Modules
Everything on this site that applies to the General Training module, in the order to work through it. No signup, no payment.
This free General Training IELTS course brings together every page on this site that applies to the General Training module. Take this module if you are applying to migrate to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK, or for work or training below degree level.
Listening and speaking are identical in both IELTS modules, so most of the material here applies whichever module you sit. What is specific to General Training is the reading texts and the Task 1 letter, and those pages are marked.
What is different
Two papers differ from Academic. The other two do not.
Three sections of increasing difficulty. Sections 1 and 2 use short everyday and workplace texts; Section 3 is one longer passage. Marked more strictly than Academic, because the texts are easier.
A letter of at least 150 words, formal, semi-formal or informal depending on who you are writing to. This is the biggest single difference from the Academic module.
An essay of at least 250 words. Identical in format to Academic, and worth twice the marks of Task 1.
Four sections, played once. Identical to Academic in every respect.
Three parts with an examiner. Identical to Academic.
Migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK, and work or training below degree level. Universities almost always require Academic instead.
Method
Six steps, in this order.
Immigration programmes set different requirements, and preparing for a 6.0 and a 7.5 are different jobs. Start with the band score pages before anything else.
Reading gives the fastest improvement, because technique matters more there than language. Work through the question type guides one at a time.
Register, letter types, openings and endings. It is a third of your writing band and it follows rules you can learn in an afternoon.
The essay is worth twice as much, and it is where most candidates lose their writing band. Analyse the question, plan, then write.
Both are identical to the Academic module, so nothing here is module-specific. Work on them throughout rather than at the end.
Under time, in one sitting. Doing this early tells you nothing useful; doing it after the technique work tells you where you actually are.
Practice
Five situations. Choose the module each candidate should sit.
General Training for migration, work and training below degree level.
Academic for university entry and professional registration.
The organisation you are applying to decides, not the test centre. If you are unsure, ask them before you book.
1Applying for permanent residence in Australia.
General Training. Australian skilled migration accepts either module, but General Training is the usual choice and is easier to score in for the same band.
2Applying to a UK university for an undergraduate degree.
Academic. Universities require Academic, and for a UK visa it must be the IELTS for UKVI version taken at an approved centre.
3Applying for Canada Express Entry.
General Training. Academic results are not accepted for Express Entry at all.
4Applying for nursing registration.
Academic. Professional registration bodies normally require Academic, often at 7.0 in every skill.
5Applying for a trade qualification course below degree level.
General Training. Training below degree level takes General Training, though the institution should confirm it.
Ask the organisation you are applying to before you book. They set the requirement, and the two modules are not interchangeable.
The complete IELTS course on IELTStestONLINE has video lessons on every question type, many more exercises like this one, and your own support tutor you can ask when an answer does not make sense. Take a look at the complete course
Choosing the right module is the easy part. Reaching the band it requires is the work.
IELTStestONLINE keeps every score you get in one place, gives you an estimated band as you work, and assesses your writing and speaking against the four criteria so you can see where you stand before test day. See what full membership includes
Anyone applying to migrate to Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the UK, or for work or training below degree level. Universities almost always require Academic.
The reading and writing material is simpler, but you need more correct answers for the same reading band. Both use the same nine-band scale, so a 7.0 means the same thing.
Only reading and writing. Listening and speaking are identical. General Training reading uses everyday and workplace texts, and Task 1 is a letter rather than a chart description.
Yes. Every guide, explanation and practice exercise is open, with no account to create and no payment.
No. Universities require the Academic module, and a General Training result will not be accepted.
Full membership
Everything here is open, and for many candidates it is enough. What it cannot do is tell you what band your writing and speaking would actually receive.
IELTStestONLINE assesses your writing and speaking against the four IELTS criteria, instantly and as often as you like, using a system built by a former IELTS examiner and examiner trainer. It keeps every score in one place with an estimated band, and it carries no advertising.
See what membership includes