Which IELTS should you take: general or academic?

Many candidates ask the question about which IELTS to take. Therefore, it has already become “an age-old question.” The answer, in fact, is quite simple – it depends on what one needs an IELTS certificate for.

The easiest way to find out which test format is right for you is to ask directly where it is required, for example, at a university, at a visa center or at a place of future work. If the institution does not provide such information, take the other way round.

Let’s say, Natalia is preparing to enter a university in Australia. She wants to obtain a Master of Business Degree from Melbourne University. Although she graduated from a Ukrainian university, the University of Melbourne has requested an IELTS test. To apply for this Master’s program, she will need to take an Academic IELTS.

Helen was on a trip to Ontario last year and met the love of her life. Now she is thinking of immigrating to Canada to be with him. As a part of her immigration application, Helen must submit an IELTS General certificate.

Many will argue that Academic IELTS is appropriate for (prospective) university students applying for university admission and programs in which English is the language of study. However, that’s not all. Many professionals and job seekers may find that they also need an Academic IELTS certificate. One of the most common examples is working in the medical field. If you have a desire to become a healthcare professional in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or Canada, you should provide an Academic IELTS certificate.

For a wide variety of medical professions, such as a physician, nurse, pharmacist, and even a laboratory assistant, this version of the test is required. That is because unlike General IELTS, the academic exam allows candidates to demonstrate reading and writing skills that are not necessarily a part of the everyday communicative experience with native speakers of English. These skills are different from writing and reading for general purposes.

Therefore, Oleh, a dentist who wants to apply for registration with the Dental Council of Australia, will need to submit an IELTS Academic certificate. Another example: Oleh, who is temporarily in England with a work holiday visa, which allows him to get a job to secure himself while traveling, found a new job at an IT company in London. After the interview, the company asked Oleh to prove his proficiency in English. Now he needs to pass IELTS Academic.

The main reason for taking IELTS Academic is that university students and professional staff must have strong English language skills sufficient to understand texts in professional and scholarly journals, textbooks, and relevant periodicals. Academic IELTS uses texts taken directly from such sources to test comprehension skills. Similarly, the Writing section of this version uses topics that will be relevant in academic and professional settings. Writing skills are tested to ensure that candidates have sufficient skills to write an essay at a college or university.

On the other hand, those who take General IELTS come across the language found in advertisements, guides, magazines, messages, or topics that employees may encounter in employee manuals. The Writing section examines candidates’ ability to perform basic tasks: writing letters or simple essays, etc.

This version of the test is suitable for all types of employment and emigration, if you want to go to Canada, USA, Ireland, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and other English-speaking countries. For example, if you decide to obtain a residence permit in Australia to stay with your grandchildren when you retire, you will need to pass General IELTS. The General IELTS certificate is used not only for emigration. International corporations sometimes use General IELTS results to assess their employees’ level of English. Therefore, in some cases, you can use your certificate to get a job.