Written diagnostic report
You speak English every day. You're good at it.
But every so often someone asks you to repeat yourself, or pauses before they answer. Nobody corrects you - your English is past that. Yet you can feel your listener working harder than they should to follow you, and in a meeting that pulls their attention onto your words instead of your ideas.
I can show you where it's coming from, and the three things to work on first.
£75 for the first five places, then £95
written · private · no video call
What this sounds like when it works
“Why is your English so clear? Did you spend a long time in the UK?”
- a native English speaker, to one of Ellie's clients
That is what this work is for. Not a perfect accent - a listener who isn't working to follow you. They're just... listening. That is zero cognitive load: your ideas land, and nothing gets in their way.
What you get
Two recordings. One report. A clear picture of what's making your listener work harder than they need to.
You send me two short recordings - a passage read aloud, and ninety seconds of natural speech. I listen to them alongside acoustic analysis and write you a report covering three things:
- Your intelligibility score - how easily a listener follows you, measured against native modern RP.
- The specific patterns creating the most friction in how you come across.
- What to work on first - and exactly how, in plain words you can act on.
It's two to three pages, it's written, it's private and it's yours to keep. No video call, no subscription, no ongoing commitment.
How it works
- You reserve your place, and I send you a short passage to read plus simple recording instructions.
- You record on your phone in a quiet room - a voice memo is fine - and send it back. A few minutes, and your part is done.
- Within five working days, your report arrives.
Why a report tells you what an app can't
An app gives you a score and a set of generic drills. What it can't do is listen to you and tell you which of your sounds is costing you clarity, or why. That diagnosis - specific to your speech, not to learners in general - is what this is for.
I read Classics at Cambridge, where studying Latin and Greek is really a training in taking language apart. Later, teaching yoga led to work with Olympic athletes, including rowers who won gold at London 2012. That work was about precision: watching a body, finding the one small thing creating friction and helping them adjust. Pronunciation is the same - physical, specific, learnable. When I listen, I hear where your tongue is placed, how the air moves, what your mouth is doing, and I tell you in words you can use.
The score comes from a speech model that doesn't know what you meant to say, so its mistakes show where a real listener would lose you. Native speakers of modern RP score around 99% on this measure. You'll see your own number, and exactly what sits behind it.
Who it's for
Professional women from Japan, working in English, at B2 to C1. If you can carry a meeting but can still feel the friction, this is for you.
For many of my clients this is the last few per cent - the distance between the English they already have and the authority it should carry. Most of them already speak excellent English. If you've reached the ceiling of apps and YouTube and still can't name what's wrong, no tool can diagnose the cause of an error. A person can.
And whether the pressure is daily now or a posting you're preparing for, the gap is easier to close before it's in front of a new team.
Price
£75 - founding rate, for the first five places. After that it's £95.
While I build my first set of case studies, the first five places are £75. I review a limited number of reports each week, by hand and on my own, so places are capped: if this week is full, you'll be offered the next.
What comes next
Your report shows you where the friction is. If you'd like to work on it, I run Passage Sessions: three live forty-five-minute sessions working through the diagnostic passage paragraph by paragraph - pronunciation, vocabulary and meaning together. You re-record at the end and hear the difference. £395 (founding £345 for the first five). The report is the place to start, and it credits naturally into the sessions if you decide to go on.
Questions
Is this for me, or is it for beginners?
Almost certainly for you. Most of my clients are B2 to C1 and already speak excellent English - this isn't about fixing "bad" pronunciation. It's about the small things that make a listener work harder than they should, the gap between how well you speak and how clearly it lands.
Will it tell me anything I don't already know?
Most clients can feel that something is off but can't name it - that is exactly what the report does. It names the specific sounds and patterns costing you clarity, why they happen and what to do about them. You won't get a generic checklist; you'll get your own. And if I listen and your English genuinely needs nothing, I'll tell you that too.
How is this different from an app like ELSA or YouTube?
An app gives you a score and a set of generic drills. What it can't do is listen to you and tell you which of your sounds is the one costing you clarity, or why. A person can. That diagnosis, specific to your speech rather than to learners in general, is the whole point of the report.
I manage fine day to day - do I really need this?
Then you're exactly the right kind of client, and now is the right time. It's far easier to close a small gap before it's on show - in a posting, an interview, a presentation - than once the pressure is on. The report tells you what to work on while there's no urgency to.
What will I actually be able to do with the report?
Act on it. Each pattern comes with what's happening, why it matters and a practical way to work on it, in plain words rather than phonetics jargon. It's yours to keep, and it's written so you can use it on your own or bring it to live sessions if you decide to go further.
What if I feel self-conscious recording myself?
That's normal, and it tends to pass the moment you start. The recording is data, not a performance - I'm listening for patterns, not judging you. It stays between the two of us and is never shared.
Will anyone know I'm doing this?
No. It's entirely private and entirely asynchronous - you record in your own time, I work in mine, and the report comes to you in writing. Nothing happens in front of anyone.
How much of my time does it take? Is it a call?
Very little, and no - there's no call. You record two short pieces on your phone, which takes a few minutes, and your part is done. I do the rest and send you the report within five working days.
How is my recording handled?
With care. It stays private, is handled under UK data protection, is never uploaded to any public AI service, and is deleted after your report unless you ask me to keep it. The full detail is in the privacy policy.
Will my company pay for it?
It often can be. Corporate language and communication training is commonly covered as professional development at many employers, so it's worth asking yours.
Is the £75 going to go up?
Yes. £75 is a founding rate for the first five places, while I build my first set of case studies. After that it's £95. The five places are genuine, and when a week is full the next one opens.
What if I want live, hands-on help?
That's what Passage Sessions are for - we work through your diagnostic passage together, live, and you re-record at the end to hear the difference. The report is the place to start, and it credits naturally into the sessions if you go on.
£75 for the first five places, then £95. One recording, one report, a clear picture.
Just between you and me: your recording is private, handled under UK data protection and never shared.