Take Academic for university study and some professional registration, and General Training for work, training or migration. Listening and Speaking are the same in both; Reading and Writing Task 1 are different, and General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band.
At a glance
- Same in both
- Listening (40 questions) and Speaking (11–14 minutes)
- Reading
- Academic: three long academic passages. General Training: everyday notices, workplace texts and one longer general text
- Writing Task 1
- Academic: describe a chart or diagram. General Training: write a letter
- Writing Task 2
- An essay in both, on similar kinds of topics
What it means in practice
- Check what your university, employer or immigration authority asks for before you book; the requirement decides, not the difficulty.
- If you take General Training, remember its Reading table is stricter: about 34 out of 40 for Band 7, against about 30 in Academic.
- Practise the right Writing Task 1: charts and processes for Academic, letters for General Training.
Common mistakes
- Booking the wrong module. Results from one cannot be swapped for the other.
- Assuming General Training is easier overall. The texts are simpler, but the band table asks for more correct answers.
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