How IELTS for Work is Different from IELTS for Study?

International English Language Testing System is a testing system that is widely recognized as proof of English proficiency as a second language. This system is collective management of The British Council, Cambridge English Language Assessment, and IDP Education Australia.

Generally taken, this exam is a first step to have your growth in your career and your ambitions in life. If you are planning to study abroad, work in a business enterprise, or apply or register for a visa for any settlement or job purposes, you are expected to pass an IELTS test. It is a criterion to be passed for the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand.

IELTS is of two types

• Academic.
• General Training.

1. Academic test is taken for those students who want to study for any undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

2. General Training test is conducted for those who want to settle for work purposes or for any secondary education or vocational program.

IELTS For Study

So, if you have a passion or looking forward to studying abroad, or you have recently qualified for your senior secondary in your hometown and want to pursue an undergraduate or postgraduate course, an academic IELTS test is there for you. It fills the gap between your reality and your dreams.

What does it measure?

This academic test is conducted to check your ability to start studying in the English language. It would include all the academic vocabulary which will be helpful for your chosen course.

Steps to register

• First of all, have a dream of a country where you are focusing to settle.
• Then, thorough research of all the colleges or universities should be done at the student’s level as a student needs to study.
• Find out the courses available as per your interest and select the best possible academic institution for that.
• Fill out the form available at www.ieltsidpindia.com or www.britishcouncil.in
• Click on ‘Register for test’.
• Select your nearest test location out of 1600 locations in over 140 countries in the world.
• After filling out the form, do the necessary payments. (In between, select the colleges or universities where you want to send your test scores. Maximum 5 of that can be chosen).
• Collect your receipt and get the written confirmation printed of the test dates and timings.

Minimum band requirement for different countries?

There is no clear-cut answer to the above question. Each and every English-speaking country has its own criteria for band requirements and that, too, varies for different universities and colleges.

1. Canada- For Canada, the desired band score is 6.5 overall where it should not be less than 6.0 in each module.

For some top universities there, band requirement escalates to 7.0 and 7.5 overall.

2. Australia- For Australia, the band score should be 5.5 or 6.0.

Again, it should be 8.0 for some of the top universities there.

3. the United States- For America, the desired band score is 7.0 overall.

Also read: How is an IELTS Band Score Calculated?

IELTS For Work

Another type of IELTS test is General Training Test which is conducted for those who want to appear for any secondary education or vocational courses or for work-related purposes. The test generally appears for those who want to possess a work permit visa.

What is the measure?

A General Training test is a little harder than an academic one as it is conducted to check the basic English speaking in social or work environments. It features to check your casual or formal language skills.

It is further of two types:-

• Competent English
• Vocational English

These tests are much more than your basic conversational English.

How to register?

• Have a dream for a country where you are focussing.
• If you are going on for any course, research for that.
• It can be done through consultation via visa counselors in your city.
• Fill out the form available at www.ieltsidpindia.com or www.britishcouncil.in.
• Pay for the necessary fees and get out the printed receipts.
• · Print out the written confirmation for your test dates and timings.

Minimum band requirements for different countries:-

As earlier mentioned for an academic test, score requirements vary in different countries.

1. United Kingdom Band score requirement is 6.5 for every module.

2. Australia It is 5.0 for vocational courses.

It is 6.0 for the competent test.

3. New Zealand To carry out working there, band requirements may range from 4.0 to 8.0

4. Canada Range is 5.0 to 9.0

It varies for every organization there in Canada.

Difference between the paper patterns of academic and general Training tests-

Let’s talk about the paper patterns of both types of tests. Basically, English proficiency is tested on the basis of four language skills, that is, reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Similarly, both the tests have the same number of modules but with little differentiation in the writing and reading modules of IELTS.

1. Listening module

The listening module is exactly the same in the case of IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

It is an exam of 30 to 40 minutes.

• The question paper consists of 4 sections having varied types of questions in it. (Multiple choice, map type, graph, diagram, fill-ups, etc.)
• Audio will be played to which you have to listen and answer the questions accordingly.
• Carry out those answers on the final exam answer sheet.

2. Speaking module

It is again the exact same module for both types of tests.

This exam is conducted for 11 to 14 minutes and it is a one-to-one interview.

• Three rounds are there in the exam.
• First-round is the general introduction round where casual questions will be asked.
• The second round is a cue card speaking where a 2-minute speech is expected on some random topic.
• The third round is a follow-up question round where questions will be asked related to the topic of the second round only.

3. Reading module

IELTS Academic reading

• 3 long passages.
• 40 questions booklet.
• 1-hour time limit.
• No extra time to transfer answers on the sheet.
• Question types- multiple-choice questions, Fill ups, paragraph headings, matchups, etc.

IELTS General Training reading

• 3 sections
• The first section has 2 or 3 several shorter texts which can be extracted from magazines, journals, company handbooks, etc.
• The second section has 2 shorter texts.
• The third section has one long passage.
• Time limit 1 hour.
• Booklet of 40 questions.

4. Writing module

IELTS Academic Writing

• Task 1- Report Writing

Word limit of a minimum of 150 words.

Graph, diagram, pie chart, table, flowchart, etc. Is to be illustrated.

• Task 2- Essay Writing

Word limit of a minimum of 250 words.

IELTS General Training Writing

• Task 1- Letter Writing

Word limit of a minimum of 150 words.

Formal, semi-formal, or informal letter types will be there.

• Task 2- Essay writing (same as academic)

IELTS is a general testing system of your English language proficiency as a second language. If you are interested in migrating abroad, a test criterion is to be fulfilled via an authorized organization of IDP or BC. IELTS test for work or for study fully depends on your choice and what are your ambitions and your career goals.