IELTS General Training — the migration test, not the university one
Booking the wrong version of IELTS costs ~₹17,000 and a wasted weekend. GT is for UK / Australia / Canada / NZ migration, secondary school and training programmes — Reading is workplace texts, Writing Task 1 is a letter. Our mocks are blueprint-accurate to the live GT paper.
- British Council + IDP + Cambridge
- For migration visas (UK / AU / CA / NZ)
- Band 0-9 globally recognised
Hero photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash
The migration version of the world's most-taken English test
IELTS General Training (GT) is jointly owned by British Council, IDP IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English. It's the version you take when the goal is a visa, a job, or secondary school — not a degree.
- Conducting bodies: British Council · IDP IELTS Australia · Cambridge Assessment English (jointly).
- Mode: Paper-based or Computer-delivered — both accepted equally, identical scoring.
- Listening: 40 questions · 30 minutes · identical to IELTS Academic.
- Reading: 40 questions · 60 minutes · workplace notices, employee handbooks, job ads, magazine articles (easier than Academic).
- Writing: 60 minutes · Task 1 is a letter (formal / semi-formal / informal) · Task 2 is an essay.
- Speaking: 11-14 minutes · 3-part face-to-face interview with a human examiner · identical to Academic.
- Scoring: Band 0-9 per skill + an overall band (average of the four, rounded to the nearest half-band).
- Validity: 2 years from the test date — strictly enforced by migration authorities.
- Australia — Skilled visas (189/190/491)GT or Academic
- Canada — Express Entry / PNPGT only
- UK — Skilled Worker visaGT or Academic
- New Zealand — SMC / RVGT or Academic
- UK secondary schoolGT
- Indian university (UG/PG)Academic — not GT
Always reconfirm acceptance on the receiving body / immigration website — requirements change occasionally.
Same exam family, two very different papers
Listening and Speaking are 100% identical between GT and Academic. Reading and Writing are where the divergence lives — and that's exactly where wrong-version candidates lose marks.
Reading is workplace-flavoured
GT Section 1 = social survival (notices, ads). Section 2 = workplace (contracts, training material). Section 3 = a longer magazine-style article. No journal extracts.
Writing Task 1 is a letter
You'll write a 150-word letter — formal complaint, semi-formal request, informal note to a friend. Academic Task 1 (chart / diagram description) does not appear at all.
Listening + Speaking are identical
Same recordings, same 3-part interview structure, same band descriptors. Practising on Academic L + S material transfers 100% to GT.
Migration-focused, not study
Tasks are pitched at everyday adult life abroad — renting a flat, complaining about a faulty product, asking a manager for leave. Not Bloom's taxonomy.
What band you actually need to clear the cut
Snapshot of the most common migration pathways used by Indian applicants. Always cross-check the latest official threshold.
| Country / Visa | Minimum band | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia — Skilled Independent (subclass 189) | 6.0 each (Competent) | 7.0 each = Proficient (+10 pts) · 8.0 each = Superior (+20 pts) |
| Canada — Express Entry (FSW) | CLB 7 = L6.0 / R6.0 / W6.0 / S6.0 | CLB 9 = L8 / R7 / W7 / S7 — unlocks max language points |
| UK — Skilled Worker (general route) | CEFR B1 = 4.0 each | Healthcare workers + some shortage roles may need higher |
| New Zealand — Skilled Migrant (SMC) | 6.5 overall | No sectional minima for SMC; some occupations register higher |
| Canada — Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | CLB 7 for NOC 0/1, CLB 5 for NOC 2/3 | GT accepted; sectional minima apply |
| Australia — Subclass 190 (state-nominated) | 6.0 each + state ceiling | State sponsorship lists often demand 7.0 each in practice |
Cut-offs change. Always confirm with the official immigration authority before booking your test.
What you get on LanguageSkills.net
Full-length GT mocks
Each mock = 1 Listening + 1 GT Reading (workplace-flavoured) + 1 GT Writing (letter + essay) + 1 Speaking script. Timer enforces real-day pacing.
Band-accurate scoring
Listening + Reading machine-scored to the official 9-band raw-score table. Writing + Speaking AI-rubric scored against the four BC band descriptors.
Country-specific cut-tracker
Plug in your target visa (189 / Express Entry / Skilled Worker / SMC) — our dashboard shows whether your latest mock would clear, in green or red.
Mock packs · pay-as-you-go
Stack what you need. No subscription, no auto-renew.
Full-length AI-graded mocks
Pay-per-exam mock packs — no subscription. See current pricing and pick a pack on our plans page.
Continue with the full prep guide
The most asked IELTS GT questions
IELTS General Training vs IELTS Academic — which one do I need?+
What band scores do migration authorities actually want?+
Can I retake IELTS GT if my band is too low?+
Paper-based vs computer-based — is the scoring the same?+
When do I get my results and Test Report Form?+
Is IELTS GT accepted everywhere?+
How long is my band score valid?+
Find out today if your band clears your migration target
One blueprint-accurate IELTS GT mock. Country-specific cut-tracker. Band breakdown in under 24 hours.