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Practice Dojo

The Practice Dojo (sidebar → Practice Dojo) is a set of short, replayable games that each drill one instinct the exam rewards — reading at speed, thinking on your feet, holding an argument, matching tone in writing. Unlike a mock exam, they're low-stakes and built for daily reps: play, read the feedback, play again.

The Practice Dojo hub with its four training halls The Dojo hub — four disciplines, each a "training hall."

The four disciplines

Like a dojo's training halls, each discipline drills an instinct, and is colour-coded by the IELTS skill it scores:

DisciplineTrainsGames
RECONReadingSpeed Scan, Speed Reading
THE ARENASpeaking (+ Listening)Quick Response, Debate, Difficult Conversations
FIELDWORKSpeaking (+ Listening)Give Directions, Speaking Games
THE WAR ROOMWritingNegotiation, Group Persuasion, Match the Tone, Witty Replies
  • RECONPull the signal out of dense text before the clock runs out.
  • THE ARENAHold your ground out loud when the other side pushes back.
  • FIELDWORKThink on your feet and talk your way through an open scenario.
  • THE WAR ROOMWin the exchange in writing — tone, timing and persuasion.

How the games work

The games share a simple rhythm:

  1. Pick a game from the hub (each card shows its primary skill and a one-line description).
  2. Choose a scenario / puzzle / level from that game's list.
  3. Some games show a briefing first (context and your goal); then you enter the session.
  4. Play — speak (for ARENA/FIELDWORK games) or type your moves (for WAR ROOM games), against an AI that reacts to what you do.
  5. Get feedback — a results screen scores the underlying skill and tells you what to improve.
Games train skills, not band scores

Dojo games give you skill feedback (fluency, relevance, tone, speed…), not an IELTS band number. They're practice grounds — the band comes from mock exams.

What you'll need

  • A microphone for the speaking games (ARENA and FIELDWORK). Allow mic access when prompted, and use headphones.
  • Just typing for the writing games (THE WAR ROOM).
  • Nothing special for RECON (reading) games.

Good to know

  • Everything is unlocked — play any game, in any order, as often as you like. There are no prerequisites.
  • Replay freely. These are drills; a second or third attempt with the feedback in mind is the whole point.
  • If you leave a game mid-session, you may see a resume option when you come back; otherwise you start fresh.
A good daily habit

One 5–10 minute game a day beats a single long session. Rotate disciplines across the week so you're touching reading, speaking, and writing instincts regularly.