IELTS Academic vs. General | Things you need to know to excel

IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System, designed to help you live/work/study/migrate to a country where English is the native language. Important for countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, this basic test checks your command over the language and gauges if you face any language barriers when you move to that country. The IELTS exam is categorized into 2 parts- IELTS academic vs. general.

English is the third most spoken language globally. Spoken in most countries is often considered the world’s primary language. Widely accepted and recognized by over 11,000 companies, universities, employees, and organizations, the IELTS exam, nevertheless, is an excellent way to judge your grasp of the language.

Categorization of IELTS Exams

Any exam can be intimidating; when it comes to IELTS, there are two kinds of tests — IELTS academic and IELTS general.

While referring to IELTS academic vs. general exams, you must know that the academic exam is taken by those looking to move to a native English-speaking country for educational or academic purposes. On the other hand, the general exam is taken by people who aspire to move to a different country to gain work experience, settle down, or any other reason.

Grading System and Format of IELTS Exams 

The IELTS exam is judged on a scale of 1-9. Grading 1 is given to a candidate who is not a speaker of the English language; they will probably know only a couple of words at best. On the other spectrum, a candidate is graded 9 when they are an expert user and have full command over the language. Their use of English is accurate, appropriate, and shows complete understanding.

For IELTS academic vs. general exams, the scoring method remains the same.

A relatively easy exam, IELTS has 4 sections to test all aspects of the English language comprehensively. Thus, a time-bound exam, there are 4 sections in it.

• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking
• Listening

The following is the breakup of the exam structure-

Module	Questions	Time
Reading	40 questions	60 minutes
Writing	2 tasks	60 minutes
Speaking	3 parts	10-14 minutes
Listening	40 questions	30 minutes

While the sections remain the same for IELTS academic vs. general, the content and the topics being tested are different. The latter section discusses the differences between the two types.

Academic IELTS vs General IELTS – Detailed Overview

For IELTS academic and general exams, the difference is fundamental. The listening and the speaking sections are the same for both tests. However, the difference lies in the subject matter for the writing and reading sections.

IELTS academic test

For the IELTS academic exam, the structure looks like the following-

• Reading– The text for IELTS reading comes from magazines, books, journals, and newspapers, written for a general audience. The text is often written in different tenses and styles, for example descriptive, narrative or argumentative. There are different points of views, and the topics are of general interest to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Moreover, the text may contain diagrams and graphs, and require the test-takers to extract information.
• Writing– In the IELTS academic writing paper, there are two tasks, and it is imperative to complete both.
  • In the first task, there is a visual form of information (a graph, chart or diagram) and you need to describe it in your own words.
  • However, in the second task, you are given a topic – a point of view, a problem or an argument, and you must write and discuss it. 
• Speaking– The IELTS speaking test is a face-to-face, in-person interview between the candidate and an examiner, which is recorded to be marked and graded.
• Listening: The IELTS academic paper has 4 parts with 10 questions each. Candidates hear the recordings only once, and the conversations contain different English accents like British, Australian, Canadian, and American. 
  • Parts 1 and 2 are excerpts and conversations from regular social events and situations.
  • Whereas Parts 3 and 4 deal with topics around educational and training situations. 

For the first three parts of the test, you will be graded on the following basis-

• Fluency
• Coherence
• Logic
• Grammatical accuracy
• Pronunciation

IELTS general test

For the IELTS general test, the exam structure resembles the following-

• Reading: The reading section has 3 sections, with increasing levels of difficulty.
  • The first section deals with everyday topics and are things that people will need to understand on a daily basis when they live in an English-speaking country. 
  • Section 2 focuses on job descriptions, training materials, and staff development. 
  • The last section has articles taken from newspapers, books, and magazines. The style of this is generally descriptive and instructive.
• Writing: The writing test has 2 topics, and both must be completed.
  • In task 1, you have to write a letter — either explaining a situation or asking for permission or information.
  • In task 2, an argument, problem, or topic is given, which the candidate has to discuss. Additionally, be mindful of using correct spelling and grammar.
• Speaking: This test is a face-to-face interview between the examiner and the candidate. Since the test is conducted in 3 parts, it examines your fluency, grammatical accuracy, and pronunciation. It will also check your ability to hold a conversation in English.
• Listening: The IELTS listening exam has 4 parts, similar to the academic one. The recording will only be played once and will contain different accents and voices.
  • Parts 1 and 2 are everyday social conversations and situations.
  • Parts 3 and 4 contain excerpts from educational and training situations. 

Key Takeaways

• IELTS is crucial for all students looking to move to other countries, either for educational or work purposes or even if someone wants to settle down.
• Therefore, the IELTS academic vs. general exam is based on your reason for travel to dictate the kind of visa to be issued.
• Go ahead, study, take practice mocks and get ready to pass your exam with flying colors! 

FAQs:

Q1. What are the sections of the IELTS exam?

Answer- The IELTS exam has 4 sections – listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Nevertheless, the listening and speaking sections for IELTS academic vs. general exams are the same. However, the writing and reading sections vary.

Q2. What is the difference between the two IELTS?

Answer- There are two kinds of IELTS exams — general IELTS vs. academic IELTS. People moving to English-speaking countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom must appear for the General IELTS. On the other hand, students applying for higher education wishing to study in English-speaking countries appear for the academic IELTS.

Q3. Who is eligible to take the IELTS?

Answer- Since there is no limitation on who can sit for the IELTS, people of all ages, nationalities, religions, and races can take the exam. However, for candidates below 16 years, this test is not recommended. While it is not recommended, they can still take the test.