The IELTS General Training exam assesses a candidate’s ability to communicate in English in a realistic, daily environment. People take IELTS General Training in order to learn or train in high school college, or to move to an English-speaking world. However, it is required by a number of other countries in order to gain entry to a university or to migrate. Depending on when you took the exam, you should plan the speech test up to a week before or after the other exams. However, the other elements of the exam (listening, reading, and writing) will all take place on the same day, with no gaps in between. Leading up to the exam, your test centre will inform you of the schedule.
In this article, you will read about GT reading band score, score chart, calculation and more. Read the sections thoroughly to not miss out on anything important.
IELTS Exam: Academic and General Training
This exam is recognised in over 80 countries, including China and the United States. It is a high stake English exam for study, relocation, or jobs. Every year, thousands of applicants take it, and its success is growing faster than ever before. So, if you do need to take a language testing exam to demonstrate your command of the English language, it is the way to go.
It tests credibility is protected and ensured by biometric authentication, a safe registration process, uniform and equal tests, competent examiners, and clarity in the evaluation and result publication. You may not need to be concerned with the integrity or clarity of an exam if you take it.
IELTS Test Types
IELTS is divided into two categories: Academic and General training. Both assessments measure the ability to communicate in English by listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
IELTS Academic
The IELTS Academic exam is appropriate for students who wish to study in an English-speaking setting or at a university. IELTS Academic can also be used for professional registration.
The exam determines whether you are prepared to begin training in English. It contains terminology that is often used in scholarly settings.
Also Read: How to Answer Flow Chart Questions in IELTS? Guide to Boost IELTS Score
IELTS General Training
The IELTS General Training exam is appropriate for students applying to study at a lower level than a bachelor’s degree. This involves a school or college that is taught in English. It may also be used for work experience or other job-related preparation.
For immigration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, General Training is also needed. The exam focuses on daily English language skills that you would use in social and professional settings.
How are These Two Tests Different?
IELTS Speaking Test
The Academic and General Training IELTS Speaking tests are the same. It takes between 11 and 14 minutes. This portion of the assessments consists of a face to face interview with no interruptions or distractions. It’s a formal discussion on a well-known topic.
IELTS Reading Test
It takes 60 minutes to complete the General Training Reading exam. It is divided into three parts. Section 1 can include two or three short texts or a set of shorter texts. The second part is made up of two messages. Eventually, there is a long text in Segment 3. The texts are usually taken from announcements or ads. It can also provide text from corporate handbooks, government records, books, and newspapers. The Academic exam is still 60 minutes long, but it has three lengthy texts. These quotations come from books, papers, newspapers, and websites. Don’t fret, the texts have been chosen with a non-specialist audience in mind.
Also Read: IELTS Reading Practice Questions- Finding Information in the Passage | Understanding the Black Hole
IELTS Writing Test
The IELTS Writing exam, like the Reading test, lasts 60 minutes. You must write letters (150 words) and a brief essay for the General Training Writing exam (250 words). The Academic Writing exam is usually quite formal. The first assignment requires you to explain a table, map, or diagram (150 words). For the second assignment, you must compose a brief essay (250 words).
IELTS Listening Test
The Listening test lasts about 30 minutes. The same is true for Academic and General Training. This section of the exam is divided into four parts, each with ten questions. The first two are about daily social situations. Sections 3 and 4 are concerned with educational and training environments.
IELTS Band Score
If the total of the 4 individual scores is less than 0.25, the final score will be summarily executed to the next half band.
If the sum of the 4 individual scores is less than 0.75, the final score will be summarily executed to the next entire band.
Individual scores and total band scores are significant to some people. This can be determined by the purpose you are undertaking the test.
IELTS Band Score Scale
Your band score is intended to accurately measure your level of expertise in all four facets of English that are writing, speaking, reading, and listening.
This information will then be used by different agencies to determine whether you will be able to effectively learn, serve, or live in the nation to which you are aiming.
Band 9: Expert User
Band 8: Very Good User
Band 7: Good User
Band 6: Competent User
Band 5: Moderate User
Band 4: Limited User
Band 3: Extremely Limited User
Band 2: Intermittent User
Band 1: Non User
Listening Band Score Chart
There are 40 questions on the listening segment. Each right answer earns one point. The result of the 40-point scale is then translated to the 9 band scale.
Check out the table below for more details
| Points Score | Band Score |
| 39 – 40 | 9 |
| 37 – 38 | 8.5 |
| 35 – 36 | 8 |
| 32 – 34 | 7.5 |
| 30 – 31 | 7 |
| 26 – 29 | 6.5 |
| 23 – 25 | 6 |
| 18 – 22 | 5.5 |
| 16 – 17 | 5 |
| 13 – 15 | 4.5 |
| 11 – 12 | 4 |
Reading Band Score Chart
The reading segment also includes 40 questions, with one point awarded for each right answer. The result of the 40-point scale is then translated to the 9 band scale.
The Academic and General Reading exams, however, are graded differently, as can be seen in the tables below. They display the average amount of marks needed to reach a certain band grade, but this can vary significantly between exams due to differences in the texts used on various occasions.
A higher number of questions must be answered correctly in a General Reading test to obtain a band score than in an Academic Reading test.
The distinction between the Academic and General Reading assessments is based on the genre or form of content. The Academic Reading test would most likely have texts with greater difficulty and more complicated vocabulary.
To learn what is IELTS GT reading? Go through the chart below.
Also Read: Does the IELTS Essay Question Repeat? Here’s all about the IELTS Writing Task 2
Academic Reading
| Point Score | Band Score |
| 39 – 40 | 9 |
| 37 – 38 | 8.5 |
| 35 – 36 | 8 |
| 33 – 34 | 7.5 |
| 30 – 32 | 7 |
| 27 – 29 | 6.5 |
| 23 – 26 | 6 |
| 19 – 22 | 5.5 |
| 15 – 18 | 5 |
| 13 – 14 | 4.5 |
| 10 – 12 | 4 |
| 8 – 9 | 3.5 |
| 6 – 7 | 3 |
IELTS General Reading: GT Reading Band Score Chart
Below is a table of IELTS GT reading band score to help you get an idea of the scoring.
| Point Score | Band Score |
| 40 | 9 |
| 39 | 8.5 |
| 37 – 38 | 8 |
| 36 | 7.5 |
| 34 – 35 | 7 |
| 32 – 33 | 6.5 |
| 30 – 31 | 6 |
| 27 – 29 | 5.5 |
| 23 – 26 | 5 |
| 19 – 22 | 4.5 |
| 15 – 18 | 4 |
| 12 – 14 | 3.5 |
| 9 – 11 | 3 |
GT Reading Band Score Calculator Examples
This is how you can calculate your reading band score
Reading 6.5 + Writing 5.5 + Speaking 6.0 + Listening 6.5 = 24.5. Divide 24.5 by 4 = 6.125
Reading 3.5 + Writing 4.0 + Speaking 4.0 + Listening 4.0 = 19.5. Divide 19.5 by 4 = 3.875
IELTS Preparation Tips for 2021
The IELTS is a vital exam that must be taken by any applicant who wishes to be admitted for undergraduate or postgraduate study at a university abroad. Candidates who want to do well in the exam must study thoroughly before taking it. Typically, applicants with a strong knowledge of the English language find it simple to take the exam. A candidate’s typical preparation period for the exam is three months.
Applicants must plan thoroughly for all parts of the IELTS 2021 in order to achieve a high overal ranking. Follow the thorough tips and guidance for test preparation given below, and you could be among the highest scorers.
General Preparation Tips for IELTS
Applicants should consider the following tips in mind as they prepare for the 2021 exam:
# Applicants must browse for, import, and practise sample papers on the IELTS official website.
# Applicants should become acquainted with the testing layout and pattern.
# Applicants should become familiar with the exam pattern for the particular exam they choose to take, i.e. IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training.
# Candidates should also prepare for the test under the time constraints for each particular part of the test.
# During practise, applicants should analyze their responses and match them to the response sheet given.
# To prepare well for IELTS 2021, candidates can refer to some good English Language Books.
# Candidates can get best in class courses for IELTS with specialised mentors in IELTS Ninja
Conclusion
We hope that this GT reading explained article was the one you were looking for.
If you want to study abroad, the IELTS exam is one of the crucial factors in the requirements list. The higher the band score, the better colleges will be offered to you. Therefore to start your education in abroad countries, you must try to achieve a good band score. You can take online courses which will level up your home preparation. IELTS Ninja is a perfect platform for you. Get a course according to your difficulty level, and score your dream band.
Also Read: IELTS Writing Task 2 Topics with Answers: Here’re the Previous Year Question Paper at Your Rescue
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