A lot of people are planning on going abroad for higher studies. As per the Indore experts, the IELTS is the most common among the language tests taken by students interested in study abroad programs. The IELTS exam includes two different types of modules:
- Academic
- General training
Therefore, it is essential that before choosing one of the tests, the students know all about the two. So, the IELTS coaching in Indore has compared the Academic and General. This article will aid the students in making an informed decision and choosing the right exam type by providing section-wise information on both exam types:
The Section Wise Comparison of Academic and General
Both types of IELTS exams comprise four sections. These assess the different language skills of the pupil. However, the distinctions lie between the tasks given in each section. A person wanting to pursue higher studies abroad takes the Academic test as it is more inclined toward those topics. Whereas, General training includes more common themes. Thus, making it the right test choice for immigration and work. The Indore experts have further explained all the various sections:
Reading Section
The Reading part in both exams consists of three texts and 40 questions. Moreover, the time for completion is set at 60 minutes. The variation in them is:
Academic:
- The text is usually taken from magazines, books, newspapers, and journals.
- The passages can be factual or descriptive.
- All three tasks have long texts.
- MCQs match the following, summary, short answers, etc. are the types of questions asked.
- The topics can be from biology, law, history, maths, arts and more.
General Training:
- The tasks are from instructions, ads, guidebooks, and manuals.
- These are the kinds of passages that people read in their day-to-day lives.
- The questions can be on matching headings, completing sentences, labeling, and more.
- Lifestyle, travel, work training, and topics of general interest are the usual text types.
Writing Section
The writing part is also 60 minutes long. Both the tests comprise two tasks of 150-250 and 250-350 words, respectively. However, according to the Indore experts, the task types are different:
Task 1
- For the Academic, it has a question asking the person to describe a map, table, graph, or diagram. They are asked to explain the data and draw a conclusion. The style of writing is formal for this task.
- In General, the person gets a situation. The task asks them to write an informal or formal letter on that situation. The use of a personal writing style is allowed within a limit.
Task 2
- In General, the child needs to write an essay on a common topic of daily life. On the other hand, in Academic, the issue is more scholarly. They have to provide a view and argument.
Listening Section
The listening test is the same in both kinds of the IELTS exam. The main features are as follows:
- It consists of about 30 minutes of the total exam time.
- The total count of questions is 40 in this part of the test.
- It involves two conversation and monologue recordings.
- The accents can be different, for example, North American or British.
- The context can be social or scholastic.
Speaking Section
Academic and General both have the same tasks in the case of the speaking section. These include:
- It is of 11 to 14 minutes.
- The tasks focus on communication skills.
- The first one is an introduction of self.
- The second one involves a cue card. The person needs to speak about the topic on the cue card.
- The third task is a further discussion about the cue card’s theme.
These are the general differences and similarities, as per the Indore experts, of the two IELTS tests. Let’s now see the eligibility criteria for the same:
Eligibility Criteria for Both the IELTS Exam
The eligibility criteria for the IELTS exam do not contain any age limit. That means anyone who wants to go abroad for studies and work can take this test. But the authorities suggest that the person appearing for it should be 16 years and above. This is to ensure that the person has some basic knowledge of the language. Other than that, there is no compulsory academic requirement as well. The only thing that is most essential for registration is the passport. Without a passport that is valid, no person is allowed to undertake the exam. It also serves as identification proof at the exam centre.
Conclusion
Summing up, the IELTS coaching in Indore believes that the reason why the person is going abroad will help him decide which test to take. In addition, some people feel that the general training is a little bit easier as compared to the academic. This can be because the tasks in it are about themes from everyday life. It must be clear from the above article that the two exams only differ in the reading and writing sections. Otherwise, the IELTS exam eligibility, speaking and listening are the same for both. For more details on both tests, a person can also connect with study abroad consultants like Gradding, IDP, etc.
