Do I need to take IELTS Academic or General Training?

You might have started researching which IELTS test you need to take to achieve your work, study or migration goals.

If you plan to study in higher education or seek professional registration, you can take an IELTS Academic test. Or if you want to study in secondary education, work or migrate to an English-speaking country, IELTS General Training might be right for you.

Let's take a look at some tips to help you decide which test you need to take.

The General Training test looks at your English-language capabilities in a work or social environment.

If you plan to study in secondary education (in an English-speaking high school), enrol in vocational training (to be a chef or an electrician, for example), move abroad for work or migrate to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, you might need to take an IELTS General Training test.

If you plan to study in higher education or seek professional registration in an English-speaking country, you might need to take an IELTS Academic test.

IELTS Academic assesses your English-language proficiency at an academic level to determine whether you are ready to study at an undergraduate or post graduate level, or work in a professional setting, such as a doctor, nurse, teacher or lawyer.

Make sure you visit the relevant government or institutional websites to confirm which test you need to take, as government agencies, institutions and other recognising organisations set their own IELTS entry requirements.

You can also check out our Who accepts IELTS scores page to see what band score you need to be accepted into the recognising organisation you want to apply to.

So remember, when taking IELTS, the difference between the two types of IELTS lies in the subject matter, and the different skills required for each test type. The test you need to take will depend on the recognising organisation you apply to, so make sure you are certain about which test you need to take before you book your IELTS test.