British Council English Online Reviews

British Council English Online is a language learning platform available to anyone seeking to improve their English comprehension, speaking, and writing skills.

With teachers from all corners of the world, it’s refreshing to hear so many different accents, rather than just British or American speakers. This also helps put students at ease when participating in class.

All subscriptions provide access to group lessons (55 mins), private classes (25 mins), and webinars called Live 25s (25 mins). Additionally, there are plenty of short, informative videos that are perfect for supplementing learning.

During our testing, it was clear that to learn English effectively and holistically via this platform, you need a combination of all three class formats, as one on its own doesn’t give you the skills required to master the language.

Live 25s are webinars that are teacher-led talks on grammar and pronunciation. Speaking directly with the teacher using your microphone is not possible, but you can type in the chat in response to questions.

Due to this lack of interactivity, Live25s are the only sessions that you can access via a mobile device. This didactic style is excellent for understanding concepts and tricky grammar rules.

At the other end of the spectrum are the one-to-one 25-minute private classes. These are ideal for focused, tailored teaching when you need help with a specific topic. Students can request teachers’ help with certain goals, like writing a job application or arranging an appointment on the phone.

These classes are brilliant for boosting confidence and knowledge in a specific area, but they’re double the cost and half the length of group classes.

Somewhere in the middle are the group sessions that go up to 10 students.

For these classes, students must have their microphones and cameras on, and active participation is expected. The class we attended ran smoothly and on time, with no technical faults or engagement issues.

However, the lesson’s structure was meticulously planned, so it felt quite rigid. With eight people attending and many activities to get through, the pace was rushed, and it was clear that the system didn’t allow for a great deal of flexibility.

Nevertheless, we think it’s fantastic that after the lesson, students can stay on the call to practice speaking with their classmates.

Before and after classes, there are many exercises to go through to help you master the topic discussed with the teacher.

These include listening, vocabulary, grammar, and speaking exercises, providing a comprehensive study plan.

Some of these tasks are powered by AI, so you’re able to get instant feedback on how you’re doing.

Lesson-based AI activities are unlocked after attending your class, and they’re meant to be human-first. In other words, the AI complements teachers’ work and helps you reinforce what you’ve learned.

You can repeat the AI-powered lessons as many times as you like, with each session providing downloadable feedback reports.

Then, there are theme-based AI tasks, which work similarly, but focus on helping you understand if you have a full grasp of the theme. These are only unlocked after you complete the full theme.

Upon registering for British Council English Online, you have the option to take a 30-minute placement test of 30 questions to determine your current level (A1-C1) – for us, it took around 5 minutes, but we do know English quite well.

Once the quiz is complete, you receive the result, which guides you in selecting the difficulty level of the course. If you already know your level, you can just select the level and skip the test.

Changing your level after registration is possible, but only by contacting customer service, which may disrupt your progress.

Once you’re in, it’s clear that the school’s course structure is traditional and straightforward. There’s no risk of getting lost in hundreds of potentially irrelevant courses, as there are only 14 themes to choose from – all in the categories of business and social.

Each theme consists of six lessons, and while it’s not a requirement to complete them, it gives you a chance to receive a digital badge.

To be awarded this badge, students must do a theme challenge (that can’t be retaken) and a private speaking test costing two credits. Following this, you will receive a feedback report from your teacher (as well as your badge)within 24 hours.

Separately, students who attend live classes can receive a CEFR certificate showing their level and study hours, which updates automatically after each class and can be shared on LinkedIn.

British Council English Online operates primarily as a web-based platform.

While the organization has launched a mobile app (British Council English app) that allows you to manage your bookings, complete online exercises, and track your progress, live classes cannot be attended through the app.

The organization explicitly states that lessons should not be attended on a mobile device, requiring students to use a desktop or laptop computer for the best experience.

All live lessons take place via Zoom, a free and secure video conferencing platform that you’ll need to download before your first class.

This approach has both advantages and drawbacks.

On one hand, the focus on desktop-based, live teacher-led instruction via Zoom ensures a more classroom-like experience with better audio-visual quality.

On the other hand, the lack of mobile-friendly live classes and gamified learning features means the platform may feel less flexible than some modern language learning competitors that offer full cross-platform support and app-based learning.

British Council English Online is one of the most prestigious language learning institutions worldwide, so the steep course prices hardly come as a shock.

The company uses a simple credit-based pricing structure, split across three subscriptions: Silver (5 credits), Gold (10 credits), and Platinum (15 credits). The allotted number of credits is to be used per month, but additional credits can be bought at an extra cost.

While group classes cost one credit and private classes cost two, Live25s are included for free with all subscriptions (there’s a monthly limit to how many you can take, though).

The company runs temporary discounts that get you up to 40% off for a few months, leading to prices as low as $70.40 per month.

Considering the steep price, it’s worth trying the 7-day free trial, available for Gold and Platinum. It comes with two free credits.

Once you’ve signed up, you can pause your subscription for one or two months, skipping payments while extending your credits’ validity by 30 or 60 days. You can continue using your credits to book and attend classes during the pause.

Additionally, its generous friend referral program results in five free credits for you and 50% off your friend’s first month.

When it comes to self-help customer support, there’s no knocking the British Council.

As soon as you create your account, you’re greeted with video introductions that help you get started with the platform and lessons. Moreover, should you run into any roadblocks along the way, the FAQ section provides detailed answers.

Getting help from a human is also possible through live chat or email, but keep in mind there isn’t 24/7 support. During our testing, we reached out via live chat and connected with an agent in around 10 minutes, who promptly answered our question. We especially liked that we didn’t have to try to speak to a bot to get to a real human, which has become the norm for many providers.

You can also leave a message on the company’s Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages, though these channels aren’t the best option to get support.

If you want to meet other students and enjoy community events, you can get access to a Facebook group (called English Club) by subscribing to Platinum.

Combining these with the supplementary video resources and class exercises is a surefire way to level up your English speaking and comprehension skills.

As such, we’re sure you can make giant leaps in your language learning journey with this platform, but to do so requires the commitment of weekly private and group lessons, which would require you to subscribe to Gold or Platinum, which isn’t affordable for everyone.

Still, there are ways to save money with seasonal discounts, and the British Council English Online free trial provides a handy test drive, letting you try out some of the best English courses online before committing long-term.