MikeSplicer

Just filling in my IELTS app form.....

Its the General Training NOT the Academic isn't it?

Just being safe

Mike

tomar

Yes general, if you have a UK passport, or other appropriate one. Good luck

MikeSplicer

Thanks

Sorchar

If I read it correctly, the academic reading and writing modules are for those who wish to study at undergraduate and postgraduate level, admission to these courses being based upon the results.

slackbloke

It doesn't matter, you can do either. It is probably more suitable to do the General if you haven't studied recently but the scoring is the same and they get treated the same in terms of the points based test.

fenton1975

The academic ones seem to be every fortnight at most test centres and the general not very often.

I would need to wait until mid June to take a general one, so I can still take an academic and use that in my application?

Does anyone know the difference - is the academic more difficult?

Thanks

Jen1977ni

The Academic is much harder, the Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests, but the Reading and Writing are different, and the study guide I used had academic reading and writing in, and trust me, the topics alone were much more 'academic' as opposed to 'general' in content and difficulty!

If you hold a UK passport and therefore already have the 15 points for English Competency, you can do what I did. I submitted my visa application in February, did my IELTS in March and attached my IELTS results in April when they eventually came through.

What passport do you hold?

fenton1975

Its a UK one.

I plan to do my online app this week.

I'm not going to be able to do my IELTS general (after reading your post - thanks for the info!) until 13th June, does it usually take a month for the results?

I received my ACS skills assessment pass through today so am keen to move on and don't want to be in the position where the ACS approval has expired.

Do you think I can still apply online this week, even though I won't be able to provide IELTS results until mid Aug?

Jen1977ni

If you do your IELTS 13th June, the results will be posted 13 days later on the 26th, and should be with you by the end of the month (I know of one girl on here who actually got her results, in the post, on the 13th day!) I did my IELTS in Dublin because I didn't want to wait til the end of May for the Belfast one: Exam 21st March, Results 8th April, but that was due to slow snailmail from Dublin to the North....

Also I believe, if you do your exam in the UK, you can get your results from this website, on the 13th day....

http://ielts-results.britishcouncil....s/frmMain.aspx

Jen1977ni

Also, do study, I did and luckily it paid off!

fenton1975

Excellent - thanks for all the info!! Really not looking forward to it but going to study! Did you purchase study material or research from the web?

Jen1977ni

I'll PM you the link for the study guide/practice tests I used...

collett

so is it ok to apply without the test results then?

Jen1977ni

Do you have a UK passport?

collett

yes

Just seen your replies and tony's on my own thread - most useful forum in the world this! thanks for your help