Choosing a test depends on your goal! If you want to study in any English Speaking country, then IELTS Academic is the right choice. In case of work or immigration purpose, you should take General IELTS or UKVI or Life Skill. You must match your requirement before choosing a test.
IELTS Academic is perfect if you want to pursue a Bachelor’s or a postgraduate degree programme, or seek professional registration in the UK. Professional registration means you will gain certified recognition for your profession. You will be entitled to use qualification titles, such as engineer (Eng.) or technician (Tech.).
IELTS General Training is probably best for you if you want to study below degree level, or you want to work and/or emigrate to the UK or another English-speaking country.
IELTS Life Skills
The IELTS Life Skills is a new UK Government-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) version of the IELTS test. It is used to support UK Visa and Immigration applications and is designed for international English speakers who need to meet specific immigration requirements. Candidates are required to demonstrate speaking and listening skills only.
IELTS Life Skills A1 (16-18 minutes) – You should take this test if your English speaking and listening skills need to be evaluated because you are applying for a family, spouse or partner visa from UK Visas and Immigration.
IELTS Life Skills B1 (22 minutes) – Tests your English speaking and listening skills. You should take this test if you are an UK Visa applicant for citizenship/residence. Level B1 of CEFR corresponds to an IELTS band score of 4.0.
Standard and UKVI test versions
The non-UKVI and the UKVI test have exactly the same options: Academic, General Training and IELTS Life Skills. However, they involve different anti-fraud measures at the test location.
You can still choose between the IELTS Academic, General Training or IELTS Life Skills for UKVI tests, but you must ensure that you sit the exam at a centre authorised by the British Home Office.
Around 10% of the almost 1,000 standard IELTS test locations are UKVI-approved test centres. IELTS tests for UK Visas and Immigration are managed by the IELTS SELT Consortium, which includes the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment. After you have taken the UKVI test, you will receive an IELTS Test Report Form which shows that you have taken your test in line with the UKVI requirements.
The UKVI test is slightly more expensive than the standard IELTS test. There are also different test dates for the two versions, depending on the SELT testing centres available.
