IELTS Exam

The listening section is the same for both versions of IELTS (Academic and General Training).
There are three parts and you will hear the recording only once.
Section 1: a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context (eg a conversation about accommodation).
Section 2: a monologue set in an everyday social context (eg a speech about local facilities or about arrangements for meals during a conference).
Section 3: a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context (e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment, or a group of people planning a project).

Academic
There are three sections, each containing one long text.
The articles are taken from books, magazines and newspapers covering academic topics of general interest.
Texts range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. Texts may contain nonverbal materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations.

General Training
There are three sections.
Section 1 contains two or three short factual texts regarding everyday life.
Section 2 contains two short factual texts focusing on work-related issues.
Section 3 contains a longer, more complex test on a topic of general interest.

Academic
There are two parts.
Task 1, you are presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and are asked to summarize and report the information in your own words. You may be asked to select and compare data, describe the stages of a process, describe an object or how something works.
Task 2, you are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.

General
There are two parts.
Task 1, you are presented with a situation and are asked to write a letter explaining the situation.
Task 2, you are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score.

The speaking section is the same for both versions of IELTS (Academic and General Training).
There are three parts and the testis recorded.
Part 1: Introduction and interview (4-5 minutes).
The examiner introduces him/herself and asks you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. The examiner asks general questions on familiar topics.
Part 2: Individual long turn (3-4 minutes). The examiner gives you a task card that asks you to talk about a particular topic, you are given one minute to prepare your talk.
Part 3: Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes). The examiner asks further questions that are connected to the topic of Part 2, giving the opportunity to discuss the topic further.