Terms of Service

Last updated: October 16, 2026

Welcome to BandNotIncluded.com. These terms are the ground rules for using the site. By creating an account or using the site, you agree to them. The site is run by Alan C Ernst, based in the Philippines ("we", "us").

What the site does

You can take an IELTS-style Speaking test (Parts 1 to 3) by recording your answers, and write an IELTS Writing Task 2 answer yourself, on a question the site gives you or one you paste in. The site then gives you written feedback: what you are doing well, the most important mistakes to fix, and what to practise next. The feedback is produced by an AI system and is based on the method in Alan's book The 7-Day IELTS Band-Aid.

No band scores, no predictions

The site gives feedback and technique suggestions only. It never gives a band score, a score range, an estimate of your level, or a prediction of the result you will get in the real exam, and nothing on the site should be read that way. We cannot promise any result in any exam. How you do on the day depends on you and on the examiners.

We are not IELTS

BandNotIncluded.com is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to IELTS, the British Council, IDP Education, or Cambridge Assessment English. IELTS is a trademark of its owners. Nothing here is an official IELTS product or an official assessment.

AI can be wrong

The feedback comes from an AI system. It can miss things or occasionally be mistaken. Treat it as a coach's second opinion, not as the final word, and use your own judgement. If something looks wrong, tell us.

For speaking tests, speech recognition first turns your recording into text, and it can mishear words, especially names, short words and word endings. We show you what it heard. The AI does not judge pronunciation, accent or intonation.

Your account

• Use a real email address that you control. Accounts are for one person; please do not share yours.
• You must be old enough to enter into a contract where you live, or have a parent or guardian's permission. The site is not meant for children under 13.
• We may limit free passes (for example by email address or network) to stop abuse.

Prices, payment and cancelling

• One test means one full speaking test (Parts 1 to 3) and/or one Writing Task 2 answer. A speaking test and a writing task done within 12 hours of each other count as one test. Doing only one of them still uses the test.
• Free pass: 3 tests or 3 days, whichever comes first. No card is needed.
• Monthly plan: $29.99 per month, renewing each month until you cancel. Includes Speaking and Writing.
• 7-Day Pass: $12.99, one time. It gives 21 tests or 7 days, whichever comes first, with no daily limit, and does not renew. Tests not used within the 7 days expire.
• If you subscribed to our earlier $14.99 monthly plan, it continues at that price until you cancel it.
• Prices are in US dollars. Payments are processed by PayPal. We never see or store your card number or your PayPal login.
• You can cancel the monthly plan at any time in your PayPal account (see the Refund Policy for how), or email us and we'll cancel it for you. If you cancel before the next billing date, you are not charged again, and you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for.
• Refunds are covered in our Refund Policy.

Fair use

There is a limit on how many tests you can take. These limits keep the service affordable and are shown in your account:

• Free pass: 3 tests or 3 days, whichever comes first.
• Monthly plan: up to 3 tests per day and 90 per calendar month.
• 7-Day Pass: 21 tests within 7 days, no daily limit.
• Tests used on a free pass don’t count toward a paid plan.

Limits may be adjusted as we learn how the service is used.

What you must not do

• Submit writing that is not yours and present it as yours, or text that is illegal, abusive or harmful.
• Try to break, overload or trick the site, including automated or scripted use, or attempts to make the AI ignore its instructions.
• Copy, resell or republish the site or its feedback at scale.
• Use the site to cheat in, or interfere with, a real exam.

We can suspend or close an account that breaks these rules. If that happens and you were not at fault, we will refund the unused part of your current paid period.

Your writing, your recordings and our reports

Your essays and recordings stay yours. You let us process what you submit, including turning recordings into text and sending text to our AI provider, only so we can give you your feedback. We do not publish them. The feedback report we create for you is for your own personal study use. We delete stored recordings and reports 72 hours after your test; details are in the Privacy Policy.

Availability

We try to keep the site running, but we do not promise it will always be available or error-free. We may change, pause or stop parts of the service. If we shut the whole service down while you have paid time remaining, we will refund the unused part of your current paid period.

Limit of our responsibility

The site is a study aid, provided "as is". To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not responsible for exam results, lost opportunities, or indirect losses that come from using the site. Our total responsibility to you for any problem is limited to the amount you paid us in the 3 months before the problem happened. Nothing in these terms limits any right you have under the law that cannot be limited.

Changes and governing law

We may update these terms. If the change is important, we will tell you by email or on the site. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept it. These terms are governed by the laws of the Philippines, unless your local consumer law says otherwise.

Contact

Questions about this page, your account or your data? Email Alan at support@bandnotincluded.com, or see the Contact page.