Overview
IELTS Academic is aimed at students who want to study in another country. IELTS General Training is designed for people who want to emigrate to or work in an English-speaking country. Which test you should take depends on where you want to use your results. Before you plan your test, you should make sure which one suits your goals. The process is daunting. You can take help from the Abroad Education Consultants in Noida and make your process easy.
Understanding IELTS Academic Vs. IELTS General Training
The IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests have different purposes depending on what you want to do. If you want to study or get a professional degree in an English-speaking country like the US, UK, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, you should take the IELTS Academic test. It checks if you are ready to study or work in an English-speaking academic environment.
If you are planning to emigrate to countries like New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the US or the UK, or if you want to work or study at a secondary level abroad, the IELTS General Training test is more suitable for you. This test tests the everyday English skills you need in social and professional situations. To find out more about these tests and find out which one is right for you, join our upcoming IELTS webinars hosted by experts.
Understanding the Differences
The IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests have different focuses and structures. The Academic test is aimed at people aiming to enter an English-speaking university or gain a professional qualification. This includes more challenging reading texts and tasks such as summarizing data and writing essays.
In contrast, the General Training exam is aimed at people who are moving to an English-speaking country for work or other reasons. The reading passages are simpler and include tasks like writing letters and reports about everyday situations. Overall, Academic is harder as it tests academic English, while General Training is easier as it focuses on everyday English skills.
Do They Have Any Similarities?
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests are: Similar in many ways.
Both cost around INR 17,000 and are available at testing centers across India.
Each test lasts around 2 hours 45 minutes and consists of Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking parts.
The listening and speaking sections in both exams have the same format.
You listen to recordings and talk about a range of topics with your examiner.
The writing and reading sections are also structured similarly.
A grading system from 1 to 9 is used to assess your English skills.
Overall, whether you take the Academic or General Training test, the experience and structure are roughly the same.
Understanding the Exam Pattern
Both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests assess your English skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking in about 3 hours. The listening and speaking sections have a similar format, where you listen to a recording and have a conversation with the examiner. The speaking section includes three parts: answers to general questions, a speech on a specific topic, and a discussion of a related topic.
In the listening section, you will hear conversations or monologues about everyday topics and academic subjects. However, the Reading section is different: IELTS Academic includes passages from books and research papers, while IELTS General Training uses more practical texts such as advertisements and workplace guidelines.
IELTS Academic Writing tasks include summarizing data and writing essays on academic topics. In contrast, IELTS General Training asks you to write letters and essays on general topics of interest. Best Ielts Institute in Noida plays a huge role in preparing students for the exams.
Both tests aim to assess your English skills, but they focus on different skills depending on whether you are preparing for higher education or planning to emigrate to an English-speaking country.
Summing Up
Whatever you want to achieve, there is an IELTS test that can help you achieve your goals. Understanding the difference between the two types of tests can help you decide which one is best suited to your purpose.
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