IELTS comes in two versions: Academic, used for higher education and some professional registration, and General Training, used for migration, work and vocational study. The short answer: Listening and Speaking are identical in both; Reading and Writing differ; and Reading is converted using two different tables.
How the Reading conversion tables differ
According to the official conversion figures, out of 40 marks:
- Academic Reading: 15 for band 5, 23 for band 6, 30 for band 7, 35 for band 8.
- General Training Reading: 15 for band 4, 23 for band 5, 30 for band 6, 35 for band 7.
General Training sits exactly one band lower at every landmark. The reason IELTS gives is that Academic texts carry more difficult vocabulary and greater stylistic complexity, so a General Training candidate must answer more questions correctly to reach the same band.
This is the first thing to check on any practice paper you download: which version it is, and which table the marking uses. Many practice sites apply a single table to both — which tells General Training candidates they scored 7.0 when the honest figure is 6.0.
What differs in the papers themselves
Academic Reading uses three long texts drawn from books, journals and magazines, written for a non-specialist audience but in an academic register. General Training Reading uses shorter workplace and everyday texts — notices, advertisements, staff handbooks — with one longer text at the end.
Writing Task 1 is where the two diverge most:
- Academic Task 1: describe a chart, table, diagram or map.
- General Training Task 1: write a letter, formal, semi-formal or informal depending on the prompt.
Task 2 is an essay in both versions, though General Training prompts tend to stay closer to everyday life.
Choosing between them
Choose based on what the receiving institution requires, never on which looks easier. Universities usually require Academic. Migration routes and vocational programmes often accept General Training. Confirm the requirement before you book, because switching version after the test means sitting the test again.
Practising against the right version
A serious practice platform must distinguish the two versions in its data model, not merely as a display label. On LinguaGrade every IELTS test set carries an Academic or General Training module, and the raw-to-band conversion table is selected from that module when Reading is marked. A General Training paper is never scored against the Academic table.
If you practise from downloaded papers, do this manually: label the version on the file, and read the correct column of the table above.
Frequently asked questions
Is Listening different between the two versions?
No. Listening and Speaking are the same test with the same conversion table for both.
Is General Training easier?
The texts are linguistically easier, but the band thresholds are a full band higher, which cancels most of the advantage.
I practised with Academic papers but I am sitting General Training. Is that a problem?
You will know the question types, but your self-assessed bands will be one band optimistic, and you will not have practised letter writing — half of your Task 1 marks.