Privacy Policy - Mode Education

This Privacy Policy explains how Mode Education (“Mode Education”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, discloses and protects your personal information when you visit modeedu.com (the “Site”), use our learning platform, or otherwise interact with us (together, the “Services”).

Mode Education is based in Australia. We handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and, where they apply, the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

1. The information we collect

Information you give us - for example when you:

Apply for early access or the Founding Cohort: your first name, last name, email address, country, your reason for studying IELTS, whether you have taken IELTS before, and (optionally) your Writing band score.
Contact us: your name, email address and the contents of your message.
Register for or purchase a course: your account details and any profile information you choose to provide.
Submit work for assessment: your written submissions, responses and related learning data.

Payment information - payments are processed by our payment provider, Square. We do not collect or store your full card number, expiry date or security code. We may store a payment reference and the status of a transaction.

Information we collect automatically - when you use the Site we may collect technical and usage data such as your IP address, approximate location derived from your IP address, device and browser type, the pages you view, the website that referred you, and campaign parameters (such as UTM tags). Our campaign landing page may detect your browser language or country in order to show you a Thai or English version.

Sensitive information - we do not seek to collect sensitive information. Please do not send us sensitive information unless we specifically request it.

2. How we use your information

To respond to your enquiries and early-access applications, and to contact you about them.
To provide, administer and improve the Services, including delivering courses and feedback.
To process payments and manage course access and renewals.
To send you service communications and, where you have consented, occasional updates. You can opt out of marketing at any time.
To understand how our Site and campaigns perform.
To maintain the security and integrity of the Services and to prevent misuse or fraud.
To comply with our legal obligations and enforce our terms.

3. Legal bases for processing

Where the GDPR or PDPA applies, we rely on the following legal bases: your consent (for example, marketing); performance of a contract (providing the courses you purchase); our legitimate interests in operating, securing and improving the Services, balanced against your rights; and compliance with a legal obligation. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. When we disclose information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with:

Service providers who help us operate the Services, including web hosting (Digital Pacific), email delivery, payment processing (Square), analytics, video hosting (Vimeo), and the tools we use to manage testing and feedback.
Professional advisers, regulators or authorities where required or permitted by law.
A successor entity in connection with a business sale, merger or reorganisation.

We require our providers to protect your information and to use it only for the purposes for which it was shared.

5. International data transfers

We and our providers may store or process your information in countries other than your own, including Australia, the United States and other countries in which our providers operate. Where we transfer personal information internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure it remains protected consistently with this Policy and applicable law.

6. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. When information is no longer required, we delete or de-identify it.

7. How we protect your information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), access controls and secure handling of credentials. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Cookies and analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences (such as your chosen language), to keep the Site working, and to measure performance. We may use analytics and measurement tools such as Google Analytics. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling some cookies may affect how the Site works. Where required, we will present a cookie notice.

9. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, request its correction or deletion, object to or restrict certain processing, withdraw your consent, and request a copy of your information in a portable format. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 13. We will respond within a reasonable time and within any period required by law. You also have the right to complain to a regulator - in Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC); in the EU or UK, your local data protection authority; and in Thailand, the Personal Data Protection Committee.

10. Children and young people

Our Services may be used by IELTS candidates who are under 18. If you are under 18, please use the Services only with the consent and involvement of a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 without appropriate parental consent. If you believe we have done so, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps.

11. Third-party links

The Site may link to third-party websites and services, including our learning platform’s payment flow. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies, and we are not responsible for them.

12. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date above shows when it last changed. We will notify you of material changes by reasonable means.

13. Contact us

For privacy questions, requests or complaints, contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@modeedu.com. We will acknowledge your enquiry and respond within 30 days.