MAK Canadian Immigration Services
Use this CLB calculator to convert IELTS to CLB, or CELPIP-General, PTE Core, TEF Canada or TCF Canada results to a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or NCLC level for each ability. It follows IRCC's language test equivalency charts for Express Entry and shows your lowest level, because the program minimums apply to all four abilities, not to an overall score.
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Choose your test and enter the score for each of the four abilities; the calculator shows the CLB or NCLC level IRCC's charts give each one, and your lowest level. Nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Band scores from 0 to 9, in whole or half bands. IRCC accepts the General Training test only.
How to read your result
The levels come from IRCC's published charts and are an estimate, not an official assessment. IRCC assesses the scores on your test results.
Your lowest level
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Enter all four scores to see your lowest level and what it means for Express Entry.
Express Entry language minimums
Language minimums only, from IRCC's language requirements. Each program has other requirements too.
Core CRS language points appear here once all four scores are entered.
Results must be less than 2 years old when you complete your profile and when you apply for permanent residence.
Add these levels to the free CRS calculatorFor IELTS General Training, CLB 7 needs at least 6.0 in every ability, while CLB 9 needs 8.0 in listening and 7.0 in reading, writing and speaking. IRCC's CRS tool counts a score between two levels at the lower level, so listening 6.5 or 7.0 is still CLB 7.
| CLB | ListeningListen | ReadingRead | WritingWrite | SpeakingSpeak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ | 8.5–9.0 | 8.0–9.0 | 7.5–9.0 | 7.5–9.0 |
| 9 | 8.0 | 7.0–7.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| 7 | 6.0–7.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| 6 | 5.5 | 5.0–5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| 5 | 5.0 | 4.0–4.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0–4.5 | 4.0–4.5 |
| Below 4<4 | 4.0 or less≤4.0 | 3.0 or less≤3.0 | 3.5 or less≤3.5 | 3.5 or less≤3.5 |
Ranges as grouped in IRCC's own CRS tool and matching IRCC's equivalency charts, checked November 4, 2026. IRCC accepts IELTS General Training for Express Entry, not IELTS One Skill Retake.
Not always. IELTS 7.0 is CLB 9 in reading, writing and speaking, but CLB 7 in listening, because listening needs 8.0 for CLB 9 and 7.5 for CLB 8.
That is why the calculator above converts each ability on its own, using IRCC's IELTS chart. Two people with the same overall band can end up with different CLB levels.
No. IRCC's equivalency charts and its CRS tool ask for the four ability scores, and the Express Entry language minimums apply to each of the four abilities.
Your lowest ability decides whether you meet a program minimum, so a strong overall band cannot make up for one weak ability.
It depends on the program: the Federal Skilled Worker Program needs CLB 7 in all four abilities, and the Canadian Experience Class needs CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs or CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3 jobs. The Federal Skilled Trades Program needs CLB 5 in speaking and listening and CLB 4 in reading and writing.
These are minimums for each program; your CRS score is calculated separately. French results use the same levels, written as NCLC.
On IRCC's CRS criteria, an applicant without a spouse or partner gets 23 points per ability at CLB 8 and 31 at CLB 9, in their first official language. CLB 9 in all four abilities is also where the education-and-language and foreign-work-and-language transferability points move from a 25-point to a 50-point maximum.
With a spouse or partner coming with you, the figures are 22 and 29. CLB 10 or more gives 34 per ability without a spouse or partner, or 32 with one.
To see the effect on your total, enter your levels in the MAK CRS calculator, and read how the Comprehensive Ranking System scores each factor.
Your results must be less than 2 years old both when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your application for permanent residence. IRCC says it will refuse an application made with expired language test results.
If your results will expire before you can apply, IRCC's options are to be tested again, apply before they expire, or decline the invitation and go back into the pool.
IRCC converts French results to NCLC levels with its own charts, and the Express Entry minimums are the same numbers as for CLB. For TEF Canada, enter the "Équivalence ancien score" for each ability, not the "Score / 699", which IRCC says its system cannot use at this time.
NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities earns additional CRS points: 25, or 50 if you also have CLB 5 or higher in all four English abilities. Our guide to French for Express Entry covers the French route in more depth.
What our RCICs see
We see IELTS General Training most often. A common mistake is focusing on the overall band score instead of the individual scores in all four abilities.
Clients often assume IELTS 7 means CLB 7. But IELTS 7 in speaking is actually CLB 9, while IELTS 7 in listening is CLB 7.
We always advise clients to focus on their weakest module. Even a half-band improvement can make a significant difference in CRS points, while falling below CLB 7 can affect eligibility under certain immigration programs.
No. IRCC says you must take the IELTS General Training option, and it does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry.
IRCC's own CRS tool counts it at the lower level. For example, IELTS listening 6.5 or 7.0 is CLB 7, because CLB 8 starts at 7.5, and the tool groups 6.0 to 7.0 as one option.
For CELPIP-General, the CLB level is the same as your score in each ability from 4 to 9. A score of 10 to 12 counts as CLB 10 or higher, and a score below 4 is below CLB 4.
IRCC says you must take the PTE Core option. For PTE Core, CLB 7 starts at 60 in listening and reading, 69 in writing and 68 in speaking.
No. It is an estimate from IRCC's published charts; IRCC assesses the scores on your test results, which you enter in your Express Entry profile.
No. The conversion runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Know your CLB levels? See your CRS score.
Carry your levels into MAK's CRS calculator, then look at other ways to improve your CRS score. If a result or a test date is uncertain, a licensed RCIC can review it with you.
Checked against IRCC sources by MAK on November 4, 2026. A CLB estimate is not a guarantee of an invitation or approval.
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