The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are a 12-level scale, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) gives CELPIP levels 4 to 10 the same CLB number in its tables. CLB is a descriptive scale from the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB), not a test, while CELPIP is the English test that Paragon Testing Enterprises organizes, and IRCC converts its levels to CLB levels before it applies a program’s language minimum. IRCC pages read on November 4, 2026 print the conversion in tables for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (IRCC’s PGWP language page).
Why does the CLB conversion matter?
IRCC writes language minimums and Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) language points in CLB levels, not in CELPIP levels. For English, IRCC says it uses the Canadian Language Benchmarks to measure levels (IRCC’s language test page, as of November 4, 2026). A CELPIP level therefore has to be read as a CLB level before it can be set against a minimum, and the conversion is done ability by ability: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. To see where a converted level lands against each program’s minimum, read what CELPIP score Express Entry programs ask for; CLB 9 vs CLB 10 reads the CRS points table level by level.
What is the CLB, and who sets it?
The CCLB describes the CLB standard as a descriptive scale of English as a second language, written as 12 benchmarks from basic to advanced (CCLB’s page on the CLB). The CCLB also describes itself as a national nonprofit organization and as the national standard-setting body for the CLB (CCLB). The benchmarks are a set of descriptive statements about successive levels of language ability, and the CCLB lists an assessment among the things they are not. The CCLB says the CLB are written for professionals such as adult ESL instructors, assessors and test designers, so a test taker meets them as the level number that IRCC prints next to a test result: a test such as CELPIP produces a result, and the CLB is the scale that result is read against.
How does a CELPIP level convert to a CLB level?
IRCC’s tables print the same number for a CELPIP-General level and its CLB level from 4 to 10, and celpip.ca’s scoring chart, which shows how CELPIP levels correspond to CLB levels, carries the same match up to level 12.
| CELPIP level (each ability) | CLB level | Printed by |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | CLB 12 | celpip.ca |
| 11 | CLB 11 | celpip.ca |
| 10 | CLB 10 | IRCC and celpip.ca |
| 9 | CLB 9 | IRCC and celpip.ca |
| 8 | CLB 8 | IRCC and celpip.ca |
| 7 | CLB 7 | IRCC and celpip.ca |
| 6 | CLB 6 | IRCC and celpip.ca |
| 5 | CLB 5 | IRCC and celpip.ca |
| 4 | CLB 4 | IRCC and celpip.ca |
Source: IRCC, PGWP language levels, for levels 4 to 10, and celpip.ca, test format and scoring, for levels 4 to 12, read November 4, 2026.
Each IRCC table closes the scale at a different level.
| IRCC table | CELPIP levels printed | CLB levels printed |
|---|---|---|
| Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) | CELPIP (General) 4 to 10 | 4 to 10 |
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | CELPIP-G 7, 8, 9 and 10+ | 7, 8, 9 and “10 and above” |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program | CELPIP 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9+ | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and “9 and above” |
Source: IRCC, language test results and IRCC, PGWP language levels, read November 4, 2026.
The labels matter when a level is not a single number. The Federal Skilled Trades Program table groups level 9 and every level above it, and the Federal Skilled Worker Program table groups level 10 and above. CELPIP for the PGWP covers the language minimums for that permit.
How can you practise for the level a program asks for?
celpip.ca says every CELPIP account includes one set of 2 free practice tests (as of November 4, 2026). Express Prep (expressprep.ca), which offers preparation for the CELPIP test, has a practice simulator that it created for its students. A practice result is not a CELPIP result: the levels IRCC converts are the ones CELPIP reports for a test sitting, and how CELPIP scoring works explains how those levels are produced.
How do you read a four-skill result?
A CELPIP result gives a level for each of the four abilities, and IRCC’s tables have one column for each. Take an invented result: Listening 6, Reading 4, Writing 4 and Speaking 5.
| Ability | CELPIP level in the example | CLB level |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 6 | CLB 6 |
| Reading | 4 | CLB 4 |
| Writing | 4 | CLB 4 |
| Speaking | 5 | CLB 5 |
Source: conversion from IRCC’s language test page, read November 4, 2026; the example result is invented.
Each ability keeps its own level, because the tables convert ability by ability. A program that lists a minimum per ability compares each converted level with its own minimum: the Federal Skilled Trades Program lists CLB 5 in Speaking and Listening and CLB 4 in Reading and Writing, and the Federal Skilled Worker Program lists CLB 7 for all four abilities (IRCC). The example says nothing about any program’s other requirements.
Where should you check the conversion tables?
IRCC’s language test page has a tool for finding a CLB level: it asks for the program and the approved test, and then converts the result. IRCC can update its pages at any time, and the tables above are the ones printed when the pages were read on November 4, 2026, so the IRCC page is the source to check before relying on a number.
FAQ
Is there a CLB test or certificate I can take instead of CELPIP?
No. The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks says the CLB are not an assessment, and its page for immigration says its placement test, the CLBPT, is not accepted for immigration purposes. For Express Entry, IRCC lists CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core as approved tests, and its tables convert their results to CLB levels (as of November 4, 2026).
Do CELPIP levels 11 and 12 convert to CLB levels above 10?
On celpip.ca’s chart, CELPIP 11 and 12 match CLB 11 and 12. IRCC’s tables group the top of the scale: the Federal Skilled Worker Program table reads “10 and above”, and the CRS criteria page names its top language level “CLB 10 or more” (IRCC).
Do other tests convert to CLB the same way?
Not with the same table. IRCC prints a separate CLB table for each test it accepts, including IELTS General Training and PTE Core, so a result is read against the table for the test that produced it (IRCC).
Does a CLB level expire?
The CLB are a scale, and IRCC’s age limit applies to the test result, not to the level: IRCC says Express Entry test results must be less than 2 years old when the profile is completed and when the application for permanent residence is submitted (IRCC).
Where do I find the levels to convert?
CELPIP posts scores online in the CELPIP account, sends an email notification when they are available and makes the Official Score Report available for download as a PDF; hard-copy score reports have been discontinued (celpip.ca). IRCC’s tables, or its tool for finding a CLB level, then convert the level reported for each ability.
The bottom line
- The CLB are a 12-level descriptive scale of English ability from the CCLB, not a test, and CELPIP is a test whose levels IRCC converts to CLB levels.
- IRCC’s tables give CELPIP levels 4 to 10 the same CLB number, and celpip.ca’s chart extends the match to level 12 (as of November 4, 2026).
- IRCC labels the top bands differently: “10 and above” in the Federal Skilled Worker Program table and “9 and above” in the Federal Skilled Trades Program table.
- Each ability is converted and read on its own, for example CLB 5 in Speaking and Listening and CLB 4 in Reading and Writing for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (IRCC).
- IRCC’s language test page has a tool that finds the CLB level from a test result, and that page is the source to check before relying on these tables.
Express Prep offers preparation for the CELPIP test, including a 7-day trial of its simulator. The trial becomes a paid monthly subscription unless you cancel before day 7; current price and terms: Express Prep trial page.
General information, not immigration advice. For your case, talk to a licensed consultant (RCIC) on the CICC public register, or a lawyer, Quebec notary or licensed paralegal in your province.
Published by Express Prep, which offers preparation for the CELPIP test. Last updated November 4, 2026.