If you plan to study in higher education or seek professional registration, you can take an IELTS Academic . Or if you want to study in secondary education, work or migrate to an English-speaking country, IELTS General Training might be right for you.
Where you want to study, work or migrate to will affect which test you need to take. If you want to go to the United Kingdom, you will need to specifically take an IELTS for UKVI. This can either be an IELTS Academic for UKVI, IELTS General Training for UKVI, or the IELTS Life Skills A1 or B1.
Make sure you visit the relevant government or institutional websites to confirm which test you need to take, as government agencies, institutions and other recognising organisations set their own IELTS entry requirements.
IELTS Academic and General Training are two wholly separate types of test, for two different purposes. While some individual organisations may accept an Academic result in the place of General Training, this decision is up to them. You will need to contact your specific organisation to learn more.
The band score you need to study abroad is set by the institution to which you are applying and not by IELTS.
The score needed to apply to a course may vary based on the institution or course you want to apply for. If you are not sure what band score you need to apply for your desired course, check out our Who accepts IELTS page or double-check with the institution you wish to apply to.
The band score you need to migrate to a particular country varies. Check our Who accepts IELTS page to check what band score you need.