IELTS Academic or General Training? How to choose and what changes in the exam

The first IELTS mistake happens before the exam: taking the wrong version. Academic and General Training look alike, but they are not accepted by the same organisations. Here is what changes and how to choose.

Which version you need

Academic: for university study, undergraduate or postgraduate, and for professional registration in an English-speaking country.

General Training: for work, for study below degree level and for migration to an English-speaking country.

The rule is simple: what does your organisation ask for? Before you book a date, check the page of the university, employer or authority for the version and the band they require. For a UK visa you may be asked specifically for IELTS for UKVI.

What is the same

Listening and Speaking are exactly the same in both versions.

• Listening: four parts, 40 questions. An everyday conversation, a monologue, a discussion about study or training, and an academic talk.
• Speaking: about 11 to 14 minutes face to face with an examiner, in three parts. Questions about you, a topic you speak about alone for two minutes, and a more open discussion.

What changes

Reading (60 minutes, 40 questions). In Academic you read three long texts in an academic style, getting harder as you go. In General Training the texts are shorter and more everyday: notices, adverts, instructions, articles.

Writing (60 minutes, two tasks). Task 2 is the same: an essay of at least 250 words. Task 1 changes:

• in Academic you describe a graph, table, diagram or process in at least 150 words,
• in General Training you write a letter, informal, semi-formal or formal, also of at least 150 words.

Task 2 carries more weight in the score, so give it about 40 of the 60 minutes.

How the band score works

Each section is scored from 0 to 9. The average of the four, rounded to the nearest half or whole band, is your overall band. Most organisations accept results up to two years old.

Where to start

1. Find out what your organisation needs: version, band, how recent the result must be.
2. Take a diagnostic test to see where you stand in each section.
3. Work on your weakest section first, because it pulls the average down.
4. Practise against the clock, as in the exam.

To start today, open the IELTS Speaking cards and Writing tasks in the Business English Lab. And if you want a one-to-one plan, book a free 15-minute intro call.