About
Private IELTS coaching built around
your target band.
Private IELTS coaching built around your current performance, target band and individual areas for improvement — delivered online, one candidate at a time.
David La Roche
Founder & Private IELTS Coach
I'm Dave. I founded DLR Coaching to provide specialist private IELTS preparation for candidates who want individual guidance rather than a generic course. Every private client works directly with me — you're never passed to an unknown tutor or rotated between instructors.
My coaching is built around a simple principle: identify what is actually limiting your score, build a personalised strategy around those areas, and work through them together until you're ready for test day. No templates, no fixed syllabus, no pre-recorded lessons that leave you with no one to ask.
As an IDP-certified IELTS instructor, I read band-descriptor feedback the way examiners do — and turn that into targeted preparation that helps you move your score.
Founder-led, not a platform
You work with me directly — one coach, one plan, built entirely around your target band and the areas holding your score back. That's the whole point of private coaching.
How Private IELTS Coaching Works
A structured, personalised process — not a one-size-fits-all course.
Assessment
We start with an honest assessment of your current performance across all four IELTS skills — a focused look at where you are now, not a box-ticking level test.
Identifying what's limiting your score
Most candidates don't know exactly what's holding their band back. I pinpoint the specific areas — task response, coherence, lexical range, pronunciation — that are costing you marks.
Personalised strategy
Your preparation strategy is built around your target band, your test date and your individual priorities — not a generic syllabus.
Targeted preparation
We spend your coaching time on the areas that will actually move your score, not on things you already do well.
Detailed feedback
Every writing submission and speaking practice comes with clear, specific feedback against the IELTS band descriptors.
Progress review
We review your progress regularly and adjust the strategy as your performance develops toward your target band.