BRIEFING ABOUT TYPES OF IELTS EXAMS
The most common English proficiency exam among non-native speakers who wish to study, work, or immigrate to English-speaking nations is IELTS (International English Language Testing System). After earning your undergraduate or graduate degrees, a strong IELTS score can help you find employment in English-speaking nations or pursue further education at the top international universities.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE ACQUAINTED WITH THE IELTS TESTING PROCEDURE.
IELTS assessments come in two types: Academic IELTS and General Training IELTS. Candidates sometimes struggle to decide which IELTS exam will best suit their needs in terms of their schooling or employment. We will provide a thorough description of both IELTS exam formats in this post to help you make the best decision.
ACADEMIC IELTS
Students who desire to pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree from a reputed foreign university or who want to start a job abroad should take this test. This exam is intended to evaluate a candidate’s command of the English language if they intend to pursue further education in an English-speaking nation. It is expected that the IELTS Academic test would be more challenging than the IELTS General Training test.
GENERAL TRAINING IELTS
Candidates who wish to apply for studies below the degree level should take this test.Additionally, it can be undertaken for career advancement or other sorts of work training. The test covers common English language abilities that people require in social and professional settings.
The first three sections of the test—Listening, Reading, and Writing—will be administered to you on the same day (there are no breaks between these tests). Depending on local regulations, your speaking exam will either take place that day, seven days beforehand, or later.
The difference in both the tests is as follows.
SPEAKING TEXT
For both academic and general training, the IELTS speaking test is the same. However, due to the need for a face-to-face conversation on a well-known subject, the test’s duration may range from 11 to 14 minutes. A candidate is questioned by a qualified examiner during this examination.
WRITING EXAM
Both IELTS General Training and IELTS Academic applicants take a distinct IELTS writing test.
IELTS General Training: This test lasts for an hour.
Candidates are given a situation in task 1 and instructed to compose a letter asking for details or describing the circumstance. The letter’s type might be official,informal or personal.
Candidates will be required to respond in writing to a point of view, argument, or problem in assignment 2. The essay’s tone might be rather individual.
Academic IELTS: This examination will last one hour. Candidates must successfully complete two assignments.
Candidates must explain some visual information in task 1 in 150 words within 20 minutes.
In activity 2, applicants must answer in 250 words or less, over the course of around 40 minutes, to a viewpoint or argument.
The hearing test’s duration IELTS takes around 30 minutes, plus an additional 10 minutes to transmit your answer sheets. This part is divided into four smaller sections, each of which has 10 questions on social, academic, and training contexts. You must select one of the test’s parts for this step. You can then listen to the audio and respond appropriately to the questions. You can review your answers once the exam is finished.
READING TEST
Reading test for both exams is different
General Training Test: The test lasts an hour and consists of three portions with a total of 40 questions in each.
Two to three factual subjects that are commonly discussed in English-speaking nations make up Section 1.
Section 2: comprises of two factual examinations pertaining to the workplace (e.g workplace facilities, company policies)
Portion 3 is a sizable section that includes challenging books about broad interest subjects.
ACADEMIC TEST:
Candidates have one hour to finish the three portions (40 questions) of this test. The academic test’s texts are meant to be more difficult than those on the general test. Texts that are relevant to academic subjects are gathered from periodicals, books, and newspapers.
LISTENING TEST
The listening portion of the IELTS Academic and General examinations is the same. IELTS’s hearing test lasts for around 30 minutes, plus an additional 10 minutes for transferring your answer sheets. This part is divided into 4 subsections, each of which has 10 questions about social, academic, and training settings. You must select one of the test’s parts for this step. You can then listen to the audio and respond appropriately to the questions. You can review your answers once the exam is finished.
WHY TO TAKE ACADEMIC OR GENERAL TESTS?
Regarding IELTS Academic and IELTS General, there is a lot of misunderstanding. The applicants have a lot of questions on their thoughts, such as which IELTS test they should take. What key distinctions exist between the IELTS Academic and IELTS General tests? Do not worry if you are bothered by these queries. We’ll try to clarify both of these tests in this article.
The IELTS Academic exam, as its name implies, evaluates a candidate’s comprehensive and reading abilities based on his proficiency with the English language in an academic setting. This is the direction the exam format is going towards. The test typically consists of parts, with the themes drawn from periodicals, textbooks, journals and newspapers.
Additionally, the writing portion includes simple subjects that are pertinent to both academic and professional settings. Let’s move on to the IELTS General exam and see how it differs from the IELTS Academic exam now that we have studied the IELTS Academic exam.
The IELTS General exam evaluates a candidate’s English language proficiency using real-world scenarios. The subjects are frequently lifted from periodicals and newspapers. The IELTS general exam includes writing basic essays and letters.
IELTS SCORING PATTERN
The average score across all four components is used to determine the IELTS scoring band. The IELTS scale goes from 0 to 9. The average score band is moved to the next whole number if it is a decimal. For instance, a candidate would obtain a final score of 7 if their overall score was 6.75. A test report form contains the IELTS score. Candidates are qualified to get one TRF, but they can also see their findings online. However, as a part of the admissions application, individuals may send their TRFs to a maximum of five universities. Students must get the required IELTS score in order to be admitted to a programme. The required IELTS minimum score ranges according to the universities.
IELTS Academic assesses your proficiency in the English language to see if it is suitable for use in an academic context. It assesses how prepared you are for training or study and uses academic jargon.
The IELTS General Training exam gauges a candidate’s proficiency with the English language in a variety of contexts. The tasks and exams mimic social and work environments.
If you’re taking the test to support a UK visa application to work, live, or study in the UK, you could be required to take the IELTS for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Academic or General Training or the IELTS for Life Skills exam.