Scores and levels
IELTS General Training bands to CLB
Enter your four IELTS General Training bands to see the CLB of each skill. The chart is not the same for every skill, and listening is where it bites.
Express Entry language points
86
| First official language | 86 |
| Second official language | 0 |
| French bonus | 0 |
Level per skill
| IELTS General Training | Reading: CLB 8Writing: CLB 7Listening: CLB 8Speaking: CLB 8 |
Language minimum met?
- Federal Skilled Worker (CLB 7 all four)Met
- Canadian Experience Class, TEER 0 or 1 job (CLB 7)Met
- Canadian Experience Class, TEER 2 or 3 job (CLB 5)Met
- Federal Skilled Trades (5 speaking/listening, 4 reading/writing)Met
- Express Entry French-language category (NCLC 7 all four)Not met
- Citizenship, ages 18 to 54 (CLB 4 listening and speaking)Met
Points from language only: age, education, work experience and the rest of the CRS are not counted here. Charts and points read on canada.ca.
IRCC converts IELTS General Training bands to CLB levels with a chart that differs by skill. CLB 7, the Federal Skilled Worker minimum, is band 6.0 in all four skills. Above that the scales split: CLB 8 needs 6.5 in reading, writing and speaking but 7.5 in listening; CLB 9 needs 7.0 in reading, writing and speaking and 8.0 in listening; CLB 10 needs 8.0 in reading, 7.5 in writing and speaking, and 8.5 in listening. At the bottom, CLB 4 starts at 3.5 in reading, 4.5 in listening and 4.0 in writing and speaking. IRCC accepts IELTS General Training for Express Entry but not the IELTS One Skill Retake, and the results must be under 2 years old. For citizenship it asks 4.5 in listening and 4.0 in speaking. This site uses IELTS as a reference point for the conversion only; it offers no IELTS-format practice.
One IELTS General Training band to CLB
CLB level
CLB 7
| Band read (half points) | 6.5 |
| CELPIP equivalent | 7 |
Charts, converters and questions by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How charts and questions are built
The IRCC chart for IELTS General Training
The chart below is the one IRCC publishes on its language testing page. Each cell is the band range that gives the level; IELTS bands move in half points.
| CLB / NCLC | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 8.0–9.0 | 7.5–9.0 | 8.5–9.0 | 7.5–9.0 |
| 9 | 7.0–7.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
| 8 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 |
| 7 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0–7.0 | 6.0 |
| 6 | 5.0–5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| 5 | 4.0–4.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| 4 | 3.5 | 4.0–4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0–4.5 |
Three things the chart tells you
First, CLB 7 is uniform: 6.0 everywhere. It is the easiest IELTS target to remember and the one most skilled workers need.
Second, listening is the expensive skill above CLB 7. Between CLB 7 and CLB 8 the listening floor climbs from 6.0 to 7.5, a jump of a band and a half, while reading only moves from 6.0 to 6.5.
Third, reading has wider bands at the low end: CLB 6 in reading covers 5.0–5.5, while CLB 6 in writing covers only 5.5. Half a band lost in writing costs more than half a band lost in reading.
From band to CRS points
Each skill earns points on its own. With English as your first official language, a single candidate earns 17 points per skill at CLB 7, 23 at CLB 8, 31 at CLB 9 and 34 at CLB 10; with a spouse who comes along, 16, 22, 29 and 32. If French is your first official language, English becomes the second one and earns at most 24 points for a single candidate. The language points page runs the full calculation.
What IRCC accepts
For Express Entry, IRCC's language requirements page accepts IELTS General Training and rules out the IELTS One Skill Retake. Results count only if they are under 2 years old when you create the profile and again when you apply for permanent residence. For citizenship, the language proof page accepts IELTS General Training with at least 4.5 in listening and 4.0 in speaking, and older results that have expired are still taken. In both cases IELTS General Training sits next to CELPIP-General and PTE Core as one of three English options, with no extra weight given to any of them.
IELTS on a French-focused site
This site is built around the TEF Canada and the TCF Canada. We include IELTS General Training because many French speakers also hold an English result and want to know what it is worth next to their NCLC. We do not offer IELTS practice, list IELTS fees or describe the IELTS format: those details were not checked on an official page. The CELPIP vs IELTS comparison sets the IELTS bands next to CELPIP-General and PTE Core, and the level by program page tells you which CLB to aim for.