Academic vs. General Training in IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to assess the English proficiency skills on non-native English speakers or those who come from countries where English is not the official language. The test is designed for those who will be working or studying in the United Kingdom or selected Commonwealth nations.

IELTS tests the individual on the four basic yet essential skills – Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. It assesses the test taker’s ability to comprehend and articulate in the English language. Depending on the reason for going abroad, IELTS comes in two formats – the Academic and General Training.

To prepare for IELTS, many IELTS review centers such as Jrooz Review Center are authorized to conduct review classes and to a certain extent, administer the IELTS exam.

The Academic Training – as the name suggests, this IELTS format is designed to prepare test-takers who want to study in a university in the aforementioned countries such as Cambridge and Oxford in the UK, Monash University in Australia and McGill University in Canada. Other lesser known institutions may also require a IELTS score from those who want to enroll.

The minimum IELTS scores will depend on the requirements set by the university where the test taker wishes to study. For example, 7.0 is the minimum requirement in Oxford while it is slightly higher at Cambridge (7.5); McGill University’s requires a minimum IELTS score of 6.5. For other universities, it is important for the test taker to know the minimum IELTS score required by the one he or she wants to study in.

General Training is essentially focuses on “survival” skills in a setting outside universities such as the workplace or regular interaction with people. This is designed for those who plan to work in the aforemention

ed countries as well as those who will be migrating, especially to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Compared to the two, the General Training is easier since it requires using “simple” English as opposed to the higher level of English required in universities and will require a higher degree of aptitude or intelligence which will be experienced in a campus setting. General Training determines if one can interact in a workplace or in everyday situations where the test taker will encounter locals.

Therefore, IELTS review centers need to know the needs of test-takers in order to determine which IELTS format they need to prepare for. As one can see, IELTS is more “versatile” compared to TOEFL as it offers different types of tests, depending on the needs of the test-taker.

Read more IELTS tips here: www.ieltsexamstips.com