1. Who we are
Prep IELTS Now is a free, independent IELTS practice website. We decide how your personal data is used, which makes us the data controller. For any privacy question or request, email support@prepieltsnow.com.
2. What we collect
When you create an account
- Your email address and a securely stored password, or your Google account name, email and profile photo if you sign in with Google.
- Details you add during onboarding or on your profile, such as your first name, country and IELTS scores.
- Account dates, such as when you signed up and last logged in.
When you contact us or request a speaking partner
- Your name, email address, the message you write and, for speaking partner requests, your self-rated level and previous score.
When you use the practice tests
- Practice answers are scored in your browser. Some progress may be kept in your browser's own storage on your device.
- When our AI speaking features are switched on, the recordings and transcripts you submit are processed to generate feedback.
Automatically
- Technical data such as IP address, browser type, device, pages viewed and how you arrived on the site, collected through cookies and similar technologies (see section 5).
3. Why we use it, and our legal basis
- To run your account and the practice platform (performance of our agreement with you).
- To reply to messages and match speaking partners (your request, and our legitimate interest in helping you).
- To keep the site secure, block bots and prevent abuse, for example with rate limits and Google reCAPTCHA (legitimate interests).
- To understand how the site is used and improve it, with Google Analytics (your consent, where the law requires it).
- To show advertising that keeps the site free, with Google AdSense (your consent, where the law requires it).
4. Who we share data with
We do not sell your personal data. We use these service providers, who process data on our behalf:
- Google Firebase for sign-in, database and file storage. Our database is hosted in Google Cloud's Mumbai region.
- Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise (through Firebase App Check) to tell real visitors from bots.
- Google Analytics for visitor statistics.
- Google AdSense for advertising on public pages only.
- Hostinger, our web host.
- Resend, which delivers contact form and speaking partner emails to our team.
- Anthropic and Google (Gemini), only when the AI speaking features are active, to evaluate speaking answers and generate examiner audio.
We may also disclose data if the law requires it, or to protect the rights and safety of our users and the site.
5. Cookies and advertising
We use a few kinds of cookies and similar storage:
- Essential: a secure session cookie that keeps you signed in, plus Firebase and reCAPTCHA storage that protects the site. These are needed for the site to work.
- Analytics: Google Analytics cookies that count visits and show which pages are useful.
- Advertising: Google AdSense cookies on public pages only. Signed-in pages and practice tests never show ads.
Visitors in the UK, the European Economic Area and Switzerland see a consent banner first. Analytics and advertising cookies stay off until you choose. You can change your choice at any time through the privacy settings link the banner leaves on the page.
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet. You can opt out of personalised advertising in Google Ads Settings, or opt out of some third-party vendors at aboutads.info. Learn more in how Google uses data from sites that use its services.
Ads never appear inside the practice tests, your dashboard or your profile.
6. International transfers
Our providers may store and process data outside your country, including in India and the United States. Where UK or EU data protection law applies, these transfers rely on safeguards such as the providers' Standard Contractual Clauses.
7. How long we keep data
- Account data: for as long as your account exists. When an account is deleted, its sign-in record and profile are removed.
- Contact messages and speaking partner requests: up to 24 months, then deleted.
- Security and rate-limit records: a short period, normally days.
- Analytics data: no longer than 14 months, set in Google Analytics.
8. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you can ask to access, correct, delete or export your data, object to or restrict how we use it, and withdraw consent at any time. To delete your account or make any other request, email support@prepieltsnow.com from the address linked to your account. We reply within one month.
You can also complain to your local data protection authority, for example the Information Commissioner's Office in the UK or the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens in the Netherlands.
9. Security
Passwords are handled by Firebase Authentication and never stored by us in readable form. Sessions use secure, http-only cookies, and access to our database is restricted by security rules. No online service can be perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password.
10. Children
Prep IELTS Now is meant for people preparing for IELTS and is not directed at children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
11. Changes to this policy
We will update this page when our practices change and revise the date at the top. Significant changes will be highlighted on the site. See also our Terms of Use.