Converting language test scores to CLB and NCLC

IRCC scores your Express Entry profile using Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English and Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French. Test providers report raw scores on their own scales, so you need a conversion step. The CLB and NCLC scales are numerically identical and parallel, so a given level number describes the same proficiency whichever language you tested in.

Why the tables stop at 4 and 10

The tables below cover CLB or NCLC 4 through 10 or above. Below that range, levels 3 and under do not meet the minimum for any federal economic program, and IRCC does not publish conversion values for them on the Express Entry chart. Above that range, CRS awards no additional language points past level 10, so everything at 10 or more is pooled. The ranges in between are where your score actually changes your outcome.

The numbers below come from the official IRCC language test page, which is the single source of truth. Check that page before you submit a profile in case IRCC has updated a threshold.

English tests to CLB

IELTS General Training

Raw IELTS General Training band scores per ability, from the IRCC IELTS conversion chart.

CLB	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
10 or above	8.5 to 9.0	8.0 to 9.0	7.5 to 9.0	7.5 to 9.0
9	8.0	7.0	7.0	7.0
8	7.5	6.5	6.5	6.5
7	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0
6	5.5	5.0	5.5	5.5
5	5.0	4.0	5.0	5.0
4 or below	4.5	3.5	4.0	4.0

CELPIP-General

Raw CELPIP-General scores per ability, from the IRCC CELPIP conversion chart. CELPIP reports whole-number levels, so every raw score lines up directly with a CLB level.

CLB	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
10 or above	10 or higher	10 or higher	10 or higher	10 or higher
9	9	9	9	9
8	8	8	8	8
7	7	7	7	7
6	6	6	6	6
5	5	5	5	5
4 or below	4	4	4	4

PTE Core

Raw PTE Core section scores per ability, from the IRCC PTE Core conversion chart.

CLB	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
10 or above	89 or higher	88 or higher	90 or higher	89 or higher
9	82 to 88	78 to 87	88 to 89	84 to 88
8	71 to 81	69 to 77	79 to 87	76 to 83
7	60 to 70	60 to 68	69 to 78	68 to 75
6	50 to 59	51 to 59	60 to 68	59 to 67
5	39 to 49	42 to 50	51 to 59	51 to 58
4 or below	28 to 38	33 to 41	41 to 50	42 to 50

French tests to NCLC

TEF Canada

TEF Canada raw section scores per ability, from the IRCC TEF Canada conversion chart. IRCC uses the "Équivalence ancien score" column on your TEF Canada attestation, not the "Score / 699" column. IRCC's Express Entry chart pools NCLC 9 and above into a single top row for TEF Canada, so NCLC 10 is not broken out separately.

NCLC	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
9 or above	298 or higher	248 or higher	371 or higher	371 or higher
8	280 to 297	233 to 247	349 to 370	349 to 370
7	249 to 279	207 to 232	310 to 348	310 to 348
6	217 to 248	181 to 206	271 to 309	271 to 309
5	181 to 216	151 to 180	226 to 270	226 to 270
4 or below	145 to 180	121 to 150	181 to 225	181 to 225

TCF Canada

TCF Canada raw section scores per ability, from the IRCC TCF Canada conversion chart.

NCLC	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking
10 or above	549 to 699	549 to 699	16 to 20	16 to 20
9	523 to 548	524 to 548	14 to 15	14 to 15
8	503 to 522	499 to 523	12 to 13	12 to 13
7	458 to 502	453 to 498	10 to 11	10 to 11
6	398 to 457	406 to 452	7 to 9	7 to 9
5	369 to 397	375 to 405	6	6
4 or below	331 to 368	342 to 374	4 to 5	4 to 5

One last reminder

IRCC assigns a CLB or NCLC level per ability based on the range your raw score falls into, and your weakest ability sets the floor for any program minimum. That means pushing a single raw score across a threshold, even by one point, can change the CLB level recorded for that ability and can ripple through both your eligibility and your CRS total. Results are valid for two years from the test date.

For the why behind these numbers, see Canada's language tests, CLB and NCLC, explained. When you are ready to see how a level translates into points, use the CRS calculator or start with the Express Entry eligibility checker.