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CLB to IELTS

Enter a Canadian Language Benchmark level and see the IELTS General Training band you need in each of the four skills.

CLB level
IELTS minimums
Runs locally in your browser

About the CLB to IELTS

Canadian immigration programs are written in Canadian Language Benchmarks, but the test most applicants sit is IELTS. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada publishes a chart that maps one to the other for IELTS General Training, and this page is that chart made searchable. Type a level, such as 9, and you get the four minimum band scores that reach it: 8.0 listening, 7.0 reading, 7.0 writing and 7.0 speaking.

The four skills do not move together, and that is the detail most people miss. Reaching CLB 9 needs 8.0 in listening but only 7.0 in reading, so a candidate whose listening lags can hold a strong overall average and still be assessed a level lower. Your CLB is the lowest of the four, never the average, which is why the output repeats that rule under every level it prints.

Enter one level per line to compare several at once, for example 7, 9 and 10, which is the usual way of working out how much a retake would be worth. The chart runs from CLB 4 to CLB 10 because those are the levels IRCC publishes; below 4 there is no listed equivalent, and because IELTS stops at band 9 every level above 10 shares the CLB 10 row. Leave the chart option ticked to keep the full grid under your answer for reference. To work in the other direction from real test results, use the IELTS to CLB page. Always confirm against the current IRCC chart before you file, since published equivalencies are revised from time to time.

How to use

  1. Type the CLB level you are aiming for, such as 9, or write it as CLB 9.
  2. Add more levels on their own lines to compare targets side by side.
  3. Read the four minimum bands: every one has to be met, not just the average.
  4. Keep Append the full chart ticked to see the whole grid from CLB 4 to CLB 10.

Common questions

Which IELTS test does this chart cover?
IELTS General Training, which is the version IRCC accepts for economic immigration programs. The Academic test is not part of this equivalency table.
Why does CLB 9 need 8.0 in listening but 7.0 in reading?
The four IELTS scales are calibrated separately, so equal difficulty does not fall on the same band number in each skill.
What happens above CLB 10?
IELTS band scores stop at 9.0, so every level above CLB 10 shares the CLB 10 row. The output says so when you enter 11 or 12.
Is a CLB 3 equivalent published?
No. The IRCC chart starts at CLB 4, so anything lower is rejected here rather than estimated.