CELPIP to CLB Calculator and Score Chart
Enter your CELPIP level in each ability and see the CLB level, the CEFR level, the IELTS and PTE Core equivalents, your CRS first-language points, and which Express Entry and citizenship language minimums you meet. Everything comes from the official CELPIP and IRCC tables, read on 22 October 2026. Further down: the official charts that turn correct answers into Listening and Reading levels.
Updated October 22, 2026
Your CELPIP levels
| Ability | CELPIP | CLB | CEFR | IELTS GT | PTE Core | CRS points no spouse / with spouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 7 | CLB 7 | B2 | 6.0 | 60–70 | 17 / 16 |
| Reading | 7 | CLB 7 | B2 | 6.0 | 60–68 | 17 / 16 |
| Writing | 7 | CLB 7 | B2 | 6.0 | 69–78 | 17 / 16 |
| Speaking | 7 | CLB 7 | B2 | 6.0 | 68–75 | 17 / 16 |
| First official language, CRS total (maximum 136 / 128) | 68 / 64 | |||||
Your lowest ability is CLB 7. Program minimums apply to every ability, so the lowest one decides. CLB 7 or more on all four abilities, with at least one under 9: the lower skill-transferability bracket (up to 25 points with education and up to 25 with foreign work experience). Reaching CLB 9 in every ability doubles both.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program: CLB 7 in all four abilities
- Canadian Experience Class, TEER 0 or 1 job: CLB 7 in all four abilities
- Canadian Experience Class, TEER 2 or 3 job: CLB 5 in all four abilities
- Federal Skilled Trades Program: CLB 5 in speaking and listening, CLB 4 in reading and writing
- Canadian citizenship (ages 18–54): CLB 4 in speaking and listening (reading and writing are not required)
Language is one requirement among several (work experience, education, funds, admissibility); meeting the minimum does not by itself make you eligible, and CRS cut-offs change with every draw. IRCC pages read on 22 October 2026.
Writing is the ability most people can raise fastest. Score my writing (free)
CELPIP to CLB chart
CELPIP levels and CLB levels are the same numbers: a CELPIP 8 in Reading is CLB 8 in Reading. The test maker publishes the alignment, and IRCC's equivalency table repeats it for every level from 4 to 10 and above. The CEFR column is the test maker's, not IRCC's.
| CELPIP level | CLB level | CEFR | Official descriptor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | CLB 12 | C2 | Expert proficiency in high-stakes social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 11 | CLB 11 | C1 | Advanced proficiency in high-stakes social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 10 | CLB 10 | C1 | Highly effective proficiency in some high-stakes social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 9 | CLB 9 | B2 | Effective proficiency in some high-stakes social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 8 | CLB 8 | B2 | Good proficiency in more demanding social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 7 | CLB 7 | B2 | Adequate proficiency in somewhat demanding social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 6 | CLB 6 | B1 | Developing proficiency in everyday social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 5 | CLB 5 | B1 | Acquiring proficiency in everyday social, educational, or workplace contexts |
| 4 | CLB 4 | A2 | Adequate proficiency for daily life activities |
| 3 | CLB 3 | A2 | Some proficiency in limited contexts |
| M | — | — | Minimal proficiency: insufficient information to assess at level 3 or above |
Source: CELPIP: Test Format & Scoring (celpip.ca), read 22 October 2026. IRCC groups CELPIP 10, 11 and 12 as "CLB 10 and above".
Listening and Reading: correct answers to level
Listening and Reading are multiple-choice, scored by computer (a blank answer counts as incorrect). Your score report shows a level, not a raw score, because each test form is slightly different in difficulty and the raw scores are equated before a level is assigned. The test maker does publish an approximate chart, reproduced here with its disclaimer:
30 correct answers out of 38 in Listening is approximately level 8 (official range 30–33 correct) or level 7 (official range 27–31 correct). The two official ranges overlap here: which level you get depends on the difficulty of your test form (score equating).
| CELPIP level | Listening, correct out of 38 | Reading, correct out of 38 |
|---|---|---|
| 10–12 | 35–38 | 33–38 |
| 9 | 33–35 | 31–33 |
| 8 | 30–33 | 28–31 |
| 7 | 27–31 | 24–28 |
| 6 | 22–28 | 19–25 |
| 5 | 17–23 | 15–20 |
| 4 | 11–18 | 10–16 |
| 3 | 7–12 | 8–11 |
| M | 0–7 | 0–7 |
Official disclaimer (celpip.ca): this example chart shows how scores approximately correspond to CELPIP levels; since questions may have different levels of difficulty and may be equated differently, the raw score required for a certain level may vary slightly from one test to another. That is why the ranges overlap. Source: CELPIP Results page, read 22 October 2026. Writing and Speaking have no raw score: two raters rate four categories, as explained in the writing scoring guide.
CELPIP, IELTS and PTE Core on the CLB scale
IRCC publishes one equivalency table per approved test. If you are comparing a CELPIP result with an IELTS General Training or PTE Core result, these are the official rows (IRCC, read 22 October 2026):
| CLB | CELPIP (all abilities) | IELTS GT L / R / W / S | PTE Core L / R / W / S |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 and above | 10, 11 or 12 | 8.5–9.0 / 8.0–9.0 / 7.5–9.0 / 7.5–9.0 | 89+ / 88+ / 90+ / 89+ |
| 9 | 9 | 8.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 | 82–88 / 78–87 / 88–89 / 84–88 |
| 8 | 8 | 7.5 / 6.5 / 6.5 / 6.5 | 71–81 / 69–77 / 79–87 / 76–83 |
| 7 | 7 | 6.0 / 6.0 / 6.0 / 6.0 | 60–70 / 60–68 / 69–78 / 68–75 |
| 6 | 6 | 5.5 / 5.0 / 5.5 / 5.5 | 50–59 / 51–59 / 60–68 / 59–67 |
| 5 | 5 | 5.0 / 4.0 / 5.0 / 5.0 | 39–49 / 42–50 / 51–59 / 51–58 |
| 4 | 4 | 4.5 / 3.5 / 4.0 / 4.0 | 28–38 / 33–41 / 41–50 / 42–50 |
Two things to notice. IELTS Reading is the odd one out: CLB 9 needs only 7.0 in Reading but 8.0 in Listening, while CELPIP asks for a 9 in both. And a CELPIP 10 and an IELTS 8.5 in Listening land in the same IRCC band, "CLB 10 and above": for CRS purposes there is nothing above it.
What each CLB level is worth in Express Entry
Language counts twice in the Comprehensive Ranking System: directly, as first-official-language points per ability, and again in the skill-transferability factors when all four abilities reach CLB 7 or CLB 9.
| CLB level (per ability) | Points without a spouse | Points with a spouse |
|---|---|---|
| CLB 10 or more | 34 | 32 |
| CLB 9 | 31 | 29 |
| CLB 8 | 23 | 22 |
| CLB 7 | 17 | 16 |
| CLB 6 | 9 | 8 |
| CLB 4 or 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Less than CLB 4 | 0 | 0 |
Maximum 136 points without a spouse, 128 with. The jump from CLB 8 to CLB 9 (8 points per ability, 32 in total) is the largest in the table, and CLB 9 in every ability also unlocks the higher skill-transferability bracket: up to 50 points for education combined with language and up to 50 for foreign work experience combined with language, instead of 25 and 25 at CLB 7–8. Source: IRCC CRS criteria, read 22 October 2026; the page announces changes to Canadian work experience and job-offer points from November 3, 2026, which do not affect the language rows.
Minimum CLB by program
| Program | Minimum language level (English) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | CLB 7 in all four abilities | IRCC |
| Canadian Experience Class, TEER 0 or 1 job | CLB 7 in all four abilities | IRCC |
| Canadian Experience Class, TEER 2 or 3 job | CLB 5 in all four abilities | IRCC |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program | CLB 5 in speaking and listening, CLB 4 in reading and writing | IRCC |
| Canadian citizenship (ages 18–54) | CLB 4 in speaking and listening (reading and writing are not required) | IRCC |
Provincial Nominee Program streams set their own minimums, often CLB 4 to 7 depending on the occupation; check the province's page. For citizenship, adults aged 18 to 54 prove CLB 4 in speaking and listening; CELPIP-General and CELPIP LS results both serve. IRCC requires test results to be less than two years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence. Pages read 22 October 2026; requirements change, so confirm on canada.ca before you book or apply.
Which ability to improve first
Program minimums apply to every ability, so a single weak ability blocks the whole application, and in CRS terms each ability is worth the same. If your levels are uneven, the cheapest point is usually the lowest ability. For many test takers that is Writing, and it is also the one that responds fastest to practice: the two writing tasks have a fixed format, the four categories raters use are published, and the difference between a 7 and a 9 is mostly specific detail and error density, both of which you can train in two weeks. The free writing scorer on this site estimates your level on the four official categories and lists every error; the sample answers show what each level looks like, and the tips page is the shortest route from 8 to 9.
Frequently asked questions
Is CELPIP 9 the same as CLB 9?
Yes. CELPIP levels are reported on the same scale as the Canadian Language Benchmarks: a CELPIP level 9 in an ability is CLB 9 in that ability, with no conversion. IRCC's equivalency table lists CELPIP 4 to 10+ against CLB 4 to 10+ one to one.
What CELPIP score do I need for Express Entry?
It depends on the program. The Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class for TEER 0 or 1 jobs require CLB 7 (CELPIP 7) in all four abilities; the Canadian Experience Class for TEER 2 or 3 jobs requires CLB 5; the Federal Skilled Trades Program requires CLB 5 in speaking and listening and CLB 4 in reading and writing. Higher levels earn more CRS points: CLB 9 in every ability doubles the skill-transferability points.
How many correct answers do I need for CELPIP Listening level 9?
The official approximate chart gives 33 to 35 correct answers out of 38 for level 9 in Listening (31 to 33 in Reading). The ranges are approximate and overlap because each test form is equated for difficulty, so the exact number varies slightly from test to test.
What is CELPIP level M?
M means minimal proficiency: the component gave the raters or the computer scoring too little to assign level 3 or higher. It has no CLB equivalent and does not meet any program minimum.
How long is a CELPIP result valid for immigration?
IRCC requires language test results to be less than two years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your permanent residence application. The CELPIP score report itself stays available in your CELPIP account for five years.
Does IRCC round CELPIP 10, 11 and 12 differently?
No. IRCC groups CLB 10 and above together: CELPIP 10, 11 and 12 all count as CLB 10 or more, which is the top band for CRS language points. Other organisations, such as Australia's Department of Home Affairs, do distinguish them.