Last updated September 16, 2026
Short answer: Listening, Speaking and Writing Task 2 are the same test, with the same scale, in IELTS Academic and General Training, so ParrotTalk's 4 Listening tests, Speaking tests and Task 2 checker apply to you as they are, free and with no sign-up. Two things differ. General Training Reading has three sections of everyday texts and a stricter conversion table: ParrotTalk has Academic passages only, useful for reading fast and for the question types, and the General Training table is on the band score calculator. General Training Writing Task 1 is a letter: the Task 1 checker page has a letter checklist, but the checker does not mark letters.
| Section | General Training vs Academic | On ParrotTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | Identical test, identical scale. | 4 tests with answer keys, usable as they are. |
| Speaking | Identical test, identical criteria. | 4 tests with AI feedback, usable as they are. |
| Writing Task 2 | Same essay task, same criteria. | Task 2 checker, usable as it is. |
| Reading | Three sections of everyday texts, stricter conversion table. | Academic passages only, Academic scale; General Training table on the calculator. |
| Writing Task 1 | A letter instead of a report. | Letter checklist on the Task 1 page; the checker marks reports, not letters. |
These three sections are the same paper and the same marking in both versions of IELTS, so nothing on these pages needs adapting.
4 tests of four recorded sections and 40 questions in about 30 minutes, audio played once, automatic scoring and a band on the single Listening table used for Academic and General Training. Each test has its own page with the section topics and the full answer key.
4 tests of three parts, about 12 minutes, recorded in the browser: Part 1 questions, a Part 2 cue card with one minute of preparation and two minutes to talk, a Part 3 discussion. The AI examiner returns an estimated band on the four criteria with feedback, in seconds.
The essay task: 250 words in about 40 minutes, marked on Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy in both versions. The checker returns one band per criterion, an overall band and the sentences that cost marks.
General Training Reading has three sections that move from short everyday texts (notices, adverts, timetables) to workplace documents and then one longer general text, and its conversion table asks for more correct answers for the same band. ParrotTalk's 4 Reading tests use Academic passages, three per test with 40 questions in 60 minutes; they train the skills and the question types that both versions share (True/False/Not Given, multiple choice, sentence completion, summary completion, matching headings) and reading against the clock, not the everyday texts. On the Reading page you can tick General Training before you start: the passages and the Academic scale do not change, and the result then carries a note that on the real General Training scale the same raw score sits about one band lower. Read your raw score out of 40 on the General Training table of the band score calculator.
In General Training, Task 1 is a letter (formal, semi-formal or informal) of at least 150 words in about 20 minutes, where Academic asks for a report on a graph, chart, table, diagram, map or process. The Task 1 questions in ParrotTalk's checker are Academic reports, so the checker does not mark letters: a letter pasted into it would be marked against a report question. The Task 1 checker page gives a General Training letter checklist instead (the three bullet points covered, a tone that matches the reader, an opening and a closing that fit, a clear purpose, at least 150 words); the four criteria and the 150-word minimum are the same in both versions.
The full IELTS mock test runs the four sections in the exam order and with the real timings, then gives a band per section and an overall band. Its General Training mode is the same choice as on the Reading page: the mock's Reading section is the Reading page itself, so you tick General Training before the passages, the passages and the Academic scale stay as they are, and the Reading result carries the note that the real General Training scale sits about one band lower. Listening uses the table common to both versions, and Writing Task 1 in the mock is an Academic report. The Quick Mock Test gives the four sections in a short version, about 50 minutes; its Reading result carries no General Training note.
Yes for three of the four sections without any caveat: Listening, Speaking and Writing Task 2 are the same test, with the same scale, in Academic and General Training, so the 4 Listening tests, the Speaking tests and the Task 2 checker apply to you as they are. Reading and Writing Task 1 differ between the two versions, and ParrotTalk's content for those two is Academic: useful for the skills and the question types, with the limits stated on this page.
No. There is no General Training Reading passage on ParrotTalk: the 12 passages are Academic texts, three per test. They train the same skills (skimming, scanning, reading against the clock) and the same question types (True/False/Not Given, multiple choice, sentence and summary completion, matching headings), but the everyday texts of General Training Reading, such as notices, adverts and workplace documents, are not on the site. If you tick General Training on the Reading page, your band is still computed on the Academic table and a note reminds you that the General Training scale is stricter; the General Training conversion table is on the band score calculator.
No. The Task 1 questions in the checker are Academic reports (a line graph, a bar chart, a table, a pie chart), and a letter pasted into it would be marked against a report question and lose marks on Task Achievement. The Task 1 checker page gives a General Training letter checklist instead: the three bullet points covered, a tone that matches the reader, an opening and a closing that fit, a clear purpose, at least 150 words. The four criteria and the 150-word minimum are the same in both versions.
For Listening, yes: one conversion table for Academic and General Training, and ParrotTalk uses it. For Writing and Speaking, yes: the same four criteria and the same band descriptors in both versions. For Reading, no: the General Training table asks for more correct answers for the same band, for example 30 out of 40 is band 7.0 in Academic Reading but band 6.0 in General Training. ParrotTalk scores its Reading tests on the Academic table; read your raw score on the General Training table of the band score calculator.
ParrotTalk is free, with no sign-up. Bands are estimates, not official IELTS results. ParrotTalk is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge English.