British Council / IDP / Cambridge

IELTS General Training

IELTS General Training is the version for work, training and migration, including to Canada, the UK and Australia. Listening and Speaking are shared with Academic; Reading and Writing use everyday and workplace texts.

Who it's for

IELTS General Training is for people migrating or going to work or do non-degree training in an English-speaking country - including Canadian permanent residence. For university study or professional registration, see IELTS Academic.

How it differs from Academic

Listening and Speaking are exactly the same in both versions. Only Reading and Writing change:

Reading - everyday texts: notices, advertisements, timetables, workplace documents and one longer general-interest text.
Writing Task 1 - write a letter (at least 150 words): ask for information or explain a situation, in a formal, semi-formal or informal tone.
Writing Task 2 - an essay on a general topic (at least 250 words).

Test structure

Listening - about 30 minutes, four recordings.
Reading - 60 minutes, everyday and work texts, 40 questions.
Writing - 60 minutes, two tasks (a letter, then an essay).
Speaking - 11 to 14 minutes, a face-to-face interview in three parts.

Scoring

Each skill is scored from 0 to 9 in half-band steps; the overall band is the average, rounded to the nearest half band. Canadian immigration programs map IELTS General bands to CLB levels - for example, CLB 9 is roughly 7.0 in Listening and 6.0 to 7.0 across the other skills.

For teachers

Focus letter-writing on tone (formal vs informal openings and closings) and clear purpose, and keep Reading practice fast and skimming-based for the everyday texts. Use the official band descriptors for feedback, and connect bands to CLB levels for migration-focused learners.