IELTS Speaking Simulator Standalone app with real-time API

The following is a collection of my LinkedIn posts about this product, arranged by publication date.

2025-06-27

During my recent trip to the Bay Area, the IELTS Speaking Simulator I built at the end of 2023 unexpectedly went viral on RedNote. It now has over 5,000 Likes&Collects, making it my most successful product yet! 👻 Next, I'll build something with Vibe Coding, initially for personal use.

🤔 Is rapid iteration crucial? At least from this experience, not really. The key lies in identifying an overlooked niche, where the moat comes from providing a comprehensive solution rather than continuously iterating and competing on speed alone.

I'll always start from my own needs and interests, addressing unmet personal problems and long-tail demands, then release the product to gather feedback. I genuinely believe that moving forward, even just a few people—or even one person alone—can achieve remarkable results without needing VC, at a comfortable pace (similar to how 37signals operates). This is just the beginning.

Finally, if you genuinely believe your product stands out, don't hesitate to promote it actively. Distribution has become the new king!

2025-07-02

Just wrapped up an exciting project at the "Eh I" Summer Vibe Hackathon (Ottawa - July)! 🚀

I built a standalone IELTS Speaking Simulator app leveraging a real-time voice API. The app:

✅ Conducts complete IELTS Speaking tests using the latest question bank.

✅ Provides full transcripts and audio recordings of your answers.

✅ Offers instant band score feedback, detailed question-by-question analysis, and personalized improvement tips.

This was also my first experience using Claude Code to build a full application from scratch. Must admit, Claude Code significantly outperformed Cursor, even though it cost me about $60 for this build. 💸

2025-07-14

Following the AI Tinkerers - Ottawa hackathon, I dedicated more time to building and testing (Thanks to Anthropic’s Claude Code). Now, the most realistic IELTS speaking exam practice tool is live in Alpha!

What makes this special:

• 🎖️ Built on my award-winning GPT with 50,000+ sessions
• 🤖 Real-time voice conversation with AI examiner
• 📊 Get instant band scores & detailed, question-by-question feedback
• 🗣️ Audio playback & full transcripts for every answer
• 💰100x more affordable than human examiners!

Alpha version is now available (OpenAI API key required). Try it out and let me know your experience!

🎬 See how the new simulator works in action!

• Start a full mock IELTS Speaking test
• Get real-time AI interaction + instant, detailed scores
• Review your answers with audio & transcript

I built this to make high-quality IELTS practice accessible to everyone.

I’d love your thoughts—especially any feedback on user experience or suggestions for improvement!

2025-07-21

I recorded the demo for the IELTS Speaking Simulator mobile version 8 days ago, planning to release it alongside the original. However, I discovered some stability issues on my iPhone. To address this, I spent an additional three days and over $100 Claude API credit. 🫠 (It's frustrating when errors persist, even in Opus mode. A key takeaway was refreshing the context window.)

Now, I’m excited to announce that IELTS Speaking Simulator v0.1.1 (alpha) is live! 📱 Enjoy mobile-friendly practice, improved voice detection, clearer Part 2 prompts, and enhanced error handling.

Check out the demo for a sneak peek!

(I'm now preparing for the test using my product~)

2025-07-24

Thanks to Mohamed Hatem DIABI's invitation, I had the first chance to showcase my personal project, the "IELTS Speaking Simulator", at the Supabase Meetup with the AI Tinkerers - Ottawa community last night!

Last year, in that same room, I hoped I'd one day present something of my own. Thanks to the rapid advancement of AI, that wish became a reality.

I went through the timeline of the project's progress during my presentation:

📌  Late 2023: After the launch of the ChatGPT GPT Store, I built the early version and open-sourced it.

📈 May 2024: I updated it and shared it across multiple platforms. It gradually became one of the popular IELTS speaking GPTs, despite the GPT Store's limited reach.

🔥 June 2025: The GPT version went viral on rednote, even though I hadn't updated new features in over a year and GPTs still didn't support real-time voice mode.

🧪 July 2025: Using Anthropic Claude Code, I built the alpha version of a standalone IELTS Speaking Simulator app.

It's still a prototype and has a long way to go. (I'd like to try Supabase when I start adding database features) 🔧