IELTS Academic
IELTS Academic preparation for Ethiopia
For applying to university, postgraduate study, or professional registration in an english-speaking country. Master the academic passages and data-description writing, with AI feedback on every Writing task and Speaking recording.
Who it is for
Take IELTS Academic if your goal is study or professional registration. 79% of IELTS candidates worldwide take Academic.
Listening and Speaking are identical to General Training. What sets Academic apart is the Reading, which uses longer and more abstract texts, and Writing Task 1, where you describe data rather than write a letter.
What is on the Academic test
Reading
Three long passages from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. 40 questions in 60 minutes, with the difficulty rising across the three passages.
Writing Task 1
Describe a graph, chart, table, process diagram or map in at least 150 words. The marks reward a clear overview and accurate figures.
Writing Task 2 and Speaking
The Task 2 essay and the full Speaking interview are the same as General Training, marked on the same criteria.
Listening
Four recordings of increasing difficulty, from an everyday conversation to an academic lecture, with 40 questions across form completion, multiple choice, matching, and map or diagram labelling. Accents include British, Australian, New Zealand and North American.
How the course is built
8 weeks, self-paced, about 80 hours in total. The Academic Reading and Writing Task 1 lessons are authored for this track; the rest is shared with General Training.
- Week 1 Foundation and a full diagnostic across all four sections
- Week 2 Listening Parts 1 and 2, prediction and accents
- Week 3 Listening Parts 3 and 4, plus Reading strategy
- Week 4 Reading deep dive, every question type, per track
- Week 5 Writing Task 1: data description (Academic) or letters (General Training)
- Week 6 Writing Task 2 essays, plus Speaking foundations
- Week 7 Speaking mastery and integrated full-section practice
- Week 8 Full mock tests under real conditions and a final review
Taking the test in Ethiopia
Since 21 June 2026, all IELTS tests in Ethiopia are delivered on computer. The format, questions and scoring are identical to paper; computer delivery just adds more test dates and faster results.
For dates, the current fee and booking, go to British Council Ethiopia, or read our Ethiopia guide.
Academic FAQ
Who should take IELTS Academic?
Applying to university, postgraduate study, or professional registration in an English-speaking country. If a university, college or a professional body such as a medical or nursing council asks for IELTS, it is almost always the Academic version.
How is Academic Reading different from General Training?
Academic Reading uses three long passages drawn from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, written for a general but educated reader. The texts are denser than General Training, and all 40 questions come from these three passages in 60 minutes.
What is Academic Writing Task 1?
You describe visual information, a line graph, bar chart, table, pie chart, process diagram or map, in at least 150 words, in about 20 minutes. The skill is selecting the key features and reporting them accurately, with an overview that states the main trend.
What band score do universities want?
Many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes ask for an overall 6.0 to 7.0, often with no single section below 6.0. Some competitive or language-heavy programmes ask for 7.0 or higher. Always confirm the requirement on your programme page.
Ready for IELTS Academic?
Open the course on atenu.org, or compare it with General Training.