IELTS Academic vs General Training: which one for Australia

IELTS Academic is for university study and professional registration. IELTS General Training is for work, secondary study and migration. Listening and Speaking are identical, Reading and Writing Task 1 differ, and in the Home Affairs tables we checked, either version is accepted at the same scores.

IDP, which runs IELTS in Australia, describes the two tests like this. We have left the wording as IDP wrote it, so you can see exactly who it thinks each test is for.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs does not sort tests by these labels. In the tables we checked it lists both versions side by side, with the same scores. That is covered below, and it is the part that settles most Australian cases.

Both versions have four parts: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. IDP says the Listening and Speaking parts are the same in the two tests. The Reading passages and Writing Task 1 are where you will notice the difference.

How long each part takes

IDP's format page gives these timings for both versions. The total is 2 hours and 45 minutes. You sit Listening, Reading and Writing in one go, and your Speaking test can be on the same day or up to a week either side, depending on your centre.

Our reading: Academic Reading asks you to cope with longer, more argued passages. General Training Reading asks you to work through more, shorter, everyday texts such as notices and handbooks. Neither is a shortcut. If you read English news and reports easily, Academic Reading will feel natural. If you read mostly instructions and messages, the General Training texts will feel closer to home.

That last sentence is the one most people miss. Both tests report on the same 9-band scale, but the Reading marks you need are different. IELTS publishes these average marks out of 40:

Read across one row to see the effect. A raw score of 30 out of 40 in Reading is band 7 on the Academic test and band 6 on General Training. IELTS adds that these are averages: the exact marks vary slightly from one test version to the next. For the full table, mark by mark, see our IELTS band score chart.

Listening and Speaking are scored the same way in both versions, and Writing is marked against the same four criteria in both. So the Reading marks are the main scoring difference. Neither owner says one version is easier overall, so choose by what you need and what suits you.

Home Affairs lists IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training as two separate accepted tests, and it accepts One Skill Retake on both for eligible visas. Check the visa page, and for the Temporary Graduate visa finish any One Skill Retake before you lodge. Then, for each English level it asks about, it sets the same scores for both versions. Here are the levels it uses for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, with the IELTS result it asks for:

The same pattern holds for the student visa. On the subclass 500 table for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training both show 6.0 as the minimum. Both show 5.5 if the principal course is accompanied by at least 10 weeks of ELICOS, a Foundation (Standard/Extended) program or an eligible Pathway program, and 5.0 if it is accompanied by at least 20 weeks of ELICOS. ELICOS means English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students, and Home Affairs says the 10 and 20 weeks are a minimum. Home Affairs gives these as overall scores.

IDP puts a different point: "The IELTS General Training test is the only non-academic test of English accepted for migration to Australia." Both statements are true together. General Training is the only non-academic option, and it is not the only accepted option. Academic results are accepted too for the visas above, which is why a student who already holds Academic can often use it.

That rule catches people out. IELTS Online, the version you take at home, is not accepted for Australian visas. Book a test at a test centre.

That 3 years is Home Affairs' general line, and its own pages give shorter windows for some cases. Its Student visa page asks for a test completed within the 2 years before you lodged your application (or, at Streamlined Evidence level, within the 2 years before a decision is made). Its functional English page asks for a test result from the 12 months before your visa application. Check the page for your visa subclass before you rely on an older result.

A common question is about the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), Post-Higher Education Work stream. Home Affairs' table for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025 has one column for IELTS Academic and one for IELTS General Training. The numbers in the two columns are identical.

So for the 485 you can book whichever version suits you. These are the scores for most applicants: Home Affairs says you can instead show evidence that you are a citizen of, and hold a valid passport from, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand or the Republic of Ireland, and it gives holders of British National (Overseas) or Hong Kong passports a separate table with lower IELTS minimums. Our reading: you studied in English at an Australian university, so Academic content (graphs, argued texts) is probably familiar. If you would rather write a letter than describe a chart, General Training may suit you better, and you will need more correct Reading answers for the same band. Either way, check the score table on Home Affairs' own 485 page the week you book, because the department sets it.

Universities and professional bodies set their own rules, and many name the Academic test. The clearest Australian example is health registration. Ahpra, the health practitioner regulator, publishes this about the tests the National Boards accept:

Ahpra's list of accepted tests names IELTS Academic only. It does not list General Training. If you are registering with one of the National Boards, such as a nurse or a doctor, book Academic and check your Board's page. Our Ahpra English requirements page has the scores.

For anything that is not a visa or health registration, ask the organisation which version it wants and write the answer down. If the requirement says only "IELTS", ask in writing whether Academic or General Training. A one-line email now is cheaper than a second test.

IDP's update page says paper test dates ran in Australia only until 28 June 2026. That affects both versions. It is the same test, delivered on a computer. IDP says nothing changes in content or scoring.

If you prefer to write by hand, IDP's preparation hub describes an IELTS on computer (Writing on Paper) option in which you handwrite your Writing tasks. Check that your centre offers it when you book.

Two other changes matter for visa applicants. Home Affairs changed its list of approved tests on 7 August 2025, and it has accepted IELTS One Skill Retake for eligible visas since 14 December 2022. And one thing has not changed: the fee is the same for both versions. Our IELTS voucher codes page covers what IDP does and does not discount.

1. Find the exact wording of the requirement: the visa page, the university entry page or the registration standard. Copy the test name as written.
2. If it names one version, book that version. If it lists both with the same scores, you are free to choose.
3. If you are free to choose, compare your own strengths. Do you describe charts and write essays comfortably, or do you write letters and handle everyday texts better?
4. Remember that the same Reading band takes more correct answers on General Training. Aim a little higher on practice scores if you pick it.
5. Book a computer test at a test centre. Do not rely on a home test for a visa or registration.

If you have already booked the wrong version, IDP says you can change a booking once, free of charge, before your original test date, and that changing the module, from Academic to General Training or the other way round, counts as a change. IDP says the rules apply to bookings made on or after 1 July 2025.

This page is a plain summary of what the owners say, not migration advice. The visa page, the university and the registration board decide, so use their wording over ours. When you know which version you need, our IELTS courses page lists the free and paid ways to prepare for it.

Common questions