IELTS Academic vs General Training: Which Test Should You Take?
The real differences between IELTS Academic and General Training: who each is for, what changes in Reading and Writing, and how to choose.
Who each test is for
Academic is usually required for university study and professional registration. General Training is mostly used for migration, work and secondary education. Always check which version your organisation asks for.
What is the same
Listening and Speaking are identical in both versions, and both use the same 0–9 band scale.
What is different
Reading: Academic uses three long academic passages; General Training uses shorter everyday and workplace texts plus one longer passage. Writing Task 1: Academic describes a chart, table, map or process; General Training is a letter. Task 2 is an essay in both.