Kwiziq Review: Great Free Resource to Boost Your Grammar

Kwiziq is THE “artificial intelligence language coach”, using AI and quiz-based learning to push your learning that bit further. 

In this review, we discuss the in and outs of Kwiziq: what’s on offer, it’s pros and cons, and its alternatives. Check out the in-program snapshots to get an idea of what to expect.

TL;DR Kwiziq Review

If you haven't got enough time to read this Kwiziq review, here's a quick summary:

What is Kwiziq?

Kwiziq is an “AI Language Coach”, incorporating artificial intelligence, proven language learning methods and, of course, quizzes!

It was nominated as a CogX AI Innovation Awards finalist for Best AI Product in Education for 3 years running and it’s easy to see why. The course adapts itself to you, recommending lessons best suited to your individual needs and providing in-depth progress analyses.

The material is specifically designed for post-beginner and intermediate learners who need help in taking the next step (although, that’s not to say more advanced learners won’t benefit). It currently provides lessons in French and Spanish (Spain and Latin America).

What can you expect from Kwiziq?

Quizzes, quizzes, and more “kwizzes”. Kwiziq test-based system offers lessons from A1 – C1, with a priority given to intermediate content.

The course is primarily grammar-based so if you’re a total grammar nerd, this is the perfect way to fast-track your language learning. If you’re wanting to learn through absorption and native simulations, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

There are hundreds of lessons to aid your learning, and recommendations to cover the areas you’re weakest in. You can track your progress with the statistic-heavy reports, from bar graphs to brain maps.

The platform works best when you know what you want to practice (e.g. intermediate learners) but if you’re a new learner, you could easily get lost. Luckily, it recommends lessons based on your placement test which gives you a rough starting point.

What are the main features of Kwiziq?

Placement Test

Wondering what level is right for you? No worries, let the KwizBot do it for you. When you sign up, you’re assigned a CEFR level based on an initial placement test. It’s thorough (52 questions) and you receive immediate, in-depth results.

What makes the feedback so great? Not only do the results tell you what you did wrong but why. There’s nothing more frustrating than a test highlighting the gaps in your knowledge without giving you the tools to fix them. 

Kwiziq is all about positive feedback; every wrong answer is an opportunity to learn and ultimately, to do another kwiz!

Keep in mind,  the test bases your results on grammar alone and might not reflect your actual CEFR level. Your grammar and writing ability in French might be B1/B2, but when pushed into a conversation with a native speaker, you string together a muddled sentence at beginner speed. It’s always helpful to know where you’re at grammatically when learning a language, though.

Detailed Feedback

Unlike other similar products, Kwiziq really breaks down your results and provides an entire smorgasbord of statistics and progress reports.

After the progress test, you’re recommended lessons based on your weakest areas and a brain map shows you the specific areas in each level that you’re improving in (or not).

The AI really shines here, recommending new lessons and adjusting the brain map automatically after each quiz you take.

Study Plan

The KwizBot first recommends 10 lessons based on the lowest-scoring areas of the placement test. This is great for those not knowing where to start, or those who have no specific study plan in mind.

The study plan updates every time you complete a lesson, replacing it with new lessons that it thinks you need to work on.

After a few lessons, you can decide to take a kwiz at any time to test what you’ve learnt so far.

For learners that already have an idea of what they want to study, you can choose any of the lessons in the library, recommended or not. After a few kwizzes, your recommendations should automatically adjust to the lessons you've studied. 

Kwizzes and Lessons

It goes without saying that the main stars of Kwiziq are the “kwizzes”. They make the learning process fun and keep you on the right path by indicating what you need to improve next. 

If you’re a free user, there's a limit of 10 free kwizzes per month. This can be annoying if you’re on a fast-paced learning mission, but perfect for those who only have time to dip in and out occasionally. Premium users have unlimited kwizzes along with other perks.

While the lessons are clear and provide plenty of in-context examples of grammar use, they can be dense and there is a lot of text to read.  If you don’t like tests or learning by reading, this is not the course for you. 

One drawback is that there are limited opportunities to practice the lesson material outside of a kwiz – only some lessons provide short practice questions. This is not always the case and seems like a missed opportunity.

Skills Practice

To add the cherry to the grammar-heavy cake, Kwiziq offers lessons to practice language skills, too. The listening library has hundreds of audio clips for practicing oral comprehension in different difficulties and topics.

Each clip comes with a transcript for reference if you like to read while you listen, or even practice reading comprehension separately.

Most of the resources to practice listening and reading skills come with a premium membership but there are free options to get a taste of what comes with the paid subscription.

The writing practice feature is a nice add-on but limited in what it can do. In the free exercises, you’re given a short text in English to translate into the target language. It’s an effective resource that not many language apps provide, but controlled practice like translation can only go so far.

Without a teacher or native speaker, it can be difficult to grade and receive feedback on writing skills. Within the parameters of the Kwiziq AI platform, this is probably the best you’ll get.

What we love about Kwiziq

Undoubtedly, one of the most frustrating things about learning a language is the ‘intermediate plateau’. Your progress has rolled to a halt after the beginner boom and you’re finding yourself not knowing where to go next, ready to slam the book shut and walk away.

Well, Kwiziq’s artificial intelligence hands you a shovel and helps you get out of the hole. The study plans and detailed feedback highlight your weak areas and point you in the right direction. 

Although not unique, the quiz-based learning makes otherwise dry content easy to understand and enjoyable. If you’re a self-improvement addict or just highly competitive, you’ll love this tool.

Kwiziq makes up for what it lacks with the many things it offers. For this reason, we think Kwiziq is an excellent supplementary resource. Used in conjunction with immersion-based courses or private lessons, this is when Kwiziq’s advantages really shine.

What Kwiziq could improve

The opportunities to practice language skills are lacking. The writing practice is severely limited and the speaking practice is non-existent. 

Writing is a sure way to consolidate what you’ve learnt in the lessons and it seems like Kwiziq is missing a trick by not including more writing-based tests. 

It’s difficult to practice speaking on a platform like Kwiziq, but even a speech-to-text feature would be a much needed addition to make it a more complete product.

That being said, Kwiziq is the first to admit that speaking is not the aim of their game and recommends other resources to use alongside it.

We also found that the lesson > kwiz > feedback structure gets a little repetitive at times. There’s not much in the way of visual-learning which is a big red flag for some learners.

Who is Kwiziq best for?

Kwiziq is designed for anyone post-beginner and beyond, although we would recommend other courses for Advanced students.

It's fantastic for those wanting a lesson plan made for them and aren’t quite sure of the areas they need to work on. It’s best suited for fans of the Test-Teach-Test structure, and those who are learning with other methods simultaneously.

What is Kwiziq's pricing?

Great news: Kwiziq has a free option, including a placement test, feedback, tailored lessons and 10 kwizzes per month. 

If you’re ready for the long haul and know that 10 kwizzes won’t be enough, there’s a range of premium options from $9.49 to $22.79.

What are the alternatives to Kwiziq?

Kwiziq vs Drops

Kwiziq and Drops both strive to optimise language learning with funky design and enjoyable, repetition-based games. But with Kwiziq focused on grammar and Drops’ classes almost entirely vocabulary-based, they don’t need to compete. In fact, we’d suggest a combination of the two to keep your learning varied and fast-paced. They both offer limited free versions ideal for the occasional learner.

Check out our full review of Drops.

Kwiziq vs Duolingo

Although the interfaces appear very different, the two apps are similar in what they provide: grammar-focused lessons; limited writing practice; “fun” tests; free and premium options. Kwiziq will give you more thorough grammar explanations and tailor the course specifically to your needs. Duolingo, on the other hand, is more interactive with its forum feature and potentially more engaging for younger or more visual learners.

Check out our full review of Duolingo.

Kwiziq vs Pimsleur

Kwiziq is definitely on the more-affordable of the two courses, but as the second most popular language course in the world, you get what you pay for with Pimsleur. Pimsleur uses audio lessons to improve listening comprehension in the target language; it’s the better option if you want to interact with the locals on holiday.

Check out our full review of Pimsleur.

Final thoughts on Kwiziq

Perfect for fans of self-study, Kwiziq puts the fun back in grammar. With the use of artificial intelligence and data-based reports, you can keep track of your progress and rely on the recommended study plan to point you in the right direction.

While the grammar lessons are helpful, they could stand to be more interactive and offer more chances to practice other than just quizzes. It’s a shame that there's not much emphasis on listening, reading, and writing, but understandable as it’s hard to accurately test these skills in the AI quiz format. 

If you’re not sure of what to study next and want to improve your grammar, Kwiziq has got you sorted. We’d highly recommend it as a supplement to more immersive courses like Rocket Languages or Uncovered Language.