IELTS Academic vs General
IELTS Academic vs IELTS General
IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training, both are your answers depending on what you are thinking of pursuing, either your dream education or a career abroad. The IELTS administration has devised both the exams for abroad aspirants for their education and career needs. According to the administration, IELTS Academic helps you to secure a place in higher educational institutions such as Universities or Colleges or sometimes helps you to get even employed, while IELTS General Training is purely for seeking employment in abroad countries, where English is the preferred communication language.Â
Today, IELTS is accepted by more than 140 countries worldwide in their 11,500 organisations, including universities, training institutes, government departments, employment bodies and immigration offices.
But, when it comes to your employment, the employment bodies will decide which IELTS you should attend. Since both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are considered for employment by some countries, it is their sole decision to choose the format.
Table of Contents
- Professions that require IELTS Academic
- Professions that require IELTS General Training
- IELTS Academic and IELTS General: Test Format
- IELTS Academic (for both Computer and Paper)
- IELTS - General Training (for both Computer and Paper)
- IELTS Reading Test Format (for both Computer and Paper)
- IELTS Writing Test Format (for both Computer and Paper)
- IELTS Academic and IELTS General: Listening Test Format
- IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training: Speaking Test Formatt
- FAQs
Professions that require IELTS Academic
Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Accounting, Engineering, Law and Teaching.
Professions that require IELTS General Training
Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Accounting, Engineering, Law, Veterinary Practice, Finance, Government, Construction, Energy, Aviation and Tourism.
It is best advised that students check the type of IELTS they need to work in their company with their employer.
IELTS Academic and IELTS General: Test Format
The Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both formats of the exam, while the Reading and Writing section differs. Both formats of the exam are timed for 2 hours 45 minutes whether it is taken on paper or computer.
If you are taking the test on the computer, you will be completing the test in the following order: Listening, Reading and Writing. The Speaking test will also be conducted on the same day, before or after all the other sections.
If you are taking the test on the paper, you will be completing the test in the following order: Writing, Reading and Listening. The Speaking test will happen 7 days before or after your test date.
Let us now see the general structure of both the IELTS formats - IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.
IELTS Academic (for both Computer and Paper)
|
Task |
Questions |
Time |
|
Listening |
40 (4 sections) |
30 minutes+10 minutes to transfer the answers to the sheet. |
|
Speaking |
Variable (3 sections) |
11-14 minutes |
|
Reading |
40 (3 sections) |
60 minutes |
|
Writing |
2 (2 sections) |
60 minutes |
IELTS - General Training (for both Computer and Paper)
|
Task |
Questions |
Time |
|
Listening |
40 (4 sections) |
30 minutes+10 minutes to transfer the answers to the sheet. |
|
Speaking |
Variable (3 sections) |
11-14 minutes |
|
Reading |
40 (3 sections) |
60 minutes |
|
Writing |
2 (2 sections) |
60 minutes |
IELTS Reading Test Format (for both Computer and Paper)
Academic
The IELTS Academic Reading section tests the comprehension (understanding) skills of the students. A passage of about 3000 words will be given, taken from current books, newspapers or journals, etc. The passage will be appropriate for students entering university or seeking employment in English-speaking countries. Besides their comprehension skills, their other skills like skimming, scanning, attention to detail, logical argument, and recognising the writer’s opinions, attitude and purpose will be tested.
Format
The IELTS Academic Reading section has 40 questions in total. The section has different types of questions like multiple choice, match, sentence completion and diagram label completion, etc. The Reading section is timed for 60 minutes and no extra minutes will be given to complete the section.
General Training
The skills tested in the General Training Reading section are the same as that of the Academic. But the passage here is more appropriate for students seeking employment in English-speaking countries.
Format
The GT Reading section has 40 questions, with each of different type. Similar to Academic, GT Reading section too is timed for 60 minutes.
IELTS Writing Test Format (for both Computer and Paper)
Academic
The IELTS Academic Writing section tests students’ competency to understand and organise ideas while utilising vocabulary and grammar properly to convey them.
Format
There are two questions asked in the writing section. Question 1 will be in the form of a graph/table/chart/diagram. Students should summarise the given visual information in their own words using proper vocabulary and grammar. Question 2 asks you to write an essay of about 250 words. The total time given for completing both the tasks is 60 minutes, and both should be addressed in a formal style of writing.
General Training
The General Training format of the writing section also assesses the same as the Academic. The format, too, is the same, with 60 minutes allocated for the section.
IELTS Academic and IELTS General: Listening Test Format
As mentioned, the IELTS Listening section is the same for both the Academic and General Training, with no changes. The questions asked and the time allocated is also the same. The Listening section is included in the exam to apprehend students’ ability and competency to understand different dialects and accents of the native English speakers. The accentsincluded mainly are U.S, UK, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand.
Apart from the accents, students’ ability to grasp main ideas, opinions and purpose will also be tested.
There will be a total of 4 recordings played, and each recording gives out information about everyday life or academics or training in an educational or professional setting. The conversation will be between two native English speakers and the time allocated is 30 minutes.
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training: Speaking Test Format
The Speaking section doesn’t differ so much between the two formats - IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. The speaking test will be conducted by an IELTS examiner, and it will be a 1-1 verbal interview between the examiner and the candidate. The Speaking section will analyse the Spoken English skills of the students and their ability to sustain themselves in an English-speaking environment.
The Speaking test has three sections.
-
Part 1 - This is the introductory part. Students must introduce themselves and discuss their interests, family, studies or work. The preliminary round lasts for 4-5 minutes.
- Part 2 - In this part, students will be given a task card with a topic. The card has hints like points that you should include in the topic and tells you to focus on one aspect of the topic. They will also be given a pencil and paper to make notes to talk on the given topic. They will be given one minute to prepare, and when they are ready, they can start talking about the topic, and it has to be for 2 minutes.
-
Part 3 - Part 3 is an extension of Part 2. The examiner will ask questions on the given topic and make you discuss issues related to the topic in general and abstract ways.
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FAQs - IELTS Academic vs General
Which is better, IELTS, General or Academic?
The more appropriate answer would be to choose the exam according to your goals. As a general norm, IELTS Academic is tougher than General Training, but you should attend the exam that takes you closer to your goals.
Do Universities accept IELTS General or IELTS Academic?
Which IELTS is required for a job?
Is it difficult to pass IELTS Academic?
