IELTS Academic vs General Training: Which Test Do You Need

You do not choose between these two tests. A university, an employer, a professional body or an immigration office has already chosen which one it accepts. Book the wrong one and you pay twice. So read their requirement first.

The usual split is Academic for study and General Training for migration. The section "Which one you need" has the detail. Use the rest of this page to see what you are signing up for.

Half of it is the same test

Listening has four parts and 40 questions. It takes about 30 minutes source: ielts.org.

Speaking is an interview with an examiner source: ielts.org. It takes 11 to 14 minutes source: ielts.org.

Reading and Writing take 60 minutes each. The whole Academic test runs 2 hours 45 minutes source: ielts.org. General Training Reading and Writing are also 60 minutes each source: ielts.org.

IELTS test format and timing puts all four skills side by side.

Reading: different texts, and a different conversion

Academic Reading has three sections and 40 questions. The texts add up to 2,150 to 2,750 words. They come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers and online resources, and they are written for a non-specialist audience. At least one text holds detailed logical argument. Where a text uses technical words, a simple dictionary definition is provided source: ielts.org.

General Training Reading also has three sections and 40 questions. The texts are shorter, at 2,150 to 2,375 words in all, and the sections get harder source: ielts.org.

Section 1 uses everyday texts, such as notices, advertisements and timetables. Section 2 uses work texts, such as job descriptions, contracts and training materials. Section 3 is one longer text on a topic of general interest, usually descriptive or narrative, and it is more complex than the first two source: ielts.org.

Both papers use the same band scale, but not the same marks.

Academic texts may use harder vocabulary or a more complex style source: ielts.org. Here are the average marks out of 40 for each band.

The exact numbers move a little between test versions source: ielts.org.

The same 30 correct answers give a band 7 on Academic and a band 6 on General Training. Count your marks against the right column. IELTS Reading raw score to band score shows how the conversion works.

The Reading improvement plan counts the answers between bands on both tests.

Writing: Task 1 is different, Task 2 is close

Academic Task 1 gives you visual information to describe in your own words. It may be a graph, a table, a chart or a diagram. You write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. All the information you need is in the image source: ielts.org.

General Training Task 1 gives you a situation to answer with a letter of at least 150 words. Three bullet points tell you what to cover. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal, depending on who you write to source: ielts.org.

The situations are everyday ones. Examples are problems with college accommodation, trouble managing your time in a new job, and a plan to develop a local airport. The task tests whether your letter is well organised and suits its reader in register and style source: ielts.org.

In Task 2 you discuss a point of view, an argument or a problem. You write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes source: ielts.org. Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score source: ielts.org. General Training Task 2 is also 250 words in about 40 minutes, and it also counts twice source: ielts.org.

Academic Task 2 asks for an academic or semi-formal or neutral style source: ielts.org. General Training asks for a semi-formal or neutral one source: ielts.org. So the style differs a little, and Task 2 is otherwise close on both tests.

Both papers mark Writing on the same four criteria: task achievement or response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy source: ielts.org source: ielts.org. How IELTS Writing is marked covers all four.

Which one you need

Take Academic to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, or for professional registration. Doctors and nurses are examples source: ielts.org.

Take General Training to migrate to an English-speaking country, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK. It also suits training or study below degree level source: ielts.org.

Those two are the usual cases, not rules. Check the entry requirements for your target country, institution or association before you choose your test source: ielts.org. If one score has to serve a visa and a course, check both requirements before you pay for either.

If the test is for a UK visa, you may need IELTS for UKVI instead of a standard test source: ielts.org. UKVI accepts only tests taken in person at an official IELTS for UKVI test centre source: ielts.org. What IELTS for UKVI is covers the rest.

One difference in how you can sit it

IELTS Online is offered in some countries, for the Academic test only. You sit it at home or in another suitable private place with a stable internet connection. It has the same format, questions, timing and marking criteria as a test centre. The Speaking section is a video call with a trained examiner source: ielts.org.

The receiving organisation decides whether it accepts an online result. Your Test Report Form shows that you took the test online source: ielts.org.

IELTS announced that from mid-2026 all tests would be delivered on computer, and that timelines vary by market source: ielts.org. Check what your centre offers when you book. The change is covered in Computer or paper IELTS.

After you have chosen

The overall band is the average of your four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band source: ielts.org. That holds for both tests. You can try any combination in the band score calculator. If the 0 to 9 scale is new to you, start with IELTS band scores explained.

The format details come from the Academic and General Training pages on ielts.org: the Academic test and its Listening, Reading and Writing pages, and the General Training test with its Reading and Writing pages. The conversion marks and the overall band rule are on its IELTS scoring in detail page, and the advice on which test to take is on its test types page. The online option, the UKVI rule and the delivery change come from Ways to take IELTS, IELTS for UKVI and the announcement on test delivery. All were last checked on 30 September 2026. IELTS announced the end of paper testing without saying it has finished, so check the options at your own centre.