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Talk About This

Have a real spoken conversation with your tutor about whatever you are studying. You ask out loud, it answers out loud, and you can make it go over the same point as many times as you need. A call runs for up to nine minutes, and you are charged for the time it actually lasts.

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Explaining something out loud, and being questioned on it, exposes the gaps that quietly reading it never does.

Starting a Conversation

On a topic page, press the talk button on a single subtopic to talk about just that section, or use the Talk tile to cover the whole topic. The conversation opens on its own screen. Press Start talking and allow your browser to use the microphone.

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A conversation needs microphone access. If your browser blocks it or no microphone is found, nothing is charged — allow access, or connect a microphone, and start again.

During the Call

  • Speak or type — ask out loud, or type your question instead. Either way, the answer comes back spoken.
  • Mute stops the tutor hearing you, but it does not pause the call or the charge.
  • Up to nine minutes — the call ends automatically when it reaches its limit, and warns you as the end approaches.
  • It is written down — the conversation appears as text while you talk, and you can download it as a PDF afterwards.

What It Costs

A minimum amount is taken from your balance when the call starts. When the call ends, whatever you did not use is refunded — so you pay for the time the call actually ran, not for the time it could have run.

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Muting does not pause the charge. Only ending the call stops it. If a call never connects, or drops before anything is said, the full amount is refunded.

Keeping the Conversation

Two different things can be saved, and they behave very differently:

  • The written transcript — download it as a PDF once there is something to save. This is kept with the conversation.
  • The audio recording — download it before you leave the screen. The recording is never stored anywhere, so once you navigate away it is gone for good.

One Conversation at a Time

You can only have one conversation open at once. If you start a new one while another is still open, you are asked to confirm first — the older conversation ends and everything said in it is deleted.

Languages

The tutor answers in the language your topic's content is written in, whichever language you speak to it in. On a very long topic it works from a shortened outline, so answers about later sections can be less detailed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can a call last?
Up to nine minutes. It ends automatically at the limit and warns you as that approaches. Start another call to carry on.
Does muting stop the charge?
No. Muting only stops the tutor hearing you — the call is still open and still being charged. End the call to stop it.
Can I type instead of speaking?
Yes. There is a box to type your question once the call is live. The answer is still spoken aloud.
Is the conversation saved?
The written transcript is kept and can be downloaded as a PDF. The audio recording is not stored anywhere — download it before you leave the screen or it is lost.
What if the call drops?
You are charged only for the time it actually ran. If it never connected at all, nothing is charged.
Can I talk about a whole course?
Conversations cover a topic, or one subtopic within it. To talk through a course, start a conversation on each topic in turn.