There are two main IELTS exams, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. While there's also the IELTS Life Skills test, it's only applicable in the UK. The goal of all these tests is to measure your English listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills for academic, work, or migration purposes. Let's learn more about them. 

IELTS Academic 

If you want to study abroad at a university, college or higher education institution, then the IELTS Academic exam is the one for you. This test is way to prove that you have the relevant English language skills required to study at an undergraduate or postgraduate level. You can take the exam on paper or computer at the official IELTS centres. There are four sections in the IELTS Academic test that you will have to prepare for: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. 

IELTS General Training 

If you want to migrate to an English-speaking country like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the UK or if you're going to train or study on a course below degree level, then you will have to take the IELTS General Training test. There are four papers in the IELTS General Training test: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. 

IELTS Life Skills 

IELTS Life Skills is a UK-government-approved test designed for people who are planning to move to the UK and need to prove their English speaking and listening skills as a part of their UK Visa and Immigration application (UKVI). So, if you want to move to the UK for any of the following reasons, then you will have to take the IELTS Life Skills test. 

• If you want to live with a relative, spouse or partner who is already living in the UK on a permanent basis.   
• If you're already living in the UK and want to make the change permanent.   
• If you want to apply for British citizenship. 
• Remember to check the English language requirements for your visa category before registering for the test. 

Understanding different IELTS test type formats is a big part of preparing for the examination. Both IELTS Academic and General Training have the same listening and speaking sections but different reading and writing sections because the General Training exam tests your English communication skills in everyday situations and not academic contexts. 

The listening exam 

The listening exam consists of four recordings of native English speakers talking with each other. You will have to listen to these conversations and then answer questions. This section lasts 30 minutes, and you can listen to the recordings only once. This exam tests your ability to understand the main ideas, specific information, opinions, accents, attitudes, and the purpose of the conversation. 

The speaking exam 

This is a three-part face-to-face interview with an examiner that will be recorded. In the first part, you will have to answer questions about yourself and familiar topics about things like your home, family, studies or interests. In the second part, the examiner will show you a card and ask you to speak about a particular topic. They will give you a minute to prepare and then ask questions about that topic. The third part involves answering more questions about the same topic as part two but in more detail. 

The reading exam 

The reading exam differs for Academic and General Training.  

Academic Reading: In this exam, you will have to read three long texts from academic books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and online resources and answer 40 questions in 60 minutes. All the topics chosen will have purposes in English, educational value and will be of general interest to students. The test is designed to check if you can identify the main ideas, understand the small details, make logical arguments, and recognise the writers' opinions, attitudes, and purposes in the English language. 

General Training Reading: There are three parts, with the first focusing on everyday topics, the second section dealing with work-related issues and the third on various general topics taken from newspapers, magazines, books and online resources. You will have to answer 40 questions in 60 minutes to prove that you are ready to live in a country where English is spoken as the primary language. 

The writing exam 

The writing section also varies between Academic and General Training.  

Academic Writing: There are two tasks in this exam. In task one, you will have to describe visual information, such as charts or graphs and write an essay. In task two, you will have to discuss the given argument or point of view. 

General Training Writing: You have to complete two tasks in this exam. In task one, you will have to write an essay or a letter asking for information or explaining a situation. Task 2 is the same as in the academic writing exam, you will be given an argument or point of view that you have to discuss. 

You will have 60 minutes to answer the writing section. The goal is to test your ability to write grammatically correct sentences in English using a range of vocabulary. 

Learning about the different types of IELTS tests will help you choose the one that fits your goals. Whether you want to study abroad or are looking for employment opportunities, there is an IELTS exam designed to test your level of English. Understanding the exam format will help you prepare for the exam in the long term. If you want to prepare for IELTS Academic and want professional help to reach your target score, check out the IELТS Preparation Course at English Path. Our team of experienced and qualified teachers can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and provide fantastic tips and advice to help you reach your goal!