B1 Carna School London
Reading Quiz
A long-read comprehension check — one passage, then questions on main idea, detail and inference, closing with vocabulary in context.
ALTERNATIVES TO ELSA SPEAK
Alternatives to ELSA Speak for English learners
ELSA drills pronunciation well, and pronunciation is one skill of eight. Here is what to check.
ELSA Speak drills your pronunciation Three reasons people leave, each tied to a row in the dated comparison The ELSA Speak column checked May 2026, and dated on this page Schools and teams run on Carna today; individuals join the early-access list
| Question | ELSA Speak | Carna |
|---|---|---|
| Use ELSA when pronunciation and accent are your goal and a few free lessons to start appeal. | ||
| Pronunciation feedback Carna: One of the eight scored skills, not accent drills | Yes | Partly |
| Free tier, no credit card ELSA Speak: A small set of free lessonsCarna: Individuals join the early-access list | Partly | No |
| Use Carna when you want all eight skills scored, pronunciation among them, on a levelled path from A1 to C2. | ||
| All eight skills | No | Yes |
| Full A1 to C2 curriculum | No | Yes |
See all 7 rows Checked May 2026
— WHY PEOPLE LEAVE
Three reasons, and what to check.
These are the reasons learners look elsewhere. Under each is the question from the comparison that tests it, answered for ELSA Speak and for Carna as checked in May 2026.
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Pronunciation only
ELSA's focus is pronunciation. Grammar, writing and the rest of the English skill set sit outside it.
What to check All eight skills
- ELSA Speak
- No
- Carna
- Yes
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No conversation practice
Isolated pronunciation drills do not develop fluency in a real conversation, where vocabulary and grammar matter as much as sounds.
What to check Real conversation practice
- ELSA Speak
- No
- Carna
- Partly
- Assigned practice in Carna for Schools, in beta
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No curriculum
ELSA's column in the comparison has no A1 to C2 curriculum, so it works best alongside a course rather than as one.
What to check Full A1 to C2 curriculum
- ELSA Speak
- No
- Carna
- Yes
— SIDE BY SIDE
What to check before you switch.
The same questions we ask of every app, answered for ELSA Speak and for Carna. Where Carna falls short, its column says so.
| Feature | ELSA Speak | Carna |
|---|---|---|
| What you learn | ||
| All eight skills | No | Yes |
| Full A1 to C2 curriculum | No | Yes |
| Real conversation practice | No | Partly . Assigned practice in Carna for Schools, in beta |
| Pronunciation feedback | Yes | Partly . One of the eight scored skills, not accent drills |
| Essay & writing evaluation | No | Partly . A teacher marks essays; 9 of 11 types auto-score |
| IELTS / TOEFL exam prep | No | Partly . An IELTS band on a practice grading, not a course |
| How you get it | ||
| Free tier, no credit card | Partly . A small set of free lessons | No . Individuals join the early-access list |
Running in schools today
The path the speaking sits on.
A speaking app gives you the loop; Carna gives you the curriculum around it. In Carna for Schools, which runs today, every module a student is assigned wears its CEFR level and the list runs soonest due first, so a learner always knows which rung of the A1 to C2 ladder they are working on.
A student's Learn screen in Carna for Schools: the assigned modules, each with its CEFR level and the skills it works on, sorted by due date. Carna School London is a sample school; the names, courses, levels and scores are demo data.
— THE FIELD
Where the other options sit.
Alternatives to ELSA Speak come in four kinds, and each kind has a strength. Carna is one option among them: a structured English tutor with an A1 to C2 path, in early access for individuals and running in schools and teams today.
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AI speaking apps
ELSA Speak is here
Apps built around speaking out loud to an AI: drills, scenarios and accent work.
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Language-learning apps
Course and vocabulary apps for many languages, with English as one of them.
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Live tutor marketplaces
Human tutors and classes booked by the hour or on a timetable.
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General tools and round-ups
A general assistant used for English, and the round-up of the popular apps.
FAQ
Common questions.
Straight answers about ELSA Speak and Carna, including what the individual tutor cannot do yet.
Should I stop using ELSA if I switch to Carna?
You do not have to choose. ELSA's sound-by-sound drill is strong for accent work, and Carna does not drill accents. Use ELSA for pronunciation precision and Carna for the other skills and the path from A1 to C2.
Does Carna's pronunciation scoring reach ELSA's level of detail?
No. ELSA goes deeper on individual sounds; that is its specialism. Carna scores pronunciation as one of eight skills rather than drilling sounds, which is why the table marks its answer a partly.
How does getting started compare with ELSA's limited free access?
ELSA's free access is limited to a small set of lessons. Carna is not open to individual learners at all yet: the early-access list is the way in, and it costs nothing to join.
EARLY ACCESS
Ready for the switch?
Weighing alternatives to ELSA Speak? Carna's personal tutor is not open to individual learners yet: leave your name on the early-access list and we write once, when it opens. Schools and teams run on Carna today and can book a demo.