IELTS General or Academic?

[OnTheFence]

Can anyone advise, my husband had completed the IETLS academic exam twice but isn’t scoring the required 8 in each section for the maximum amount of points for migration. He’s scored 7.5 in writing twice, which gives him enough for professional registration in Aus if we make it there but not enough for migration. When he was at the test centre there was someone else there who said that the IELTS General is all that’s needed for migration and it’s much easier than the academic.
 

Can anyone confirm if we should book a resit for the Academic or General please? It’s very expensive to keep resitting so if he can do the General for migration it would be so much easier!

[Ceebs-x]

20 minutes ago, OnTheFence said:

Can anyone advise, my husband had completed the IETLS academic exam twice but isn’t scoring the required 8 in each section for the maximum amount of points for migration. He’s scored 7.5 in writing twice, which gives him enough for professional registration in Aus if we make it there but not enough for migration. When he was at the test centre there was someone else there who said that the IELTS General is all that’s needed for migration and it’s much easier than the academic.
 

Can anyone confirm if we should book a resit for the Academic or General please? It’s very expensive to keep resitting so if he can do the General for migration it would be so much easier!

I’m of the understanding that the IELTS writing is the same in both general and academic, with the exception of part 1. Part 1 in general is to write a letter and within academic it is to report on data you are presented with. Part 2 should be the same for both (as far as I’m aware). Part 2 is worth more than part 1, you should allocate at least 40 minutes to complete it. 20 minutes at the most for part 1. 
 

The first time I sat the IELTS I got 9 in everything bar writing, which was 7.5. I did have to sit it again to get my 8.0. The key really is to meet their specific structuring and expectations. For example, with certain question types they expect a certain number of paragraphs. Mines the second time was an advantages, disadvantages and give your opinion question. This required five paragraphs in total, including introduction and conclusion. You also have to make a point, explain the point (“In other words” or “That is to say”), give an example of the point and then summarise it. It sounds like overkill, but it seems to be what they want, got me an 8.0. 
 

The introduction can be two or three sentences only. Do not waste time making it sound good, the main body is what matters. Same applies to the conclusion, you must have a conclusion or you will lose points. Do not introduce new points into the conclusion, it’s a summary of what’s already been stated. If it asks for your opinion, give it. 

[OnTheFence]

Thank you that’s really helpful but do you know if the Australian Government require us to have Academic or General as part of our application?

[Ceebs-x]

Just now, OnTheFence said:

Thank you that’s really helpful but do you know if the Australian Government require us to have Academic or General as part of our application?

I’m going through the process of applying and there isn’t an issue with my general IELTS. Most people only do the general IELTS, unless they are in the academic professions. Not sure if anyone will have anything else to contribute to this though, as obviously I’m only one person. Hasn’t been an issue for me thus far!

[Raplin45]

1 hour ago, OnTheFence said:

Can anyone advise, my husband had completed the IETLS academic exam twice but isn’t scoring the required 8 in each section for the maximum amount of points for migration. He’s scored 7.5 in writing twice, which gives him enough for professional registration in Aus if we make it there but not enough for migration. When he was at the test centre there was someone else there who said that the IELTS General is all that’s needed for migration and it’s much easier than the academic.
 

Can anyone confirm if we should book a resit for the Academic or General please? It’s very expensive to keep resitting so if he can do the General for migration it would be so much easier!

Hiya,

Absolutely not advice to do the same, but just for info - I sat my IELTS earlier this year, got above 8 for everything other than writing for which I got a 7.5. Disappointed and a little bit grumpy I requested it be re-marked - you pay for the pleasure but if they amend your score you get that refunded. They re-marked mine within a couple of days, bumped me up to an 8 and refund processed straight way.

It's a gamble, but if your husband is confident in what he did for the writing section it might be worth a punt.

[Ceebs-x]

Just now, Raplin45 said:

Hiya,

Absolutely not advice to do the same, but just for info - I sat my IELTS earlier this year, got above 8 for everything other than writing for which I got a 7.5. Disappointed and a little bit grumpy I requested it be re-marked - you pay for the pleasure but if they amend your score you get that refunded. They re-marked mine within a couple of days, bumped me up to an 8 and refund processed straight way.

It's a gamble, but if your husband is confident in what he did for the writing section it might be worth a punt.

I asked for a remark the first time because I had 9.0 on everything else and within two hours they told me no (result remained unchanged). I was a little insulted they made that decision so quickly haha. 

[Raplin45]

1 minute ago, Ceebs-x said:

I asked for a remark the first time because I had 9.0 on everything else and within two hours they told me no (result remained unchanged). I was a little insulted they made that decision so quickly haha. 

Oh damn! Maybe I got very lucky 

[Ceebs-x]

Interestingly, one of the IELTS employees was saying the likelihood of getting an 8.0 or above is so small that she wouldn’t fancy her chances herself. Seems like they might need to re-evaluate each section so they are all on the same level/standard. It is a bit unfair that the other sections (to a native English speaker) are extremely straight forward yet, it is extremely difficult to achieve a similar mark in the writing. The balance doesn’t seem quite right IMO. 

[Raplin45]

28 minutes ago, Ceebs-x said:

Interestingly, one of the IELTS employees was saying the likelihood of getting an 8.0 or above is so small that she wouldn’t fancy her chances herself. Seems like they might need to re-evaluate each section so they are all on the same level/standard. It is a bit unfair that the other sections (to a native English speaker) are extremely straight forward yet, it is extremely difficult to achieve a similar mark in the writing. The balance doesn’t seem quite right IMO. 

Yeah I agree, seen so many people who have English as a first language and various qualifications but struggle to get max points on the writing because you're trying to tick the IELTS box, not the 'actually good at English' box.

[Ausvisitor]

I stuffed up IELTS writing too, and I've got a master's in English and I write reports in my role as a management consultant that get published and sent out to tens if not hundreds of thousands of people.

Ielts definition of good at writing is not the same as the rest of the world's.

If you want a 8 in writing go on their expensive training courses and you will learn how to write the IELTS way and pass

Alternatively switch to the PTE test and probably get full marks straight away

[Sparkybaz]

Having taken both IELTS  and PTE I would personally recommend PTE, I found the process allot easier whilst also receiving the results the same day, however you need to be familiar with the way the exam works, there are plenty of videos on YouTube.

[wrussell]

Agree.