What Suits Me More: Academic IELTS or General Training IELTS?

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) measures the language proficiency of people who want to study, work, or migrate to English-speaking countries (like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and the USA).

One can either take:

• IELTS Academic test, if they are applying for higher education or registering as a professional in their target country, or
• IELTS General Training test, if they want to migrate to their destination country or go there for attending secondary education, participating in training programmes, or gaining work experience.

Here is a quick comparison of both types of IELTS tests:

 

	Academic IELTS	General Training IELTS
Purpose	Prospective students seeking admission to university courses abroad need to take IELTS Academic. Many professionals and job applicants also need to sit for Academic IELTS because it includes some reading and writing skills that are not a part of everyday communication. These skills are distinct in academic or workplace contexts. For example, medical professions (such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and hospital lab technicians) need to take IELTS Academic to demonstrate that they are ready to work in relevant jobs in countries where English is the first language. IELTS Academic demonstrates your capability to begin studying or training in the specific field you want to join.	Students seeking admission in secondary schools in English-speaking countries or those who want to go abroad for training purposes or to gain work experience need to demonstrate that they know enough English to get through broad social or workplace activities there. General Training IELTS is a suitable choice for them. This is also the right option for those who want to migrate to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. Parents or grandparents who want to live with their wards in Australia will need to sit for the IELTS General Training test. MNCs also ask for IELTS General Training score at times when they hire employees to see if they can be sent overseas for different projects.
Test Format	Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both the versions of the IELTS test. The number of questions in the Writing and Reading sections is the same but the nature of the content and task types differ. In IELTS Academic, the writing skills section assesses one's ability to write college-level or professional essays. The reading skills section judges whether one can read academic and professional journals, textbooks, magazines, and newspapers or not.	Writing skills in IELTS General Training are expected to cover general tasks such as writing letters or basic essays.  Reading skills for General Training IELTS should be strong enough for what one encounters in advertisements, magazines, notices, guidebooks, and employee manuals. We will discuss the test format of both the versions below.
Score Comparison	IELTS Academic and General Training tests use a nine-band scale. The test report mentions band scores for each of the four components of the test (Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing), and the Overall Band Score. The Overall Band Score is the average of the scores of four components rounded off to the nearest half or whole band. Each component carries a weight of 25% in the Overall Band Score.  Click this link for the detailed band and raw score comparison.	Writing, Listening, and Speaking skills are scored in the same way in both versions of the IELTS test. But a raw score in the Reading test has different meanings in different versions.  For example, a score of 30 out of 40 in IELTS Reading means a band of 5.0 in IELTS General and a band of 6.0 in IELTS Academic.

Academic IELTS Test Format

General Training IELTS Test Format

Is IELTS General Training easier than IELTS Academic?

Most students and test-takers agree that the General Training IELTS is easier than the Academic IELTS. The makers of the test agree. A raw score of 23 out of 40 in Academic Reading is considered Band 6 while you need a raw score of 30 out of 40 to get the same band score in General Reading. Writing tasks are also more challenging for those who take the IELTS Academic test.

Listening and Speaking sections have the same format and difficulty level for both the versions though. Experts say that both the versions of IELTS are 70% similar. The purpose of these two tests is quite different.

V2I immigration and visa experts can guide you which IELTS test format is most suitable for your purpose.