QuietBand IELTS

What it is

QuietBand IELTS is a compact macOS writing coach for IELTS learners who want useful practice in short, low-distraction gaps between tasks. It uses a small dark frosted-glass window instead of a large learning dashboard.

Why I built it

Many learners know what they want to say but lose momentum when they cannot find a natural English expression. I wanted a tool that helps them keep writing instead of immediately translating the whole sentence or opening a noisy study app.

How it works

1. Choose an original IELTS-style Task 1 or Task 2 micro-drill.
2. Write an English draft.
3. Pause for a progressive hint, or request one directly.
4. Check the draft for phrase-level red and green feedback.
5. Retry, then reveal a reference answer only when needed.
6. Keep local draft and learning progress between sessions.

The interface supports Traditional Chinese and English guidance while keeping the writing field in English. The compact window can stay beside normal work and expands only when feedback needs more room.

How Codex AND GPT-5.6 were used

Codex was used to refactor the earlier prototype into a native SwiftUI/AppKit macOS app, debug the practice state machine, fix settings-window crash paths, test empty, wrong, and correct answers, verify layout boundaries, package the application, and prepare the release documentation.

The repository includes an optional, schema-validated GPT-5.6 prompt-generation path. It can create original IELTS-style micro-drills through the in-app AI settings or server route. The default demo remains offline and deterministic; its local evaluator is not presented as live model feedback.

Technical notes

The native app uses Swift 6, SwiftUI, AppKit, local persistence, and macOS Keychain storage for an optional user-provided AI key. The repository also contains a Next.js API route for server-side OpenAI or OpenAI-compatible prompt generation. Built-in prompts are original IELTS-style exercises, not official past-paper questions.

Built With

• swift-6