British Council Lisboa

I took my IELTS test here, and everything went pretty smoothly, no issues at all. The results reflect my level pretty accurately, and the certificate showed up literally the next day. The staff were polite, no problems whatsoever. Decided to leave a review to balance out all the ones who slapped a single star here.

— Pavel Miasnov

two summers attending the summer courses. This year 3 weeks, very happy with the classes and the teachers. a lot of quality in learning and method. wonderful arts and crafts activities. until next year !

— ALBA JIMENEZ

My experience at the British Council in Lisbon was awful from start to finish. The staff act like empathy is forbidden - the security guard was dismissive and rude when I asked simple questions, making the whole process unnecessarily stressful. The invigilators weren't much better, and one in particular had a very vitriolic attitude, going out of their way to make the exam feel hostile and tense rather than supportive. I wonder if they use that to compromise exam takers' performance and increase the fail rate so people come back and spend more dollarydoos. It quickly becomes clear that the British Council is more interested in profit than fairness or education. The entire system is set up to squeeze every euro out of you - literally everything except accommodations is an upsell: classes, feedback, even basic guidance. The material you get is next to useless unless you pay more; you get no feedback unless you fork out more cash. Wanna retake a specific part of the exam? Pay up. Want them to review and reevaluate the whole thing? Pay up and get the same score. Talking to other exam takers only confirmed my suspicions - many were on their third, sixth, or even more attempts, each costing 300 euros. It's an assembly line designed to prey on people trying to build a better future abroad. Having gone through it, the British Council's pursuit of profit over fairness or education is obvious and shameful. Accommodations? Good luck. While they don't charge for them, the process is so rigid that it feels designed to discourage anyone from even trying. Flexibility is non-existent. The exam itself is a joke. The writing section punishes anyone who tries to write with a shred of personality or complexity - if your English isn't robotic and sterile, you lose points for being "unnatural." Some of the speaking questions are outright nonsensical, and the examiner seems more interested in catching you out than evaluating your skills. You get one shot at the listening section - no replays, no exceptions, no matter your situation. The reading section's TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN questions are frequently ambiguous or open to interpretation, and there's absolutely no recourse if you disagree. In summary, the atmosphere is hostile, the process is exploitative, and the entire operation feels like a scam. Save yourself the money and dignity if you can - avoid this place at all costs.

— Good Guy Nick

This company is ridiculous. There was issues from their part on my online exam and now i cannot do a test transfer. There was an email that went to my spam account with only a 24h window. Now because i did not see it in 24h on a saturday they won't let me transfer nor give me a refund. It was mistake on their behalf. We pay almost 300 euros, they have technical issues and im the one losing. I do mot recommend. I lost deadlines that i had because of this terrible costume service. Do not recommend. Now i don't even have the money to retake it somewhere else.

— Isabela Mott

In general, the people who conducted the IELTS exam were pleasant and polite. However, I hardly want to come back here again. This was my third IELTS test. The first time I took it in 2020, the second in 2022 and I had to take it again, since my certificate is expiring. I can say that it was my most stressful experience. The speaking part was torture for me. The examiner bombarded me with questions without stopping. In part three, I was constantly interrupted. I know the examiner can interrupt, but I haven't talked for too long. I was interrupted and prevented from finishing my thought over and over again. It was very hard to concentrate. Perhaps the examiner wanted to test me and hear more complex vocabulary, but in fact she only knocked me down. Considering that I had warned the center in advance that I had speech difficulties, such as tahilalia or cluttering, this behavior of the examiner was, at least, not empathic. I tried to slow down my speech so that I could make fewer mistakes and speak more clearly, and the examiner wouldn't let me finish over and over again. Sometimes the examiner's comments were one word long. It wasn't always even clear clarifying questions. How should I respond in a long and coherent way if I am constantly being interrupted and the examiner gives incoherent comments? Because of this, I began to worry and rush. As a result, I got the lowest score in my life. It was a very unpleasant experience, considering that I had been preparing for the speaking part with a tutor for several months. In general, if you are not very resistant to stress and it is difficult for you to speak under pressure, then I definitely do not recommend this center. UPD: I retook the speaking part of the test at the suggestion of the testing center. The new examiner was polite and friendly, and it was easy and pleasant to talk to her. As a result, I improved my speaking score from 6 to 7. With these results, I was able to get accepted into the Master's program I wanted at UBC in Canada. However, the problem occurred when it was time to send my test results to the university. I couldn't send the Retake results through the platform — the system simply wouldn't allow it. I contacted support on March 14, and I still haven't received a clear response to my request. The staff keeps asking me the same questions without even attempting to understand the issue. I have to remind them daily, as they are completely ignoring my emails. At the end of the workday, they stop responding, and the next day I have to email again. This is humiliating. I'm not asking for any special favor, I am simply trying to receive the service I paid for. Sending results to the university is part of the service. Due to the delay in sending the results, I am unable to receive the official admission letter from the university. I have informed the staff that it is important for me to receive the test results as soon as possible, but they just keep procrastinating and doing nothing. Before deciding to register at this testing center, I strongly advise considering whether you need such problems.

— Marina Nefedova