CLB Calculator for CELPIP, IELTS and PTE Core
Enter your CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training or PTE Core scores to get your CLB level in each skill, the programs you meet, and your CRS language points.
Calculate your CLB
CLB per skill
Choose your scores above to see your CLB for each skill.
- Listening—
- Reading—
- Writing—
- Speaking—
Programs
- Enter all four scores
Federal Skilled Worker
- Enter all four scores
Canadian Experience Class (TEER 0 or 1 job)
- Enter all four scores
Canadian Experience Class (TEER 2 or 3 job)
- Enter all four scores
Federal Skilled Trades
- Enter all four scores
PGWP (university program)
- Enter all four scores
PGWP (college program)
- Enter all four scores
Citizenship (ages 18–54)
CRS points for your first official language
Enter all four scores to see CRS points.
Same CLB on other tests
Enter a score to see what it equals on the other tests.
The official IRCC chart
CELPIP-General
| CLB | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 10+ | 10–12 | 10–12 | 10–12 | 10–12 |
| CLB 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| CLB 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| CLB 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| CLB 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| CLB 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| CLB 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
IELTS General Training
| CLB | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 10+ | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| CLB 9 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| CLB 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| CLB 7 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CLB 6 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| CLB 5 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CLB 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
PTE Core
| CLB | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 10+ | 89+ | 88+ | 90 | 89+ |
| CLB 9 | 82–88 | 78–87 | 88–89 | 84–88 |
| CLB 8 | 71–81 | 69–77 | 79–87 | 76–83 |
| CLB 7 | 60–70 | 60–68 | 69–78 | 68–75 |
| CLB 6 | 50–59 | 51–59 | 60–68 | 59–67 |
| CLB 5 | 39–49 | 42–50 | 51–59 | 51–58 |
| CLB 4 | 28–38 | 33–41 | 41–50 | 42–50 |
What CLB is
CLB stands for Canadian Language Benchmarks. It's the scale IRCC uses to describe English ability. Programs don't ask for a CELPIP, IELTS or PTE Core score. They ask for a CLB level, and IRCC publishes a chart that turns each test's scores into CLB.
You get a CLB level for each skill: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Each program sets its minimum per skill, so your lowest skill decides whether you qualify.
Which tests IRCC accepts
| Purpose | Accepted English tests |
|---|---|
| Express Entry | CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core |
| PGWP | CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core |
| Citizenship | CELPIP-General, CELPIP-General LS, IELTS General Training, PTE Core |
IELTS Academic and PTE Academic aren't on the list. This calculator covers English tests only, so French tests such as TEF and TCF aren't included.
Typical requirements
- Federal Skilled Worker: CLB 7 in all four skills.
- Canadian Experience Class: CLB 7 for a TEER 0 or 1 job, CLB 5 for a TEER 2 or 3 job.
- Federal Skilled Trades: CLB 5 in speaking and listening, CLB 4 in reading and writing.
- PGWP: CLB 7 after a university program, CLB 5 after a college program. See CELPIP score for PGWP.
- Citizenship (ages 18–54): CLB 4 in speaking and listening.
Meeting the minimum means you meet that program's language requirement, which is only one of its requirements. In Express Entry, a higher CLB also earns more CRS points.
How many CRS points is CLB 9?
Without a spouse or partner, CLB 9 is worth 31 points per skill, or 124 for all four. With a spouse or partner, it's 29 per skill, or 116. CLB 7 in all four skills earns 68 without a spouse, and CLB 10+ in all four earns 136, the most this part of the CRS gives. The calculator works out your own total and highlights your lowest skill.
Which test should I take?
All three tests lead to the same CLB levels, so no program favours one over another. What differs is how each test reports your scores:
- CELPIP-General scores each skill from 1 to 12, and the scores map to CLB one-to-one. It is also the only one of the three with a Listening and Speaking version (General LS), accepted for citizenship only.
- IELTS General Training scores each skill from 0 to 9 in 0.5 steps. Listening needs a higher IELTS score than the other skills at CLB 4 and from CLB 8 up.
- PTE Core scores each skill from 10 to 90, and each CLB covers a range of scores.
Choose the test whose format suits you, not the one you think is scored more kindly. The CELPIP vs IELTS guide compares the two most common choices. For what your CLB levels mean for each program, read CELPIP scores for Canadian immigration.
Frequently asked questions
CLB stands for Canadian Language Benchmarks. It's the scale IRCC uses for English ability. Immigration programs set their language minimums in CLB, and each accepted test has an official chart that converts its scores to CLB, skill by skill.
For Express Entry and PGWP: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core. For citizenship, those three plus CELPIP-General LS. IELTS Academic and PTE Academic aren't accepted.
It depends on the program. Federal Skilled Worker needs CLB 7 in all four skills. The Canadian Experience Class needs CLB 7 for a TEER 0 or 1 job and CLB 5 for a TEER 2 or 3 job. Federal Skilled Trades needs CLB 5 in speaking and listening and CLB 4 in reading and writing.
For a PGWP, CLB 7 in all four skills after a university program, or CLB 5 in all four after a college program. For citizenship (ages 18–54), CLB 4 in speaking and listening only.
31 per skill without a spouse or partner (124 for all four), or 29 per skill with one (116).
No. Each program sets a minimum for each skill, and every skill has to meet it on its own. Your lowest CLB decides whether you qualify.
Based on IRCC's official tables. IRCC makes the final decision on your application. For Express Entry and PGWP, results must be less than 2 years old when you apply.