Both Ielts, academic and general have four sections, they are listening; reading; writing and speaking, the listening and speaking sections are the same on both the tests, whereas the reading and writing sections are harder on the academic tests where they not only judge if you know enough English but they even judge your ability to interpret complex meanings, why these sections are this way is to check how well you can communicate when you travel to an English-speaking country. Use Ielts Practice Tests promo codes to become better at communication.