CLB levels and IELTS scores
Find the IELTS General Training bands for CLB 4 through CLB 10, see which Canadian immigration routes use each level, and convert your score for free.
Canadian Language Benchmarks
Choose your target level
- CLB 10: the IELTS scores you needCLB 10 requires IELTS General Training bands of Listening 8.5, Reading 8.0, Writing 7.5 and Speaking 7.5. Each ability has its own CLB level, with no averaging. CLB 10 earns the maximum first-official-language CRS points per ability: 34 without an accompanying spouse or common-law partner, or 32 with one.
- CLB 9: the 8777 score explainedCLB 9 requires IELTS General Training Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0 and Speaking 7.0 — the combination Express Entry candidates call '8777'. It meets the language threshold for the top education and foreign-work-experience skill-transferability tiers, subject to your other qualifications. First-official-language CRS points reach their maximum at CLB 10, not CLB 9.
- CLB 8: the IELTS scores you needCLB 8 requires IELTS General Training Listening 7.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.5 and Speaking 6.5. It comfortably clears the CLB 7 minimum for the Federal Skilled Worker program, but sits one level below the CLB 9 that most competitive Express Entry profiles target.
- CLB 7: the IELTS scores you needCLB 7 requires IELTS General Training 6.0 in every ability — Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. It is the single most-cited threshold in Canadian immigration: the minimum for the Federal Skilled Worker program, for Canadian Experience Class TEER 0/1 occupations, and for the Post-Graduation Work Permit for university graduates.
- CLB 5: the IELTS scores you needCLB 5 requires IELTS General Training Listening 5.0, Reading 4.0, Writing 5.0 and Speaking 5.0 — note that Reading is lower than the others. It is the language requirement for college diploma graduates applying for a Post-Graduation Work Permit and for Canadian Experience Class TEER 2 and 3 occupations.
- CLB 4: the IELTS scores you needCLB 4 requires IELTS General Training Listening 4.5 and Speaking 4.0. For Canadian citizenship applicants aged 18 to 54, only these two abilities are assessed — there is no reading or writing requirement — and unlike permanent-residence applications, language results never expire for citizenship.
Know your CLB levels? See what they are worth.
The Express Entry CRS calculator starts from your four IELTS General Training bands and estimates your Comprehensive Ranking System score with IRCC's points grid.
CLB conversion applies to IELTS General Training for Canadian immigration. Each skill is converted separately, so scores are not averaged; confirm the current requirement for your specific program with the official Canadian source before booking.