If you plan to migrate to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, taking an IELTS General Training test makes sense. Or if you are planning on studying in secondary education, or enrolling in vocational training, this might still be the right choice.

But if you plan to study in higher education or want professional registration in an English-speaking country, you might need to take an IELTS Academic test.

IELTS and IELTS for UKVI are exactly the same test in terms of format, content, scoring and level of difficulty. The only difference is an IELTS for UKVI test is approved by the UK Home Office for work, study and migration purposes.
If you take an IELTS for UKVI test, your test report form will be a little different to show that you have taken an IELTS for UKVI test at an approved IELTS test centre.

As IELTS is an international test, a variety of voices and native-speaker accents are used in both the General Training and Academic tests.

Of course!  Every test question that appears on the IELTS test is designed, screened and tested by Cambridge Assessment English (CAE) to ensure it meets standard requirements before being released as test material. This can take up to two years to ensure every question complies with our high standards  for  all test takers.
Our research  ensures  IELTS remains fair and unbiased for anyone who sits the test, regardless of nationality, background, gender or lifestyle. Our highly trusted  team  ensures every version of the test is of comparable difficulty. 

The Listening, Reading, and Writing parts of the test are completed immediately after each other on the same day. In some test centres, you will sit the Speaking test on the same day, or up to 7 days before or after your test date.
If you take IELTS on Computer, contact your test centre for more information on the Speaking test date.

IELTS Academic and General Training are two wholly separate types of test, for two different purposes. While some individual organisations may accept an Academic result in the place of a General Training one, this decision is up to them. You will need to contact your specific organisation to learn more.

You can book the IELTS test on our online booking system in a location that is convenient for you.

IELTS may be a requirement for entering your desired course in an educational institution. It is also used in many countries as a part of their migration assessment. If you are not sure as to why you might need to sit the IELTS test or about the score you need, contact the organisation you are applying to.

They will be able to provide further information, including whether native speakers need to complete the IELTS test. Even if English is your primary language, you will still need to prepare for the test.

The minimum age you can take IELTS varies by your location. In most countries there is no (minimum or maximum) age limit for the IELTS test. 
That being said, it  is not recommended that anyone under the age of 16 sits the test. Test takers under 18 will be chaperoned to  the test rooms,  from the test rooms, and  but not while  they  undertake their Speaking test.