Almost every Canadian immigration programme asks for a language ability in terms of the Canadian Language Benchmark, or CLB, for English. The French equivalent is the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, or NCLC. Test providers such as IELTS and CELPIP do not report a CLB number directly. Each test has its own scale, and that scale has to be converted.
This guide explains what the CLB is, and how CELPIP-General and IELTS General Training results line up against it. It also covers why the lowest of the four language abilities is the one that ends up mattering. It is written for someone who already has, or is about to book, one of these tests. It explains what a given result means in CLB terms.
This guide does not cover every test IRCC accepts, and it does not state which CLB level any particular programme requires; that varies by programme. The CLB converter on this site can be used to check a specific result once it is in hand.
What does the Canadian Language Benchmark measure?
The Canadian Language Benchmark is a standard scale used to describe English ability for immigration and other purposes in Canada. The NCLC serves the equivalent role for French. It is reported separately for each of four abilities: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Immigration programmes are written in terms of CLB or NCLC levels rather than any one test's own scoring. So a result from IELTS or CELPIP has to be converted before it can be compared against a programme's stated requirement.
CELPIP-General: the same scale as CLB
CELPIP-General reports results on the same scale as the Canadian Language Benchmarks, so no separate conversion table is needed. A CELPIP score of 7 in an ability is CLB 7 in that ability. A score of 8 is CLB 8, and a score of 9 is CLB 9.
This one-to-one relationship holds ability by ability, so a CELPIP result already states its own CLB equivalent for speaking, listening, reading and writing individually.
What IELTS score do you need for each CLB level?
CLB 7 on IELTS General Training needs a 6.0 in each of speaking, listening, reading and writing. IELTS General Training does not report directly in CLB terms otherwise, so its band scores have to be converted using the table below.
Listening is treated differently from the other three abilities at both CLB 8 and CLB 9. It is worth checking that score specifically, rather than assuming the same band applies across all four abilities.
| CLB level | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 7 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CLB 8 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| CLB 9 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
Why the lowest ability is the one that governs
A CLB level is reported separately for each of the four abilities, not as a single combined number. Where a programme requires a given CLB level, it requires that level in all four abilities. So the lowest of the four is what actually determines whether the requirement is met.
A strong result in three abilities does not offset a weaker one in the fourth. Someone reviewing their own result should look at each ability on its own rather than at an average or a single headline score.
Keeping a result valid
A language test result has to be less than 2 years old. That applies both when an Express Entry profile is completed and when the application for permanent residence is eventually submitted. A result that was strong enough when the test was taken can still expire before it is used.
Where a result has expired or is close to expiring, the test needs to be retaken. Only then can it be relied on again in a profile or application.
The short version
- CLB and NCLC are the scales immigration programmes use; test providers report their own scores, which then have to be converted.
- CELPIP-General matches the CLB scale directly: a score of 7, 8 or 9 in an ability equals CLB 7, 8 or 9 in that ability.
- On IELTS General Training, CLB 7 is 6.0 across all four abilities. CLB 8 and CLB 9 require a higher listening score than the other three abilities.
- A CLB level applies per ability, and the lowest of the four abilities determines whether a programme's requirement is met.
- Language test results are valid for less than 2 years, checked both at profile completion and at application submission.
Every figure on this page is cited to the government source it was read from, and was checked on September 17, 2026. Rules change, and a source is the authority where this page and the source disagree. This guide is general information about how the process works, not immigration advice about your own situation, and reading it creates no consultant-client relationship.