
What costs nothing: all four papers, within an allowance. Reading and Listening practice are free every day with full trap-level feedback, and Writing and Speaking are marked against the official criteria free every month. A 7-day trial raises those allowances rather than being the only thing that unlocks them — when it ends they drop back, they do not drop to zero. The one exception is the Band 8 Writing Trainer, whose marking is Pro only and which the trial does not include. Pro is $6.99/month or $29 once for lifetime access. The band-score calculator, the daily Word Coach and the Speaking cue cards are free to use. IELTSbiz is independent and is not affiliated with IDP, the British Council, or Cambridge, who jointly own and deliver the IELTS test.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the IELTS Simon site now?
After his long-running blog's host shut down in late 2025, the archive and paid materials moved to ielts-simon.study, where the ebooks and video course are sold as one-off purchases with lifetime access. Check the site for current prices.
Does IELTSbiz teach the same writing method?
The Band 8 Writing Trainer teaches a four-paragraph blueprint per essay type with the traps that cost marks, which is compatible with Simon's "simple is better" discipline. The difference is that it marks each paragraph you write rather than only showing a model.
Is IELTSbiz free like Simon's blog archive?
The core is free to start — reading practice, the AI Writing Checker within a monthly allowance, the band calculator and Word Coach. The Band 8 Writing Trainer's marking is Pro-only and is not included in the free trial. Pro is $6.99/month or $29 lifetime.
Can I use both?
Yes, and it is the natural pairing: Simon for the method and model answers, IELTSbiz for unlimited marked practice, reading diagnosis and per-question-type band tracking.
Find out which paper is costing you the band
Sit one set, get it back marked question by question, and see the number move. Free to start, no card.
Start Free — No Card RequiredCompare, learn, and keep practising
- Start unlimited AI reading practiceGenerate a fresh Cambridge-style passage with trap-level feedback in seconds
- Free AI Writing CheckerBand estimate on all four Task 2 criteria, with the sentences that cost you it
- IELTS Listening practice, Parts 1–4One play only, numbered 1–40, marked to a band the way the real paper is
- Sit a full four-skill mockListening, Reading, Writing and Speaking in one guided sitting, with a band per section
- All 11 IELTS Reading question typesThe pillar guide to every type and its strategy
- Free IELTS band score calculatorConvert your raw score to a band and set a target
- Best IELTS Simon alternatives comparedMethod sites and marked-practice tools, side by side
- IELTS Simon review (2026)Our honest 8.5/10 review of the ex-examiner's method