IELTS Academic and IELTS General: diffirences and similarities

There are two modules of the IELTS exam – Academic (Ac) and General (Gt).

It is up to you to decide which module to take and it depends on your further goals, where and how you will use the IELTS certificate.

There are two modules of the IELTS exam – Academic (Ac) and General (Gt).

It is up to you to decide which module to take and it depends on your further goals, where and how you will use the IELTS certificate.

IELTS Academic is usually chosen for admission to foreign universities.

IELTS General is usually chosen for secondary education, employment abroad, or immigration.

ALWAYS specify which module you need to take directly at the organization where you intend to provide your certificate.

Academic module

•     Gives you an opportunity to apply for undergraduate or graduate programs almost anywhere in the world.
•     Used for application for a UK student visa (Tier 4).
•     For working in an English-speaking country.

General module

•     Apply to non-degree programs (higher education)
•     Work or job-related training in an English-speaking country
•     Emigration to an English-speaking country
•     Employment Abroad

What is the difference between Academic or General and which module is easier?

Both modules consist of 4 sections:

Listening (listening) - 40 min

Reading - 60 min

Writing - 60 min

Speaking - 11-14 minutes

Listening and speaking are the same for IELTS Academic and General. The tasks and timings are the same for both modules.

The key difference is in the Writing and Reading parts.

IELTS Academic Tasks

READING - 3 long academic texts with an excessive number of complex words and terms, for example about whales, space, dams, etc.

WRITING - describe a graph (several types of graphs: tables, maps, process, etc.) + academic essay - training, crimes, language learning, etc.

Reading General Sample Tasks

READING - texts in parts 1 and 2 are shorter and easier than in Academic, the topics are more general (for example, advertisements, magazine articles, booklets, management, employment, etc.). Part 3 - a long text about animals, birds, etc. It is checked whether you can, while living in an English-speaking country, understand texts on everyday topics.

    WRITING - write a formal or informal letter to a friend, boss or organization + essay on a general topic. Themes are easier than in IELTS Academic - for example, about zoos, a house or an apartment, celebrities.

So, IELTS General is easier than IELTS Academic because of the Reading and Writing assignments; which one to take is up to you.