Sit IELTS Academic if you are applying for undergraduate or postgraduate study, or for professional registration. Sit IELTS General Training if you are migrating to an English-speaking country or studying below degree level. Both report the same band scale from 0 to 9, and your receiving body decides which version it will accept.
- IELTS Academic: undergraduate and postgraduate study, professional registration
- IELTS General Training: migration, work, training or study below degree level
- Listening and Speaking are identical in the two versions; Reading and Writing differ
- Bands run from 0 to 9, reported in whole and half bands
- UK visa routes needing a SELT ask for IELTS for UKVI, sat in person at an approved centre
Where the two IELTS tests part company
Both versions run the same four skills and take 2 hours 45 minutes in total. Listening lasts about 30 minutes across four parts and 40 questions, and Speaking runs 11 to 14 minutes as a recorded interview with an examiner, in three parts. Those two are identical in the two tests, so Reading and Writing carry the whole of the difference. IELTS Academic draws its Reading passages from books, journals, magazines and newspapers written for a non-specialist audience, and Writing Task 1 asks for a description of a graph, table, chart or diagram in your own words. IELTS General Training uses notices, advertisements, timetables and workplace material, and Writing Task 1 asks for a letter covering three bullet points. Task 2 is an essay in both versions, and it contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.
IELTS Academic and General Training, section by section
| Section | IELTS Academic | IELTS General Training |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | About 30 minutes, 4 parts, 40 questions | Identical to Academic |
| Reading texts | Books, journals, magazines and newspapers, written for a non-specialist audience | Section 1 notices and advertisements, Section 2 work-related material, Section 3 one longer general text |
| Reading length | 2,150 to 2,750 words across 3 sections | 2,150 to 2,375 words across 3 sections of increasing difficulty |
| Reading question types | 11 types, including True/False/Not given and matching headings | 8 types, including True/False/Not given and matching headings |
| Writing Task 1 | Describe a graph, table, chart or diagram, at least 150 words, no more than 20 minutes | Write a personal, semi-formal or formal letter on three bullet points, at least 150 words |
| Writing Task 2 | Discuss a point of view, argument or problem, at least 250 words, no more than 40 minutes | Semi-formal or neutral discursive essay, at least 250 words |
| Speaking | 11 to 14 minutes, 3 parts, recorded interview with an examiner | Identical to Academic |
Reading is marked on one scale for both versions, and IELTS states that a General Training paper needs more correct answers to reach a given band.
Source: IELTS, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training test format pages, and IELTS scoring in detail, read 19 September 2026
Which IELTS version each receiving body asks for
IELTS for UKVI
UK visa routes that require a Secure English Language Test accept IELTS for UKVI and IELTS for UKVI Life Skills, sat in person at an official centre. IELTS for UKVI matches the ordinary test in format, content, difficulty and scoring, and its Test Report Form records the approved centre.
Source: GOV.UK, Prove your English language abilities with a secure English language test (SELT), updated 28 August 2026
IELTS General Training only
Express Entry accepts CELPIP, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English. The list leaves out IELTS Academic, and the same guidance states that One Skill Retake results sit outside what Express Entry accepts.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Language testing for Express Entry, date modified 22 June 2026
Either version
Australian visas accept IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, One Skill Retake included for eligible visas. New Zealand skilled residence visas accept either module and accept One Skill Retake. Both require a test sat in person at a centre, and both place at-home tests outside what they will take.
Source: Australian Department of Home Affairs, English language requirement, last updated 2 February 2026; Immigration New Zealand, English language requirements for skilled residence visas, read 19 September 2026
IELTS Academic
UAE universities that name a version name IELTS Academic, and so do several professional regulators. The UK Nursing and Midwifery Council accepts IELTS Academic and OET, and describes them as the only tests it can accept.
Source: American University of Sharjah, application requirements for bachelor's degrees; United Arab Emirates University, College of Graduate Studies admission; Nursing and Midwifery Council, accepted tests, read 19 September 2026
How the IELTS band scale works
Every result carries five numbers: one band for each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, and one overall band. Bands run from 0 to 9 and are reported in whole and half bands. IELTS labels band 9 Expert, band 8 Very good, band 7 Good, band 6 Competent and band 5 Modest, and it describes a band 6 test taker as someone who 'has an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings'. The overall band is the average of the four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. Bands of 6.5, 6.5, 5.0 and 7.0 average 6.25 and report as an overall band 6.5. Writing and Speaking are each marked against four criteria of equal weight, and every Writing task is assessed on its own.
Minimum bands at four receiving bodies
Source: American University of Sharjah, application requirements for bachelor's degrees, read 19 September 2026
Source: Khalifa University, Undergraduate Catalog 2026-2027, undergraduate admission requirements
Source: GOV.UK, Student visa: knowledge of English, and IELTS, tests for UK visas and immigration, read 19 September 2026
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Language testing for Express Entry, date modified 22 June 2026
Your checklist before booking an IELTS test in the UAE
- Ask the university, employer, regulator or immigration authority which IELTS version it accepts, and keep the answer in writing where you can.
- Check the band it asks for in each of the four skills, since several bodies set a minimum per skill alongside an overall band.
- Check how long it will accept a result: the IELTS partners recommend two years, the UK Home Office and Canada each work to a two-year window, and Australia allows three years for several English levels.
- Decide whether your route needs IELTS for UKVI, which UKVI accepts only when the test is taken in person at an official IELTS for UKVI centre.
- Confirm that One Skill Retake is welcome at your receiving body, and that your test centre offers it, before you plan around retaking one skill.
- Have a valid passport or UAE national identity card ready: IDP asks for a clear colour scan at booking and the same original on the day.
- IELTS Academic serves undergraduate and postgraduate study and professional registration; IELTS General Training serves migration, work, and training or study below degree level.
- Listening and Speaking are identical across the two versions, and Reading and Writing carry the difference.
- The overall band is the average of the four section bands rounded to the nearest half band, so one weaker skill can still be carried by the other three.
- The receiving body sets the version, the minimum band and the validity window, each with its own published date.