How to Choose Between IELTS General Training and Academic: Based on Your Goals and Needs.
IELTS General Training is best suited for people who wish to live and work abroad in an English-speaking country. It mainly focuses on assessing a person’s proficiency, confidence and comfort when communicating in English in daily situations that they are likely to encounter.
IELTS Academic on the other hand is for students who are interested in pursuing their higher education overseas. Hence, it is designed to assess whether a test taker is ready and able to use English as a medium of study.
Both the Academic and General Training versions of IELTS require the same Listening and Speaking examinations but have different Reading and Writing components. It is essential to prepare for the appropriate test type. The Listening, Reading, and Writing portions of all IELTS exams are taken on the same day without any interruptions. However, the Speaking exam may be conducted up to a week before or after the other exams. If you have registered for IELTS Online, the Speaking test is usually scheduled before the other exams. The overall duration of the test is 2 hours and 45 minutes.