In recent decades, clear position ✓renewable energy has shifted from a niche idea to a necessity.
Some argue the transition is too expensive; however,
two sentences — join with “because”this view is short-sighted, the long-term costs of inaction are far higher.
Governments that invest early will
lovely phrase ✓reap lasting economic benefits
while protecting the planet for the next generation.
strong ideas — grammar is what's holding you at 6.5. Fixable.
Band 6.5
Why this exists
A short letter, before the features.
read me first
Hello — I'm Simon.
I've spent 25 years teaching English across four countries, and another ten building language websites. I know the struggle of hunting for decent test prep materials. So I built my own.
But here's the thing — the students who need these resources most often can't afford them. I see it teaching at a university in Costa Rica, and I see it in the unrest spreading across Europe and the US.
That's why DiscussEarth works differently. Every paying user funds a non-paying user who needs the test for work, study, or a fresh start in a new country. I've been an economic migrant for 26 years — I know what learning a new language can unlock. Welcome to DiscussEarth. We've got your back.
Wales → Taiwan → Vietnam → Japan → Costa Rica
— Simon
Founder · English teacher, EARTH University, Costa Rica
The tests
Four papers, exactly as long and exactly as timed as the real thing.
Practise untimed while you're learning, then sit the paper against the clock when you're ready. The pressure is part of the preparation.
Three passages of increasing difficulty, mixing factual and narrative texts — matching types, True/False/Not Given, and sentence completion, the same question styles you'll see on exam day.
Four recorded sections moving from everyday conversations to academic lectures. You hear each recording once, exactly as in the real exam, with British-accented audio throughout.
Task 1 asks you to describe a graph, chart, or diagram; Task 2 is a full essay responding to a viewpoint. Feedback is marked directly on your own sentences, not a generic rubric.
A short interview, a two-minute individual talk on a given topic, then a follow-up discussion. Pronunciation is scored by a dedicated speech engine, not estimated by a language model.
A two-stage adaptive format — your performance on the first set of questions determines the difficulty of the second, matching the real TOEFL iBT Reading section.
ListeningComing soon·
We're still building out TOEFL Listening — it isn't live yet. Reading, Writing, and Speaking are ready to try now.
Build a Sentence (grammar-focused), Write an Email, and Write for an Academic Discussion — the current TOEFL iBT Writing format. Feedback is marked on your own sentences.
Repeat sentences exactly as you hear them, then answer follow-up interview questions — no preparation time, matching the real exam's pace.
After every test
MARK BOOK — WRITINGa sample student's term
I keep a mark book on every student. Yours starts empty.
After each test, your marks go in the book — not just the band, but which mistakes you make and how often. The book turns that into your next steps: three things to practise, with a page on this site for each one.
Come back in a term and the book tells a story. Usually a good one.
this chart is a sample — yours will be earned ✓
The second seat
Every seat you buy opens a second seat for someone who had to leave home.
One subscription funds one full account for a refugee or displaced learner, placed through partner organisations. Same tests, same marking, same mark book. No lite version, no watermark.
Your seat
0001·A
The full IELTS & TOEFL catalogue, feedback on your own sentences, and your mark book. From $4.99 a month.
Opened by your seat
0001·B
Held for someone preparing for the same exam under much harder circumstances.
held — with your name on the ledger, not theirs ✓
Seats opened so far: zero — we launched this promise before we had subscribers, and we'd rather show you a true zero than a made-up thousand. The ledger opens with you.
no card, no catch — just the test ✓
Sit your first paper tonight.
One free test per skill, marked on your own sentences, before you decide anything. If it helps you, subscribe — and the second seat goes to someone who needs it more.
Coral reef bleaching: should governments fund restoration?
You've used your free sample
Unlock all 20+ tests across reading, listening, writing and speaking — plus community and AI speaking practice.
Tests
Practice the full catalogue across all four skills.
TOEFL practice — coming soon
Built to feel like exam day
Every test follows the real IELTS and TOEFL structure: the same sections, the same timing, the same question types you'll see on exam day. IELTS Listening and Speaking audio is recorded in British English, matching the accent used in the real exam; TOEFL Speaking uses American English, matching ETS's own exam. Writing and Speaking responses are graded by AI against the official band descriptors, not a generic opinion, so your results map onto the same scale as the real exam.
Swipe for Speaking & Writing
Reading
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Showing tests · Subscribe to unlock all
Reading
DiscussEarthReading · Test 1 · Passage 2 of 3
38:12
The Phoebus cartel and the economics of planned obsolescence
In 1924, representatives of the world's leading lightbulb manufacturers convened in Geneva to address what they saw as a troubling commercial problem: their products lasted too long. Bulbs that endured for 2,500 hours or more were, from a revenue standpoint, an obstacle to sustained profit.
The resulting agreement, known as the Phoebus cartel, established a maximum bulb lifespan of 1,000 hours. Manufacturers that exceeded this limit faced financial penalties, while those producing shorter-lived bulbs were rewarded. The cartel coordinated production across borders, dividing global markets and setting technical standards that ensured conformity.
Economists have since debated whether such coordinated lifespan reduction constitutes a net harm to consumers or a rational response to market incentives. The case against is straightforward: consumers paid more over time, replacing bulbs that could have lasted longer. The case for is more subtle: shorter product cycles may have accelerated innovation, driving down costs and expanding access to electric lighting more broadly.
The Phoebus cartel dissolved by the early 1940s, partly due to wartime disruption and partly due to antitrust pressure in the United States. Yet its legacy persists in the economic concept of planned obsolescence — the deliberate design of products to require replacement — which critics argue remains embedded in manufacturing culture to this day.
Contemporary examples are not difficult to find. Smartphone manufacturers have faced regulatory scrutiny for software updates that slow older devices. Printer companies have been accused of programming cartridges to report as empty before they are depleted. In the European Union, right-to-repair legislation introduced in 2024 represents a direct legislative response to what regulators characterise as a systemic pattern.
Questions 14–18
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
14. The Phoebus cartel set a minimum, not maximum, bulb lifespan.
15. Manufacturers exceeding the lifespan limit were financially penalised.
16. Economists agree the cartel was illegal under Swiss law.
Questions 19–20
Complete the sentences. Write ONE WORD OR NUMBER only.
19. The cartel's meeting was held in .
20. Bulbs were limited to a maximum of hours.
My Progress
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Wales
1977–96
England
1996–2000
Taiwan
2000–02
Vietnam
2002–03
Japan
2003–24
Costa Rica
2024–now
English proficiency shouldn't depend on where you were born
For millions of refugees and displaced people, an IELTS or TOEFL score is the key to a university place, a job, or a new country. But quality preparation is expensive, and largely out of reach for those who need it most. This is where DiscussEarth comes in.
The founder
Simon is originally from Wales, in the UK. He has been teaching English since 2001, starting in Taiwan, then Vietnam, then Japan, where he stayed for over two decades before moving to Costa Rica in 2024.
DiscussEarth's story
While teaching in Japan, Simon noticed two problems with the resources available to him. First, his students weren't engaging with the news anymore; they couldn't concentrate on lengthy articles, and this was a problem. So he built an interactive website to encourage young learners to read in English. He dreamed of students all over the world discussing global issues in the global language — English — so the natural name for the website was DiscussEarth.
The second problem was that quality materials for test preparation were hard to find. Even as an experienced, qualified teacher, he found himself photocopying and piecing together resources from wherever he could. The obvious fix was to build his own materials, but time constraints made that difficult while teaching full-time.
After moving to Costa Rica and working with students preparing for the IELTS and TOEFL, he ran into the same problem again. The quality options that did exist were expensive, and still not quite what his students needed. So he decided to build something himself, and to keep it affordable for everyone. By 2024, the emergence of artificial intelligence had created opportunities that had only existed for large operators. Simon saw that the potential for quality, affordable resources with accurate AI-driven feedback was immense.
The mission
As an economic migrant of 25 years, Simon understands that people moving to a new country need to learn the language, but they don't always have the money for expensive materials and resources. Immigrants and refugees today struggle to integrate into society if they cannot master the language, and after leaving the comfort of home behind, the last thing anyone needs is a hostile environment. That struggle led to a harder question:
If an experienced teacher was finding it this difficult, what must refugees and displaced people be facing, without his training or his resources?
That question is where DiscussEarth came from. Simon didn't just want to build something cheap. He wanted every paying subscriber to directly fund a free account for someone who couldn't pay at all, through partnerships with refugee settlement organisations. Sponsored accounts get the same full access as Premium subscribers. No watermarks, no limited tests, no second-class experience.
It matters because IELTS and TOEFL prep courses can cost hundreds of dollars. For someone who has lost their home, their career, and in many cases their community, that barrier is insurmountable. Building DiscussEarth this way means the same preparation is available to everyone, and every paying student knows their subscription is doing more than buying access to tests.
Today, you won't find another preparation site quite like DiscussEarth — built by an experienced teacher, for students, not money. Every effort has been made to make sure that with DiscussEarth, you get the grade you need, and you might just learn a thing or two along the way.
What DiscussEarth is
Real exam-length tests
20+ full-length IELTS tests per skill, with a growing TOEFL library — all written to real IELTS and ETS TOEFL specifications, not cut-down practice sets.
AI feedback, scored to the rubric
Every writing and speaking response is graded against the same criteria examiners use — real band-level feedback, not a generic AI opinion.
Practice that connects
A shared topic bank ties tests, forum discussions, and AI speaking practice together — so students read, write, discuss, and speak about the same ideas.
Want to partner with us?
If you work with refugees or displaced communities and want to explore sponsored access, we'd love to hear from you.
Get in touch
We're here to help you on your IELTS and TOEFL journey.
Questions about your account, a test, pricing, or anything else.
Bringing DiscussEarth to a class, department, or whole institution? Tell us about your school and we'll put together a licensing option.
If you work with refugees or displaced communities and want to explore sponsored access for your students, we'd love to talk.
Frequently asked questions
When you sign up, you get a free diagnostic test covering all four skills — Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. You'll get a band estimate for each skill before deciding to subscribe. No credit card required.
Basic gives you full access to the test catalogue for your chosen exam. Premium adds the community forum, daily AI chatbot practice, and tailored course materials.
Your subscription covers one exam type. If you need both, contact us — we can discuss options.
Yes — paying every 3 months instead of monthly saves you 13% on Basic plans and 17% on Premium plans.
For every active paying subscriber, we fund one full Premium account for a refugee or displaced person. Sponsored students receive identical access — no restrictions.
Yes, any time. You keep access until the end of your billing period. There are no cancellation fees.
No. DiscussEarth is an independent preparation platform and is not affiliated with the British Council, IDP, Cambridge Assessment English, or ETS.
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 12 July 2026
DiscussEarth ("we", "us", "our") provides IELTS and TOEFL exam preparation, and operates on a 1-for-1 model: every paid subscription funds a free account for a displaced learner. This policy explains what information we collect from people who use discussearth.com (the "Service"), why we collect it, and what rights you have over it.
1. Information we collect
Account information. When you sign up, we collect your email address and password (handled by our authentication provider, Supabase — we never see or store your password in plain text). You may optionally add a display name and study-goal information to your profile.
Test and progress data. We store the tests you take, your answers, scores, band/level results, and study streaks so we can show you progress over time. For Writing and Speaking tasks, this includes the text you write or the speech you submit, since that content is what our AI grading is scored against.
Community content. If you post in the Community forum, your display name and post/reply content are visible to other subscribers.
Payment information. Subscriptions are processed by Stripe. We do not receive or store your card number — Stripe handles that directly and shares with us only what's needed to manage your subscription (e.g. plan type, renewal date).
Communications. If you contact us through the Contact page, we receive whatever you submit (name, email, message) in order to reply to you.
2. How we use this information
We use your information to: provide and improve the Service; grade and give feedback on your Writing and Speaking submissions; track your progress and award XP/streaks; manage your subscription and billing; respond to support requests; and maintain the security of the platform.
3. Service providers we use
We rely on a small number of third-party providers to run DiscussEarth, and share only the data each one needs to do its job:
Supabase — account authentication and our database (profiles, test progress, community posts).
Stripe — payment processing and subscription management.
Cloudflare Workers — routes your Writing and Speaking submissions to Anthropic's Claude AI for grading, and proxies other API calls.
ElevenLabs — generates the spoken audio used in Listening and Speaking tests.
Microsoft Azure (Pronunciation Assessment) — scores pronunciation in Speaking tasks by analyzing short audio clips of your speech.
EmailJS — delivers messages submitted through our Contact form.
Each of these providers processes data on our behalf under their own privacy and security terms; we don't sell your information to anyone, and we don't share it with advertisers.
4. Data retention
We keep your account and progress data for as long as your account is active, so your test history stays available to you. If you delete your account, we delete your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we're required to keep records (e.g. payment records for tax/accounting purposes).
5. Your rights
You can review and update your profile information at any time from your Account page. You can request a copy of your data, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete your account and associated data, by contacting us at team@discussearth.com.
6. Children's privacy
DiscussEarth is intended for learners preparing for university-level English exams and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
7. Security
We use industry-standard practices — including row-level security policies in our database and encrypted connections — to protect your data. No online service can guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps to safeguard your information.
8. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the Service evolves. If we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you directly.
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of discussearth.com and the DiscussEarth platform (the "Service"), operated by DiscussEarth. By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms.
1. The Service
DiscussEarth provides IELTS and TOEFL exam preparation materials, AI-assisted feedback on Writing and Speaking tasks, progress tracking, and a community forum. As part of our 1-for-1 mission, each paid subscription funds a free account for a displaced learner.
2. Accounts
You must provide accurate information when creating an account and are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. You're responsible for all activity that happens under your account.
3. Subscriptions and billing
Basic and Premium plans are available for IELTS and TOEFL, billed monthly or quarterly through Stripe. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless cancelled beforehand. You can cancel at any time from your Account page or by contacting us; cancellation stops future renewals but does not automatically refund the current billing period. Free accounts are limited to one test per skill before a subscription is required to continue.
4. AI-generated feedback
Writing and Speaking feedback, band scores, and CEFR mappings are generated by AI models against published IELTS/TOEFL scoring rubrics, and by our own scoring logic for objective sections. These are study aids intended to help you practice — they are estimates, not official scores, and are not issued by, affiliated with, or guaranteed to match results from IELTS, the British Council, IDP, Cambridge Assessment English, or ETS (the administrators of TOEFL).
5. Acceptable use
When using the Service, and especially the Community forum, you agree not to: share your account with others in a way that circumvents subscription limits; post abusive, hateful, or illegal content; attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or disrupt the Service; or use the Service for any purpose other than genuine exam preparation.
6. Your content
You retain ownership of the essays, responses, and forum posts you submit. By submitting them, you grant us a license to store, process, and display that content as needed to operate the Service (for example, sending your essay to our grading system, or showing your forum post to other subscribers).
7. Our content
Test questions, passages, audio, and other materials on DiscussEarth are our property or licensed to us, and are provided for your personal study use only. You may not redistribute, resell, or republish them.
8. Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is." We work hard to keep test content accurate and the platform reliable, but we don't guarantee the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we don't guarantee any particular exam outcome from using it.
9. Termination
You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, including abusive conduct toward other users or staff.
10. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms as the Service evolves. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.
