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IELTS Academic Vs IELTS General

The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, is a universally accepted exam for admission, employment and migration purposes. IELTS tests your command of the English language based on four criteria: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

IELTS Academic and General are two types of exams based on the applicant's purpose for living abroad. The IELTS Academic is essential for university or college admission, whereas the IELTS General is for career and immigration requirements. If you are confused about which exam you should take, IELTS Academic or General, then keep reading.

Table of Contents

What is the purpose of IELTS Academic and General?

IELTS Academic: This exam is apt for people planning to pursue higher studies abroad. The test evaluates a student's ability to understand English as the medium of instruction for higher studies abroad.

IELTS General: This test is ideal for people planning to migrate/work in English-speaking countries. It is a non-academic test that assesses a candidate's ability to interact with people in everyday situations.

Who should take IELTS Academic?

  • Students who want to pursue higher studies, i.e., bachelor's or master’s programs in an English-speaking country.
  • Applicants applying for the Student Route Visa (Tier 4) to study in an English-speaking country like the UK.
  • Candidates who want to work in a professional setting in countries like the UK, the USA, Canada, and Australia.

Who should take IELTS General?

  • Students who want to pursue below-degree-level courses like secondary education.
  • Applicants aiming to work or take up professional training in an English-speaking country.
  • People who want to migrate to countries where English is the primary language.
  • Candidates who want to work at a company requiring certified English proficiency.

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IELTS General and Academic Difference

The writing and reading components are distinct for Academic and General IELTS.

IELTS Reading Test

The IELTS Reading test is intended to ascertain various reading skills. So, it is essential to note the following pointers while attempting the reading test section:

  • Comprehend the overall meaning of a passage
  • Look for the main essence of the extract
  • Scan for specifics, comprehend inferences, and imply meaning
  • Observe the evolution of an argument to recognise a writer's beliefs, perspectives, and intent.

Now let's discuss the prime differences between IELTS Academic Vs General Training:

IELTS Academic Reading Vs General Reading:

Parameters

IELTS Academic Reading

IELTS General Reading

Test Format

Three detailed abstracts are asked in the IELTS Academic Reading section; the topics can be:

  • Factual,
  • Descriptive,
  • Analytical, and
  • Discursive.

    • The texts are curated to test your ability to understand the context of the topic profoundly and extracted from:

  • Journals,
  • Magazines,
  • Books, and
  • Newspapers

The IELTS General includes abstracts from:

  • Advertisements,
  • Official guidelines,
  • Magazines,
  • Newspapers,
  • Company handbooks,
  • Books, and
  • Notices.

Duration

60 minutes (including transfer time)

60 minutes (including transfer time)

Number of

Questions Asked
  • 40 questions (Total).
  • Three passages are given with approximately 13-14 questions in each.
  • 40 questions (Total).
  • Three passages are given, out of which 2 passages are subdivided into 2 small paragraphs, each having 6-7 questions.
  • The last passage is similar to the IELTS Academic Reading section, with 13-14 questions.

Type of Tasks
  • Fill in the gaps in a written passage or tabulated information
  • Match appropriate titles to written text to charts or diagrams
  • Complete partial sentences
  • Provide brief answers to open-ended questions
  • Multiple Choice Questions
  • Fill in the gaps in a written passage or tabulated information
  • Match appropriate titles to written text to charts or diagrams
  • Complete partial sentences
  • Provide brief answers to open-ended questions
  • Multiple Choice Questions

Scoring Pattern
  • For every accurate answer, you will get 1 mark.
  • Scores out of 40 are scaled down to the 9-band score pattern of IELTS.
  • However, the marks-to-band conversion rate differs for IELTS Academic and General.
  • For example, if you get marks ranging between 30-32, then your band score would be 7 in IELTS Academic.
  • For every accurate answer, you will get 1 mark.
  • Scores out of 40 are scaled down to the 9-band score pattern of IELTS.
  • However, the marks-to-band conversion rate differs for IELTS Academic and General.
  • For example, if you get marks ranging between 34-35, then your band score would be 7 in IELTS General.

Difficulty Level

Higher

Lower

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IELTS Writing Test

The IELTS Writing exam is curated to determine several writing skills, including your ability to:

  • Draft an answer properly
  • Organise your thoughts effectively
  • Use a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structures across different writing prompts appropriately

IELTS Academic Writing Vs General Writing:

Parameters

IELTS Academic Writing

IELTS General Writing

Test Format

The IELTS Academic Writing section is designed to assess your writing in a professional or academic setting. The following two tasks are in this section:

  • Task 1: Write a brief summary of the presented information like tables, diagrams, charts, or graphs, etc.
  • Task 2: It presents a problem, argument or opinion on which you must write an essay expressing your views.
  • The content of both tasks' content must be written formally or professionally.

The IELTS General Training Writing test can include topics of general interest, like education, news, health, etc. The following two tasks are in this section:

  • Task 1: Write a letter to address a given situation or request additional information. This letter can be written in a personal, semi-professional, or professional tone.
  • Task 2: It presents a problem, argument or opinion on which you must write an essay expressing your views. This essay can be written in your personal style.

Duration

The IELTS Writing test is timed for 60 minutes:

  • Task 1 (Report Writing)- 20 minutes
  • Task 2 (Essay Writing)- 40 minutes

The IELTS Writing test is timed for 60 minutes:

  • Task 1 (Letter Writing)- 20 minutes
  • Task 2 (Essay Writing)- 40 minutes

Number of Questions Asked

2 questions

2 questions

Type of Tasks
  • Task 1: Write a prompt of at least 150 words
  • Task 2: Write an essay of at most 250 words
  • Task 1: Write a prompt of at least 150 words
  • Task 2: Write an essay of at most 250 words

Scores
  • Task 2 carries twice the weightage of Task 1.
  • The obtained marks are then converted to equivalent full and half-band scores.
  • Task 2 carries twice the weightage of Task 1.
  • The obtained marks are then converted to equivalent full and half-band scores. 

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Similarities between Academic and General IELTS

The Listening and Speaking components of IELTS Academic and General Training are similar. Now let’s discuss both the Speaking and Listening sections in depth.

IELTS Listening Section (Same for both)

The IELTS Listening part is structured to ascertain various types of listening skills like your ability to:

  • Comprehend core ideas and factual information
  • Interpret the viewpoints, intent, and attitude of a speaker
  • Understand the progress of the presented argument

Test Format

First, you will hear four different recordings delivered by native English speakers; then, you must answer specific questions.

Recording 1: This recording includes a casual interaction between two people in an everyday social setting.

Recording 2: This comprises a speech by local authorities in a daily social context.

Recording 3: This contains an exchange of information between 4 people in an educational or training setting. For instance, a university professor discussing an assignment with a group of students.

Recording 4: This recording entails a university professor's speech or lecture on any academic topic.

Duration

The IELTS Listening test is timed for around 30 minutes. In addition, 10 minutes are given to transfer answers from the question booklet to the answer sheet.

Number of

Questions Asked

40 questions

Type of Tasks
  • Multiple-choice,
  • Matching,
  • Plan/map/diagram labelling,
  • Form/note/table/flow-chart/summary completion,
  • Sentence completion.

Scores
  • For every accurate answer, you will get 1 mark.
  • Scores out of 40 are scaled down to the 9-band score pattern of IELTS.

IELTS Speaking Section (Same for both)

The IELTS Speaking section is an interactive recorded session between you and a certified IELTS examiner. Several accents are used during the test to understand your ability to interpret different accents applicable in a diverse environment. Both IELTS Academic and General have the same content for the speaking section.

The speaking test is curated to ascertain several skills and your ability to:

  • Present your viewpoints on regular topics and real-life experiences
  • Speak eloquently at a stretch on a given topic
  • Convey your ideas and justify your opinions effectively
  • Interpret, speculate, and describe topics/issues allotted to you

Test Format

These are three parts to the IELTS Speaking section:

Part 1: A certified IELTS examiner will introduce themselves and ask you to present and confirm your identity. Then, the examiner will ask basic questions about your educational background, work experience, family, and hobbies.

Part 2: The examiner will give you a task card with topics to discuss in your speech. You will have 1 minute to prepare for the suggested topic and then discuss it for 1-2 minutes. After your response, the examiner might ask a few questions about the given topic.

Part 3: The examiner will ask further questions about the assigned topic.

Duration

11-14 minutes

Scores

    The examiner will determine your performance based on the following parameters:

  • Fluency and Coherence,
  • Lexical Resource,
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy,
  • Pronunciation

The marks are awarded in full and half band scores.

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Conclusion

If you intend to pursue higher studies abroad, you must take the IELTS Academic exam. The IELTS Academic test checks applicants' ability to understand the curriculum taught during bachelor’s and master’s programs. Further, IELTS Academic also determines an applicant’s ability to work in a professional capacity as a teacher, nurse, lawyer, or doctor.

The IELTS General Training examination is acceptable for migration, secondary education, and job experience and assesses your everyday, non-academic English. The main difference between IELTS Academic and General is that each exam's reading and writing components are distinct. However, the listening and speaking components are alike for IELTS Academic and General.

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FAQs

IELTS questions are designed to assess a candidate's English skills, and there is no pass/fail system. The Academic version of IELTS assesses a student's level of English. In terms of difficulty, the reading component of the General Training test is more accessible than the Academic test.

IELTS is the most preferred test for testing English proficiency globally for studying, work or migration purposes. Moreover, IELTS is valued by every immigration authority that requires an English language test, including Australia.

The writing part is considered one of the most tricky sections in the IELTS General test.

Yes, IELTS Academic test is required if you desire to study undergraduate and post-graduate studies or employment registration. However, suppose you want to pursue secondary education, migrate, or work in an English-speaking nation. Then, the IELTS General Training test is the best option for you.

IELTS General Training Reading Test includes abstracts from advertisements, official guidelines, magazines, newspapers, company handbooks, books, and notices.

A band score of 7.0 or more is considered ideal for the IELTS Academic exam.