At Green School the choice comes down to 2 numbers. A group exam-preparation course is A$397 a month and gives you about 12 contact hours plus a 30-minute private tutorial; private lessons are A$65 for a 60-minute lesson at 1 lesson a week, falling to A$55 a lesson at 4 a week. Group costs roughly A$32 an hour, private roughly A$55–65 an hour — and what you buy with the difference is not more hours, it is more of the teacher's attention per hour.
This page lays out both formats side by side with current prices, contact hours and cost per hour, so you can match the format to the problem you actually have. All figures are from our own course pages, checked on 11 November 2026.
What each format includes
| Format | Price | Contact time | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam preparation in a group (IELTS, PTE Academic, CELPIP) | A$397 / month A$896 / 3 months A$1395 / 6 months |
2 classes a week, 90 minutes each, plus a 30-minute private tutorial each month | Group of 3–6, live on Zoom, lesson recordings, Telegram chat with the teacher |
| General English in a group | A$297 / month A$667 / 3 months A$996 / 6 months |
2 classes a week, 90 minutes each | Group of 3–6, live on Zoom, recordings, Telegram chat. The course page gives an average of about 3 months to move up a level |
| Private lessons, 1-on-1 | A$65 a week at 1 lesson A$124 at 2 A$180 at 3 A$220 at 4 Package of 10 lessons A$550 |
60 minutes a lesson, you choose 1 to 4 a week | The whole hour is yours; syllabus built around your weakest component and your deadline |
The honest version of the trade: in a group of up to 6 with 1 teacher, your own speaking time is a share of the lesson, not the whole of it. In a 60-minute private lesson it is the whole hour, and every piece of writing you produce gets read. Group gives you volume, routine and other people to speak with; private gives you concentration on the thing that is actually holding your score down.
Cost per contact hour
Monthly figures below are the weekly prices multiplied by 4 weeks — our arithmetic, not a price on the shop page. The per-hour column is what most people actually want to compare.
| Option | Cost over 4 weeks | Contact hours | Cost per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| General English group | A$297 | 12 | about A$25 |
| Exam preparation group | A$397 | 12.5 | about A$32 |
| Private, 1 lesson a week | A$260 | 4 | A$65 |
| Private, 2 lessons a week | A$496 | 8 | A$62 |
| Private, 3 lessons a week | A$720 | 12 | A$60 |
| Private, 4 lessons a week | A$880 | 16 | A$55 |
| Package of 10 private lessons | A$550 (from A$600) | 10 | A$55 |
Read the table the other way round and it answers the budget question directly: at roughly A$300–400 a month you can have 12 hours in a group or 4 hours alone with a teacher. Neither number is better in the abstract. Which one moves your score depends on what is blocking it.
What this means for you
- One component is dragging the rest down. If reading and listening are where you need them and writing or speaking are not, the group hours mostly repeat what you can already do. Private lessons put the whole hour on the gap.
- You have months, not weeks. Volume and routine win. 12 hours a month in a group at about A$25–32 an hour is the cheapest structured practice we offer, and other students in the room are speaking partners you do not get 1-on-1.
- Your deadline is close and fixed. 3 or 4 private lessons a week is 12–16 hours a month aimed at exactly your weak spot, at A$55–60 an hour. The 10-lesson package at A$550 exists for this case.
- Your schedule will not hold still. Group classes run at fixed times, with recordings if you miss one. Private lessons move with you.
- You do not know which of these is your situation. That is the normal case, and it is what the diagnostics session is for.
What we will not tell you is how many weeks it takes to reach a given band. That depends on your starting point and the hours you put in between lessons, and anyone quoting you a number without having heard you speak is guessing.
Start with 30 minutes, not with a decision
Green School, an online school in Australia (formerly Green English), has been teaching since 2018 and has worked with more than 3,500 students across all the exams we prepare for. The step we recommend before either format is the Deep Diagnostics Session: A$29 for "a 30-minute one-on-one session with an exam teacher, in real test format", as the product page puts it.
What comes out of it is the thing this whole page is about — which format fits you. The session measures your level skill by skill across listening, reading, writing and speaking, separates format mistakes from language mistakes, and ends with a debrief and a roadmap. If you enrol in a course within 7 days, the A$29 is credited towards your first month. Until 30 November 2026 the session is free with the code GIFTBF at checkout.
If you would rather simply try a lesson, the first private lesson is A$29 instead of A$65, 60 minutes, 1-on-1. Prices for every course are on the courses and pricing page, and if you want to talk it through first there is a free consultation.
Until 30 November 2026 our Black Friday terms also apply: a first month in any group for A$99 instead of A$297 or A$397, 40% off group courses paid 3 months or more up front, and private lessons at A$59 a lesson with that price held for 6 months. The details are in Black Friday 2026 at Green School.
Still deciding which exam to sit rather than how to prepare? Start with our comparison of the best English tests in 2026. For how our classes run day to day, see how Green School works; for courses built around a single work task rather than an exam, see tailor-made one-to-one courses.
FAQ
Is a group class worth it if I only need to fix speaking?
Often not as the main tool. In a group of up to 6 your speaking time is a share of the lesson. If speaking is the only component below the line, private lessons put the full 60 minutes on it. A common middle path is a group course plus 1 private lesson a week.
How many students are in a group?
Groups are 3 to 6 students. Classes run live on Zoom twice a week for 90 minutes, recordings are available if you miss one, and there is a Telegram chat with the teacher between lessons.
Can I switch from group to private, or the other way, later?
Yes. Group courses are monthly subscriptions you can cancel, and private lessons are billed weekly by the number of lessons you choose, so neither locks you in for the long term.
Which is cheaper per hour?
Group, clearly: about A$25 an hour for General English and about A$32 an hour for exam preparation, against A$55 to A$65 an hour for private lessons. Per month of calendar time, 1 private lesson a week is cheaper than a group course — A$260 against A$397 — because you get 4 hours instead of 12.
Do you prepare for IELTS, PTE Academic and CELPIP in the same group?
The exam preparation course covers IELTS, PTE Academic and CELPIP, and it includes a 30-minute private tutorial each month for the parts specific to your exam. OET, NAATI CCL and other exams are taught 1-on-1.
How long until I reach the score I need?
We do not give that number before hearing you speak and seeing you write, and you should be wary of anyone who does. The course page gives an average of about 3 months to move up a level in General English, which is an average across students and not a promise about your case. The diagnostics session gives you a roadmap based on your own result.
Sources
- Green School, courses and pricing — group and private prices, what each course includes. Checked 11 November 2026.
- Green School, Deep Diagnostics Session — price, length and contents of the session, the GIFTBF code and the 7-day credit. Checked 11 November 2026.
- Green School, first private lesson — A$29 instead of A$65, 60 minutes. Checked 11 November 2026.
- Green School, Black Friday — the 3 November offers and the 30 November end date. Checked 11 November 2026.
- Cost per hour and the 4-week monthly totals are calculated from the prices above; they are not separate prices on the shop pages.