CLB Converter
Turn a test score into a CLB or NCLC level.
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What is a Canadian Language Benchmark?
It is the scale Canadian immigration is actually denominated in. No program threshold and no CRS point is expressed in IELTS bands or CELPIP levels — they are all written as a Canadian Language Benchmark for English, or a Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien for French. Your test score is only the thing you convert from, which is why two people with the same IELTS overall band can be eligible for different programs: the conversion is per ability, and the abilities do not convert at the same rate.
Why does my overall band not matter?
Because every requirement in the system is written as a minimum in all four abilities. An IELTS overall of 7.5 built from a 9.0 in listening and a 5.5 in writing is a CLB 6 profile for eligibility purposes, because writing is the weakest ability and the weakest ability decides. That is also why this converter shows all four separately and reports the lowest — it is the only number that determines what you qualify for.
Which IELTS and PTE versions does IRCC accept?
IELTS General Training, not Academic, and IRCC does not accept the IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry. For Pearson it is PTE Core, not PTE Academic. For CELPIP it is CELPIP-General, not CELPIP-General LS, which only tests listening and speaking. Taking the wrong version of the right test is one of the most common and most expensive mistakes in the process, because the result cannot be used and the two-year clock has already started.
How long are my results valid?
Two years from the date of the test. They must be valid both when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your application for permanent residence, which is a longer stretch than people plan for — a profile can sit in the pool for many months. If your results will expire before you can realistically apply, retake the test rather than gambling on the timing.
Why does this stop at CLB 10?
Because IRCC's grid does. Higher benchmarks exist, but every table in the Comprehensive Ranking System has 'CLB 10 or more' as its top band and pays the same points across it, so reporting a distinction above 10 would be inventing precision the system does not use. A CELPIP 12 and a CELPIP 10 are worth exactly the same in Express Entry.
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Canada does not score your IELTS band
Every language requirement in Canadian immigration is written in Canadian Language Benchmarks — NCLC for French — and none of them is written in test scores. Program minimums, CRS points, citizenship proof: all benchmarks. Your IELTS band or CELPIP level is only the thing you convert from, and the conversion is done per ability, not on your overall result.
Which is why the overall band on the front of your result sheet is close to useless for this purpose. An IELTS overall of 7.5 built from a 9.0 in listening and a 5.5 in writing is a CLB 6 profile, because every requirement in the system is a minimum in all four abilities and the weakest one decides. This converter shows all four separately for that reason, and reports the lowest as the level you can actually claim.
The abilities do not convert at the same rate
The single most common surprise is IELTS listening. Reading, writing and speaking all reach CLB 8 at 6.5, but listening stays at CLB 7 all the way through 7.0 and only reaches CLB 8 at 7.5. A candidate with 6.5 across the board and a 7.0 in listening has CLB 8, 8, 8 and 7 — and therefore a CLB 7 profile, having scored above the CLB 8 threshold in three of four abilities.
Reading runs the other way at the bottom: CLB 6 starts at 5.0 in reading but 5.5 in listening, writing and speaking. There is no shortcut for this. The tables are simply not aligned, and eyeballing them is where people lose a benchmark level they thought they had.
Take the right version of the right test
| Test | Accepted version | Not accepted |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS | General Training | Academic; One Skill Retake for Express Entry |
| CELPIP | CELPIP-General | CELPIP-General LS |
| PTE | PTE Core | PTE Academic |
Sitting the wrong version is among the most expensive mistakes in the whole process, because the result cannot be used and the two-year validity clock has already started on a test you have to take again.
Two years, measured twice
Results must be less than two years old both when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your application for permanent residence. Those can be a long way apart — a profile sits in the pool for up to a year, and there is a further gap between an invitation and a complete application. If your results will expire in that stretch, retake the test rather than gambling on the timing of a draw.
Aim at CLB 9, and stop
For Express Entry, CLB 9 in all four abilities is the level worth the extra month of preparation. It raises your core language points and it switches both skill-transferability tables to their higher column, which for a typical candidate is worth 70 to 100 points in total. CLB 10 adds far less, because the tables have already switched — and this converter reports anything at or above the CLB 10 threshold as “10+” for the same reason IRCC’s grid does: above 10 it stops paying differently. Price the difference for your own profile in the CRS score calculator.
French is the other lever. NCLC 7 across all four French abilities is worth 25 additional CRS points on its own, or 50 alongside CLB 5 English, before counting what it adds as a second official language — and it opens the French-language category draws, which have repeatedly cleared far below the general cut-off.
Sources. Equivalency tables from IRCC’s published charts converting CELPIP, IELTS, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada results to CLB and NCLC levels. All figures on this page were read from IRCC in August 2026. This is not immigration advice and this site is not affiliated with the Government of Canada.