IELTS Academic and General Training- Test overview - By: Max Info

IELTS (an acronym for ‘International English Language Testing System’) is an examination that is jointly managed and conducted by the University of Cambridge, the British council and IDP Education Australia. Most students intending to study in UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US must take this test. With the rapid increase in the number of students opting to study abroad, IELTS tests are being conducted throughout the year in more than 500 centres. In some English-speaking countries, tests are conducted as often as every two weeks. In addition to those aiming for higher studies, achieving a high score on this test is mandatory for medical professionals planning to work abroad, along with people emigrating to Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

An IELTS test is comprised of four modules that test the candidate’s listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. The former two are tests of the candidate’s receptive skills, while the latter two are productive and, in many ways, more difficult to test, as there is an element of subjectivity. While the other three sections on the test are conducted en masse, speaking is an interactive one-to-one test, wherein a certified examiner conducts an interview with the candidate. The test requires the candidate to reflect on real-life and hypothetical situations.

Although listening and speaking modules are the same for all students, reading and writing modules vary between Academic IELTS and IELTS General Training. Worldwide, most IELTS tests conducted are in the academic stream, but owing to the growing number of students wishing to take IELTS for purposes other than higher education, General Training tests are increasing in number as well. Here is a brief description of the differences between the two streams

In the case of the academic IELTS writing test, the candidate is asked to give a detailed description of graphs, diagrams or charts provided. Students are asked to write a minimum of 150 words in a time of around 20 minutes describing the visual information that is shown to them. In the remaining 40 minutes on the one-hour test, students are required to produce a discursive (opinion or descriptive) essay on a given topic. This second part of the test has a required minimum of 250 words and carries two thirds of the weighting on the IELTS writing test. On the General Training test, Task 2 is also a discursive essay of at least 250 words. While the topics different to those on the Academic writing test, the criteria used to grade essays are precisely the same. On the other hand, Task 1 of the General Training test is quite different; the candidate is required to write a letter, in either formal, semi-formal in informal language, to achieve a given purpose. This task may seem somewhat easier than an academic-style description of a given graphic, and this may be the case for candidates who have written plenty of letters in English, however, don’t assume that the examiners will be especially kind to you just because the task is easy. You will need to put your best English on display here as well.

In terms of the two streams of the IELTS reading test, there are similarities and differences. The similarities are generally all concrete matters – both tests contain 40 questions, are 60 minutes long and the question types used follow the same format. The tests look quite different however, and IELTS General Training, as the name suggests, is based on written material that an English speaker is likely to encounter in everyday life. Academic IELTS, on the other hand has three longer articles based on academic content and somewhat more difficult questions. Herein lies an important distinction between the two tests – Although the General Training test may look simpler than Academic IELTS, candidates are required to answer more questions correctly on the General Training test, in order to achieve the same score. Good time management is a must!

About the Author

Evan Chapman is an expert authority on IELTS tests and the various aspects pertaining to them such as reading/writing/listening strategies, effective tips and general guidance. For more information, please visit http://www.ieltsreadingpractice.com

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