Every Canadian immigration program states its language requirement as a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level, but no test reports one. IRCC converts your IELTS General Training bands, CELPIP levels or PTE Core scores to CLB using its published equivalency tables, skill by skill. This CLB calculator applies those exact tables: pick your test, enter your four scores, and see the CLB level for each skill, the level your application will be assessed at, and what your weakest skill needs for the next level up.
Convert your scores to CLB
Bands from 0 to 9 in half steps, one per skill. Academic results are not accepted for permanent residence.
Enter all four IELTS scores to see your CLB level per skill and the level your application would be assessed at.
How your CLB level is calculated
Three rules do all the work. First, conversion is per skill: there is no overall band, and the equivalent score differs by skill, so an IELTS 7.0 is CLB 9 in speaking but only CLB 7 in listening. Second, every federal program sets its floor as a minimum in all four skills, so your application is effectively assessed at your lowest CLB level. Third, the Comprehensive Ranking System awards language points per skill, with the largest jumps at CLB 7, CLB 9 and CLB 10, which is why "CLB 9 in every skill" is the target you hear most.
IELTS to CLB conversion chart
The minimum IELTS General Training band for each CLB level, per skill. Read it by skill, not by overall band: listening needs a full 8.0 for CLB 9 while the other three skills need 7.0.
| CLB level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| 9 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| 7 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| 6 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| 5 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
CELPIP to CLB conversion chart
CELPIP was built on the CLB scale, so from level 4 upward the conversion is the number itself. Levels 10, 11 and 12 all count as CLB 10 for immigration purposes; M and levels 1 to 3 fall below CLB 4.
| CLB level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ | 10–12 | 10–12 | 10–12 | 10–12 |
| 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
PTE Core to CLB conversion chart
PTE Core reports 10 to 90 per skill and IRCC maps score bands to CLB levels. The writing band is the narrowest at the top: CLB 9 needs 88 or 89 and CLB 10 needs the full 90.
| CLB level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ | 89–90 | 88–90 | 90 | 89–90 |
| 9 | 82–88 | 78–87 | 88–89 | 84–88 |
| 8 | 71–81 | 69–77 | 79–87 | 76–83 |
| 7 | 60–70 | 60–68 | 69–78 | 68–75 |
| 6 | 50–59 | 51–59 | 60–68 | 59–67 |
| 5 | 39–49 | 42–50 | 51–59 | 51–58 |
| 4 | 28–38 | 33–41 | 41–50 | 42–50 |
CLB to IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core: what each level needs
The same tables read the other way: for a target CLB level, the minimum score in each skill on each test, with what the level unlocks.
CLB 10 in IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core
The top of the IRCC scale. CLB 10 earns the maximum CRS language points and, combined with education or foreign work experience, the largest skill-transferability bonuses.
- IELTS: Listening 8.5, Reading 8.0, Writing 7.5, Speaking 7.5
- CELPIP: Listening 10, Reading 10, Writing 10, Speaking 10
- PTE Core: Listening 89, Reading 88, Writing 90, Speaking 89
CLB 9 in IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core
The level most Express Entry candidates are actually chasing. CRS language points jump at CLB 9 in every skill, and the highest skill-transferability combinations require it.
- IELTS: Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0
- CELPIP: Listening 9, Reading 9, Writing 9, Speaking 9
- PTE Core: Listening 82, Reading 78, Writing 88, Speaking 84
CLB 8 in IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core
Comfortably above every federal floor but one level short of the CLB 9 points bracket. Applicants here usually have a single skill to fix.
- IELTS: Listening 7.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.5, Speaking 6.5
- CELPIP: Listening 8, Reading 8, Writing 8, Speaking 8
- PTE Core: Listening 71, Reading 69, Writing 79, Speaking 76
CLB 7 in IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core
The minimum for Federal Skilled Worker and for Canadian Experience Class TEER 0 and 1 occupations, in all four skills. Also where CRS language points start counting meaningfully.
- IELTS: Listening 6.0, Reading 6.0, Writing 6.0, Speaking 6.0
- CELPIP: Listening 7, Reading 7, Writing 7, Speaking 7
- PTE Core: Listening 60, Reading 60, Writing 69, Speaking 68
CLB 6 in IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core
Above the CEC TEER 2 and 3 floor and accepted by a number of provincial streams, but below the CLB 7 that most federal pathways require.
- IELTS: Listening 5.5, Reading 5.0, Writing 5.5, Speaking 5.5
- CELPIP: Listening 6, Reading 6, Writing 6, Speaking 6
- PTE Core: Listening 50, Reading 51, Writing 60, Speaking 59
CLB 5 in IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core
The Canadian Experience Class floor for TEER 2 and 3 occupations, and the speaking and listening floor for Federal Skilled Trades.
- IELTS: Listening 5.0, Reading 4.0, Writing 5.0, Speaking 5.0
- CELPIP: Listening 5, Reading 5, Writing 5, Speaking 5
- PTE Core: Listening 39, Reading 42, Writing 51, Speaking 51
CLB 4 in IELTS, CELPIP and PTE Core
The citizenship requirement, assessed in speaking and listening only, and the reading and writing floor for Federal Skilled Trades. Below CLB 4 a result does not count anywhere.
- IELTS: Listening 4.5, Reading 3.5, Writing 4.0, Speaking 4.0
- CELPIP: Listening 4, Reading 4, Writing 4, Speaking 4
- PTE Core: Listening 28, Reading 33, Writing 41, Speaking 42
Which CLB level do you need?
Federal Skilled Worker requires CLB 7 in all four skills; Canadian Experience Class requires CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1 occupations and CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3; Federal Skilled Trades requires CLB 5 in speaking and listening and CLB 4 in reading and writing; citizenship requires CLB 4 in speaking and listening only. Provincial streams set their own floors, typically between CLB 4 and 7. The full pathway table and the CRS points per level are on the CELPIP score chart page.
Stuck one band short?
The most common CLB problem is not a low overall result but one skill capping the other three: an IELTS profile of 8.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 is CLB 9 across the board, while 7.5 / 7.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 is assessed at CLB 8 because of listening alone. IRCC treats every approved test as equal, so re-testing on a different format is a legitimate move. A free CELPIP mock test scored on the CLB scale shows where you would land before you pay for a sitting, and the question bank lets you drill only the skill that is holding you back.