A comprehensive comparison between IELTS academic and general

• Globedwise Team
• 30 Jan 2024

The choice between IELTS Academic and General Training depends on your specific goals and needs. Both versions of the IELTS test assess your English Language proficiency, but they are designed for different purposes for candidates seeking to move to countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Ireland.

Considering the differences in purpose and structure, you need to understand both types in detail. Let us compare and contrast to find which I easiest one for your study-abroad plan.

The format of both tests is almost the same. The first step is choosing which test best suits your needs and preparing for it accordingly. So, let’s take a closer look at them to see which one is most suited for you.

Below are some differences and similarities between IELTS Academic and General tests

IELTS Academic vs General: Test Format

Certainly! In summary, both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training share the Listening and Speaking sections, but they differ in the Reading and Writing sections. Here’s a detailed explanation of the distinctions in the Reading and Writing components of both tests:

Both the IELTS Academic Reading and IELTS General Training Reading Training Reading tests have the same duration and number of questions. Candidates are given 60 minutes to complete the Reading section, and there are 40 questions in total. These questions are drawn from a variety of question types, and there are 14 different question sets that candidates might encounter during the test. These question sets assess a range of reading skills, including skimming, scanning, and understanding detailed information in texts. It’s essential for candidates to familiarize themselves with the different question types and practice effectively

The IELTS reading question types are

• Matching headings
• Matching Paragraph information
• Matching features
• Matching sentence endings
• True/false/ not given or yes/no/not given
• Multiple choices
• List of options
• Choose a title
• Short answers
• Sentence completion
• Table completion
• Flow chart completion
• Completion diagrams

These questions assess the candidate’s ability to read, skim through passages, understand written English, and understand the logical argument. Here’s how both the tests are designed differently.

IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST

Purpose:

designed to assess a candidate’s ability to read and understand academic texts

Content:

Involves three long passages taken from books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. The passages are academic in nature and may include complex vocabulary and ideas.

Question types:

Questions are generally more complex and may include multiple-choice, matching, and sentence completion.

In the IELTS Academic Reading test, candidates encounter three lengthy reading passages that evaluate their ability to understand and analyze information. These passages cover a range of topics but are not highly specialized or in-depth. Instead, they are chosen from sources like journals, articles, magazines, and news media to assess the candidate’s proficiency in studying English.

After each long passage, candidates face various question types that assess different reading skills. These questions can include matching headings and information, sentence formation and completion, summarizing, table and flowchart completion, and labeling flowcharts. Additionally, candidates may need to provide subjective answers to short questions.

Each correct response earns one mark, but it’s important to note that there is a penalty for spelling and grammatical errors. This underscores the importance of not only comprehending the content but also paying attention to language accuracy when responding to questions. Overall, the test is designed to evaluate a candidate’s ability to comprehend and analyze information in English across a variety of contexts.

IELTS GENERAL TRAINING READING TEST

Purpose

Evaluates a candidate's ability to present complex ideas in a clear and organized manner, suitable for academic purposes.

Task 1:

Involves letter writing, often based on a given situation or scenario.

Task 2:

Requires writing an essay in response to a point of view, argument, or problem.

Unlike the IELTS Academic Test, the IELTS General Training Reading test includes both short and long passages distributed across three sections:

• Section one: 2-3 short texts
• Section two: 2 short texts
• Section three: 1 long text

Similar to the Academic Test, the General Training Reading test evaluates candidates on tasks such as matching headings, sentence completion, and summarizing in the first section. However, in the second section, the focus shifts to workplace-related topics, with questions related to job descriptions, workplace ethics, and staff training material

The long passage in the third section is more complex compared to the Academic Test and aims to assess the candidate's critical thinking, analytical, and instructional skills.

Each question is worth one mark, and there is a penalty for spelling and grammar mistakes. This emphasizes the importance of not only understanding the content but also paying attention to language accuracy when responding to questions. Overall, the General Training Reading test is designed to evaluate a candidate's ability to comprehend and apply information in a broader, more practical context, particularly in the context of everyday work scenarios.

IELTS Academic Writing Test

In the IELTS Academic Writing test, there are two tasks:

Task 1: You need to describe or summarize information presented in a table, chart, diagram, or graph. This may involve explaining specific data, illustrating a process, or creating a flowchart to draw logical conclusions.

Task 2: You must provide a written response to an argument in less than 250 words. It's important to note that the response should be in paragraph form, not presented as bullet points or lists. Task 2 carries more marks than Task 1.

In simpler terms, Task 1 requires you to interpret visual data, while Task 2 involves responding to a given argument or topic with a well-thought-out written essay. Task 2 is more heavily weighted in terms of scoring.

IELTS GENERAL TRAINING WRITING TEST

In the IELTS General Training Writing tasks, there are two assignments:

Task 1: Write a formal or informal letter in about 150 words. This letter could involve requesting information or explaining a particular situation.

Task 2: Compose an essay in response to an argument or problem within 250 words. You might need to explain, make a request, or defend your position to a specific authority. It's important to support your ideas and viewpoints with relevant examples. The writing style should be either personal or formal, depending on the context.

To put it simply, Task 1 involves letter writing with a focus on requesting information or explaining a situation, while Task 2 requires essay writing to respond to an argument or problem with a well-supported position and a specified word limit.

SPEAKING

The IELTS Speaking test is consistent for both the Academic and General Training versions, maintaining the same structure, format, and question types.

The Speaking test involves a face-to-face interview between the candidate and the examiner, with the entire session being recorded for efficient evaluation. This segment assesses the candidate's English-speaking skills and typically lasts between 11 to 14 minutes.The Speaking test is divided into three parts, each serving a unique purpose:

Part 1 (Interview):

The examiner initiates with general questions about the candidate, covering topics such as self-introduction, interests, family, studies, and jobs. This segment lasts approximately 4-5 minutes.

Part 2 (Long turn):

Also known as the IELTS Cue Card section, the candidate selects a card with a given topic and engages in a spontaneous talk on the subject. They are given 1 minute to prepare and 2-3 minutes to speak. The examiner may pose additional questions related to the topic.

Part 3 (Discussion):

The examiner delves deeper into the topic from Part 2, asking the candidate to provide further insights and justifications for their opinions. This section lasts around four to five minutes and encourages a more in-depth discussion. In simpler terms, the IELTS Speaking test evaluates a candidate's ability to communicate effectively in English through a series of progressively challenging interactions, covering personal experiences, spontaneous topics, and extended discussions.

Listening

The IELTS Listening section is consistent for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests. In this segment, candidates are required to listen to four English recordings, each followed by 40 questions. The entire Listening test lasts for 30 minutes. The primary objective is to assess the candidates' ability to comprehend key ideas, factual information, and the perspectives and attitudes expressed by speakers. The IELTS Listening recordings are structured as follows:

• Recording 1: A conversation between two individuals in a typical, everyday social setting.
• Recording 2: A monologue presented in an ordinary social setting.
• Recording 3: A conversation involving four people in an educational or training environment.
• Recording 4: A monologue on an academic subject.

In simpler terms, the IELTS Listening test evaluates how well candidates can understand spoken English across various contexts, from casual social interactions to more formal educational settings. The diversity of the recordings allows for a comprehensive assessment of listening skills.

IELTS Academic vs General Passages

For the IELTS Academic test, which evaluates language proficiency for academic study and professional purposes, passages are centered around academic topics. This includes texts from professional and academic journals, textbooks, relevant periodicals, and media in English. The test aims to assess comprehension abilities using diverse sources commonly encountered by university students and professionals in an English-speaking study environment. Writing exercises for the Academic test involve sample subjects suitable for academic and professional contexts, evaluating the ability to compose college-level essays.

On the other hand, the IELTS General Training test provides content that resembles materials found in everyday contexts like advertisements, guidebooks, periodicals, notifications, and employee manuals. The written English of candidates is evaluated through tasks such as letter writing and basic essay writing.

In simpler terms, Academic IELTS focuses on assessing skills relevant to academic and professional settings, while General Training IELTS is designed to evaluate language skills in more general, everyday situations. The sample passages provided in both tests reflect the types of materials candidates might encounter in their respective contexts