Can I use IELTS Academic for Express Entry, or do I need General Training?

No. Express Entry requires the General Training option of IELTS. Academic is a different test, and it will not count towards your profile.
IRCC's language testing page for Express Entry, last updated 16 October 2026, states that you must take the IELTS General Training option. It also notes that IELTS One Skill Retake is not accepted for Express Entry.
This catches people out constantly, and for a sensible reason. Universities and colleges ask for IELTS Academic, so students take it for admission and then assume the same result works for immigration. It does not, and you will need to book and sit General Training separately.
Two other things worth knowing while you are arranging it.
Your overall band is not what gets assessed. The minimum levels are set per ability, so a 7.0 overall carrying a 6 in writing is a very different profile from a straight 7 across all four. When you get your results, the breakdown is the number that matters, not the headline.
Your results also have to be less than two years old at two separate moments: when you complete your Express Entry profile, and when you submit your permanent residence application. If your test is already a year old, factor that gap into your timeline rather than discovering it later.
Source: IRCC, Language testing for skilled immigrants (Express Entry), canada.ca, updated 16 October 2026.
This is general information rather than legal advice, and it reflects the page as it stood on the date above. Check the current page before you rely on it.