English Exam Prep Platform
Free for nowAscent · Education · English exam preparation platform
Ascent helps learners reach their target score on the Duolingo English Test, IELTS, or TOEFL iBT by a target date. Practice covers all 13 DET question types with exam-like timing, and full-length adaptive mock tests report subscores. There is AI feedback on speaking and writing, FSRS spaced repetition for vocabulary, reading and listening immersion, and progress tracking with streaks and achievements.
Ascent is an English exam preparation platform for people working toward a target score on the Duolingo English Test, IELTS, or TOEFL iBT by a target date. It combines exam-specific practice with full-length adaptive mock tests, AI feedback on your speaking and writing, and a vocabulary system built on FSRS spaced repetition. It is free during early access, and you do not need an account or a card to try it.
What's included
DET, IELTS, and TOEFL iBT exam modules
Each exam gets its own module built around its real structure. DET practice covers all 13 question types with exam-like timing, so nothing on test day is a surprise.
Full-length adaptive mock tests with score estimates
Sit a complete mock under realistic conditions and get a score estimate with subscores. You learn where you stand before the real exam tells you.
AI feedback on speaking and writing
Record a response or submit an essay and get concrete feedback on it. The two skills most people cannot practise alone become skills you can drill daily.
Vocabulary with FSRS spaced repetition
The FSRS algorithm schedules each word's review for the moment you are about to forget it, so study time goes to the words that need it.
Reading & listening immersion with tap-to-define
Read and listen to material inside the platform, and tap any word to define it and feed it into your vocabulary reviews.
Streaks, achievements, and leaderboard
Daily streaks and achievements keep a long prep grind moving, and the leaderboard adds some friendly pressure if you want it.
Who it's for
Ascent is for learners with a deadline: a university application that needs an IELTS band, a study permit that needs a DET score, a job offer waiting on TOEFL results. If you know your target score and your test date, the platform is organized around getting you from where you are to where you need to be in the time you have.
It is equally useful for self-studiers who cannot afford a tutor for every session. The AI feedback on speaking and writing fills the role a tutor usually plays, pointing out what to fix in the two skills that are hardest to practise alone.
The problem it solves
Exam English is its own skill. Plenty of confident English speakers underperform on test day because they had never faced the DET's question formats, the IELTS clock, or the TOEFL's integrated tasks before it counted. General fluency practice does not prepare you for the specific shape of these exams.
The other gap is feedback. Reading and listening practice can be self-checked against an answer key, but speaking and writing cannot; without someone to evaluate your responses, you repeat the same mistakes for weeks. Vocabulary has the opposite problem: it is easy to study and easy to forget, unless the review schedule is managed for you.
How it compares
The usual alternatives are a shelf of prep books, a stack of videos, or a one-size-fits-all prep course. Books cannot time you, adapt to you, or grade your speaking. Video playlists explain the exam but never make you perform under its conditions. Generic courses drill everyone through the same material regardless of which exam they face or how far they are from their target.
Ascent starts from the opposite end: your exam, your target score, your date. Practice matches the real question formats and timing, mock tests estimate where you stand, and the feedback loop covers all four skills instead of only the two that are easy to self-mark. During early access, all of it is free, so comparing it against your current method costs you nothing but a session.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ascent really free?
Yes, it is free during early access. Pricing may be introduced later, but right now everything on the platform is available at no cost.
Do I need an account or a credit card to try it?
No card, and no account is required to try it. You can open the platform and start practising.
Which exams does it cover?
The Duolingo English Test, IELTS, and TOEFL iBT, each with its own module. DET practice covers all 13 question types with exam-like timing.
How accurate are the mock test scores?
Mocks are full-length and adaptive, and they report a score estimate with subscores. They are meant to show where you stand and what to work on, not to replace an official result.
Will more exams or features be added?
The platform is in active early-access development, so it keeps evolving. Trying it now is the best way to see the current state.