Hi Walter,

A very good article and helps to sort out the fact from fantasy when it comes to the differences between these two tests.

For people interested in taking the IELTS exam do remember that there are two different IELTS exams - academic and general.

The academic IELTS exam is for students wanting to go overseas to study in a college or university.

The general IELTS exam is if you are moving overseas to work or retire.

There are some differences between the two exams but lets look at each part of the test to see what these are:

Speaking - the same for both exams

Listening - the same for both exams

Reading - the format is the same in both exams but the texts in the general exam are shorter.

Writing -

Task 1 - a report for the academic exam / a letter for the general exam

Task 2 - the same for both exams

Students of academic and general IELTS exams can find free IELTS writing material on - http://www.ieltsedits.com

or contact - ieltsedits@gmail.com