Everything you need to know about converting your General Training IELTS score to CLB level in order to immigrate to Canada.
What does IELTS to CLB mean?
Canadian cities are rated as some of the most liveable places in the world, with their welcoming multicultural communities and mild weather all four seasons.
If you intend to study and then work in Canada, you might have considered the process of getting permanent residency there.
To ensure that you can communicate with ease, you will need to provide proof of your language skills to gain a visa, be it English or French.
To prove your English proficiency, you should take the IELTS General Training test, which is the preferred test for immigration to Canada.
Below, we’ll go through the minimum IELTS score to get Canada permanent residency.
Minimum IELTS Score Requirements
There are three different pathways for one to get PR status in Canada:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
As it takes 6 months for IRCC to process your application, you should ensure that your IELTS test results are valid for the entire duration.
For permanent residency through Express Entry, a minimum language proficiency of CLB 7, or a minimum of 6.0 for each section of the IELTS test, is required. All of Canada’s immigration programs require candidates to appear on standardized language tests and acquire a minimum score in language proficiency to be eligible for Canada PR. These federal economic programs include Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class.
Canada has its own way of unfolding the description of language proficiency as per Canadian principles. The country positions English language proficiency according to Canadian Language Benchmarks also known as CLB.
There are 12 CLBs classifying the levels of fluency starting from the most basic ability called as CLB 1 to utmost fluency in English called as CLB 12 whereas the level of French proficiency is known as Niveaux De Compétence Linguistique Canadiens (NCLC).
The three tests that an applicant may take to demonstrate their language ability under four factors that are Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening for any federal economic immigration program are:
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
- CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program)
- TEF (Test d’Évaluation de français)
So, if you have taken IELTS General Training, you are ready to check your CLB.
How can I convert my IELTS score to CLB?
It’s important to remember that you do not try to convert your overall IELTS score. You need to look at the four individual band scores for reading, writing, speaking and listening, convert those to CLB scores and then calculate the overall CLB score.
Common questions from candidates with example scores:
How much is IELTS 7.5 in CLB?
It depends on the skill. For listening, it’s an 8. For reading, it’s a 9. For writing and speaking, it’s a 10! Overall, your score would be an 8. There’s a pretty good calculator here.
Is CLB 7 a good score?
It’s fairly good and would indicate IELTS scores of 6.0.
