Will debate-style training make my students too aggressive for Part A?
No — and this worry is designed against, not around. We borrow debate's structures (addressing what was said, reasoning, weighing, summarising) and deliberately replace its tournament tone: every drill teaches the softened form — “that's a fair point, but I see it differently” — and our AI practice rooms train inviting a silent groupmate as seriously as answering a strong one. Part A is cooperative and our feedback marks it that way. The full method is public: Why debate is the backbone.
Is the teaching aligned with the HKEAA descriptors?
Everything is anchored to the four public descriptor domains — Ideas & Organisation, Communication Strategies, Vocabulary & Language, Pronunciation & Delivery. We are an independent platform: feedback is always “a coach's draft, anchored to the public descriptors”, never an official mark, and we never predict a student's DSE grade.
What does the AI actually do — and what will it never do?
AI drafts and drills: it plays the other candidates in practice rooms, asks Part B follow-ups, and writes draft feedback from transcripts. It never judges live delivery (recordings route to human coaches), never awards grades or belts, and every practice room is bound by a strict no-political-content rule. Practice transcripts are never stored — only the four-domain practice estimates are kept, on the student's own Portfolio.
Can I use it with a class?
The placement test and White Belt Units 1–2 are free without a card, so a class can start today. For school arrangements — bulk access, teacher visibility, scheduling — email info@hkodo.com and the founder will reply personally.
Who is behind this?
Jason O. Chan — coaching competitive English debate and adjudicating internationally since 2016 — operating as LumiTalk Limited (BR 75252654), Hong Kong. Not an HKEAA examiner, and the platform never claims otherwise.
How is student data handled?
Minimal by design: name and email, parental consent for under-18s, practice recordings stay on the student's device unless they choose to send one for coach comment, coaches see candidate letters rather than names, and payments run entirely through Stripe. Details: privacy and equity & security.
How can I judge the quality before recommending it?
Everything worth judging is free to inspect: the worked-answer ladder (the same answer at every level, with a 5* coach recording), White Units 1–2 in full, the blog, and the method page. If it doesn't convince you, don't recommend it — that's the honest deal.