Privacy Policy

Global IELTS Online (“GIO”, “we”, “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

1. Information we collect

• Account data — name, email address, and password (stored hashed) you provide at sign-up.
• Learning data — your exam and practice records, answers, scores, band results, and AI feedback.
• Payment data — order records. Card/payment details are handled by our payment provider and are not stored on our servers.
• Technical data — device, browser, and usage logs collected to operate and secure the service.

2. How we use your information

• To provide and personalize your IELTS practice and adaptive study plan.
• To generate AI-based Writing and Speaking feedback.
• To process purchases and manage your account.
• To improve the service and maintain security.

3. AI processing

Your Writing and Speaking submissions may be processed by third-party AI providers solely to generate scoring and feedback. Submissions are transmitted securely and are not used to identify you beyond the scope of grading.

4. Cookies and analytics

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies (such as browser local storage):

• Essential — keep you signed in, protect forms from misuse, and remember your settings, including your cookie choice (gio_consent, kept for 1 year). When you pay, our payment provider PayPal sets its own cookies to process and secure the payment. Essential cookies are always on because the service cannot work without them.
• Analytics — PostHog and Google Analytics 4 help us understand how GIO is used, for example which pages are visited and where people get stuck, so we can improve it. They set cookies such as ph_* and _ga* (Google Analytics cookies last up to 2 years). On pages outside the exam screens, PostHog may also record how you interact with the page (clicks, scrolling and page layout) to help us find usability problems; anything typed into form fields is masked and not recorded. Exam screens are excluded from click tracking and recording, so your answers are never captured by analytics.

Your choice. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, analytics stay off unless you accept them, and we rely on your consent. Elsewhere, analytics are on by default on the basis of our legitimate interest in improving the service, and you can decline them. You can change your choice at any time with Cookie settings (also in the footer); declining stops analytics from that point on.

Where the data goes. PostHog (United States) and Google (United States) process analytics data on our behalf, which means it may be transferred outside your country. These providers use standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards for such transfers. Analytics data is kept only for as long as it is useful for improving the service, within the retention periods set in each tool.

5. Data retention

We retain your learning and account data for as long as your account is active. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time.

6. Your rights

You may access, correct, or delete your personal data, and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. To exercise these rights, contact us via the details on our Contact page.

7. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the service.

8. Contact

Questions about this policy? See our Contact page.