For both the Academic and General Training exam: The texts are authentic

Posted by Kyra Patel on August 20th, 2019

The IELTS General Training test is for those who are going to English speaking countries for secondary education, work experience or training programs. It is also a requirement for migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

IELTS General Training test focuses on basic survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts. The test focuses on basic survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts.

The General version of IELTS is easier than the academic version. All candidates do the same Listening and Speaking sections.

The test has four sections:

1)     Listening

4 sections, 40 questions, 30 minutes

Section 1:  A conversation between two people 

Section 2: A monologue set in an everyday social context

Section 3: A conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context

Section 4: A monologue on an academic subject

Each section is heard once only

Speaking

2)     Speaking

An interview, 15 minutes

Part 1:  Introduction and interview 

Part 2 : Individual long turn (you have to talk about a topic)

Part 3 : Two-way discussion in which examiner asks further questions which are     connected to the topic of Part 2.

3)    Reading

3 sections, 40 questions, 60 minutes
Section 1: Two or three short factual texts

Section 2: Contains two short factual texts focusing on work-related issues

Section 3: One longer, more complex text

4)     Writing

1. Write a letter requesting information or explaining a situation.

1. Write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.

Which exam to take?

There are several things to consider when determining whether to take the IELTS Academic or General Training exam.

IELTS Academic – This exam is for those planning to study for a higher education (university, college, etc.) or for those who wish to pursue work or training in a professional field such as medicine or engineering. As the name implies, this version assesses a candidate’s readiness for academic studying or training in English.

IELTS General Training – You should consider the General Training exam if you are going to study, work or train in an English-speaking country, or if you are migrating to an English-speaking country, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK.  Candidates taking the IELTS General Training exam are tested on everyday use of the language, with content and questions focused on workplace and social situations. 

How are the exams the different?

Both the Academic and General Training exam have four parts – listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Listening

The total time for the Listening module is 30 minutes for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training exams.

There are four recorded listening excerpts on both exams.

Speaking

For both exams, there is a face-to-face interview with a certified IELTS Speaking Examiner.

The Speaking module is 11-14 minutes for both the IELTS Academic and General Training exam.

The Speaking module includes short questions and longer questions where the candidate speaks about a familiar topic. There is also a structured discussion.

Reading

The Reading portion is 60 minutes long for both the IELTS Academic and General Training exams.

For both exams, there are three readings with questions about each reading.

For the IELTS Academic exam, there are a variety of texts to read, such as descriptive, factual, and analytical. The reading module also includes diagrams, graphs or illustrations.

There are three sections on reading part of the General Training exam. In the first section, there are two or three short texts. In the second section, there are two short, work-related texts. In the final section, there is one long text about a general interest topic.

For both the Academic and General Training exam:  The texts are authentic

It come from books, newspapers, journals, etc. for the Academic exam

It comes from books, newspapers, company handbooks, etc. for the General Training exam

Writing

The Writing section is 60 minutes for both the IELTS Academic and General Training exams.

Each includes two tasks: Task 1 is a minimum 150 words and Task 2 is a minimum 250 words.

For the IELTS Academic exam, Task 1 is writing about a table, graph, chart or diagram. Task 2 is an essay.

For the General Training exam, Task 1 is writing a letter, and Task 2 is an essay.