CLB & NCLC Calculator
Enter IELTS General, CELPIP, PTE Core, TEF Canada or TCF Canada results and see your CLB (English) or NCLC (French) level for Express Entry and other federal programs, plus CEFR for Quebec.
Enter results for whichever official language(s) you have a test for — English, French, or both. Express Entry gives points for a second official language, so a French result can matter even if you test in English.
English test
Select your approved language test
General Training only — Academic is not accepted for Canadian immigration.
Scores are kept separately for each test and are never converted from one test to another.
Enter your score for each ability
Only used to check IRCC’s two-year rule. You can convert scores without it — but without a date the result is an estimate and is not carried into the eligibility or CRS tools.
No test date entered — validity has not been established. Treat this as an estimate.
French test
Select your French language test
TEF Canada — enter the “Équivalence ancien score” (old-score equivalent) from your results statement, NOT the “Score / 699”: Listening 0–360, Reading 0–300, Writing & Speaking 0–450. IRCC’s table uses the old-score equivalents.
Scores are kept separately for each test and are never converted from one test to another.
Enter your score for each ability
Only used to check IRCC’s two-year rule. You can convert scores without it — but without a date the result is an estimate and is not carried into the eligibility or CRS tools.
No test date entered — validity has not been established. Treat this as an estimate.
Program language thresholds
| Program | CLB / NCLC | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FSW | 7 | Each of the 4 abilities |
| CEC, TEER 0–1 | 7 | Each ability |
| CEC, TEER 2–3 | 5 | Each ability |
| FST | 5 / 4 | Speaking & listening 5; reading & writing 4 |
CEC follows the occupation in which you have the greater amount of qualifying Canadian experience (IRPR 87.1(2)(e)). Test results must be less than 2 years old when you create your profile and when you apply. Source: IRCC, “Express Entry: Language test results” (page modified 2026-06-22), conversions checked 2026-10-10.
CEFR requirements for Quebec programs
| Program | Oral | Written |
|---|---|---|
| PEQ | Level 7 (≈B2) | — not required |
| PSTQ Streams 1 & 3 | Level 7 (≈B2) | Level 5 (≈B1) |
| PSTQ Stream 2 | Level 5 (≈B1) | — not required |
Quebec expresses these on the Échelle québécoise (≈NCLC): 7 ≈ B2, 5 ≈ B1. Verified against quebec.ca on 2026-07-29 — requirements may change; confirm on Quebec’s official website before applying.
* Based on IRCC and CEFR tables. Conversions are indicative and language alone never shows eligibility for any program — consult a licensed consultant for a precise case evaluation.
CLB or NCLC — which benchmark applies to you?
Canada uses one twelve-level language scale with two names, depending on the language. CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) is the English benchmark; NCLC (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens) is the French benchmark. IRCC's language tables read English test results on the CLB scale and French test results on the NCLC scale, and program requirements are written in those terms — "CLB 7" for Federal Skilled Worker, "NCLC 7" for the Express Entry French-language category.
- TEF Canada → NCLC. Each of the four TEF Canada skills (listening, reading, writing, speaking) maps to an NCLC level through IRCC's published equivalency table. The converter above applies that table.
- TCF Canada → NCLC. TCF Canada converts to NCLC skill by skill in the same way; its score scale differs from TEF, so choose the right test in the converter. What NCLC 7 unlocks in Express Entry — the French-language category and the 25- and 50-point bonus — is in our French-language Express Entry guide.
- IELTS General, CELPIP and PTE Core → CLB. English results are read on the CLB scale. IELTS Academic is not accepted for the federal programs.
- DELF/DALF is a direct CEFR certificate, not an IRCC-approved test, so it has no NCLC reading for the federal programs; for Quebec it is read on the CEFR scale.
Now that you know your CLB, calculate your CRS score
Your CLB directly drives your CRS score in Express Entry. Language is the highest-weighted factor in the CRS formula.
📊 Calculate My CRS ScoreHow do I convert my language test score to CLB?
Enter your raw test scores above and this calculator converts them using IRCC's own official equivalency tables. Each test converts differently:
- CELPIP — your test score IS your CLB level, 1-to-1, no table lookup needed. It is also the only test that measures a genuine CLB 11 or 12
- IELTS General Training — each of your four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) is checked against its own threshold table; CLB 9, for example, requires Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, and Speaking 7.0
- PTE Core — converted using IRCC's separate PTE equivalency table, on the 10–90 PTE Core scale
- TEF Canada and TCF Canada — measure French; CLB 7 or higher across all four skills earns extra CRS points under the French-language bonus
CLB and NCLC score chart — what score does each test need?
IRCC's chart for each Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB, English) and Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC, French) level, for the five tests IRCC accepts. Pick a level to see the score each test needs in each of the four abilities.
CLB 4 / NCLC 4
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General TrainingEnglish | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CELPIP-GeneralEnglish | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| PTE CoreEnglish | 28–38 | 33–41 | 41–50 | 42–50 |
| TEF CanadaFrench | 145–180 | 121–150 | 181–225 | 181–225 |
| TCF CanadaFrench | 331–368 | 342–374 | 4–5 | 4–5 |
CLB 5 / NCLC 5
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General TrainingEnglish | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CELPIP-GeneralEnglish | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| PTE CoreEnglish | 39–49 | 42–50 | 51–59 | 51–58 |
| TEF CanadaFrench | 181–216 | 151–180 | 226–270 | 226–270 |
| TCF CanadaFrench | 369–397 | 375–405 | 6 | 6 |
CLB 6 / NCLC 6
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General TrainingEnglish | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| CELPIP-GeneralEnglish | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| PTE CoreEnglish | 50–59 | 51–59 | 60–68 | 59–67 |
| TEF CanadaFrench | 217–248 | 181–206 | 271–309 | 271–309 |
| TCF CanadaFrench | 398–457 | 406–452 | 7–9 | 7–9 |
CLB 7 / NCLC 7
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General TrainingEnglish | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CELPIP-GeneralEnglish | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| PTE CoreEnglish | 60–70 | 60–68 | 69–78 | 68–75 |
| TEF CanadaFrench | 249–279 | 207–232 | 310–348 | 310–348 |
| TCF CanadaFrench | 458–502 | 453–498 | 10–11 | 10–11 |
CLB 8 / NCLC 8
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General TrainingEnglish | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| CELPIP-GeneralEnglish | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| PTE CoreEnglish | 71–81 | 69–77 | 79–87 | 76–83 |
| TEF CanadaFrench | 280–297 | 233–247 | 349–370 | 349–370 |
| TCF CanadaFrench | 503–522 | 499–523 | 12–13 | 12–13 |
CLB 9 / NCLC 9
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General TrainingEnglish | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| CELPIP-GeneralEnglish | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| PTE CoreEnglish | 82–88 | 78–87 | 88–89 | 84–88 |
| TEF CanadaFrench | 298–315 | 248–262 | 371–392 | 371–392 |
| TCF CanadaFrench | 523–548 | 524–548 | 14–15 | 14–15 |
CLB 10 / NCLC 10
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General TrainingEnglish | 8.5–9.0 | 8.0–9.0 | 7.5–9.0 | 7.5–9.0 |
| CELPIP-GeneralEnglish | 10+ | 10+ | 10+ | 10+ |
| PTE CoreEnglish | 89+ | 88+ | 90+ | 89+ |
| TEF CanadaFrench | 316–360 | 263–300 | 393–450 | 393–450 |
| TCF CanadaFrench | 549–699 | 549–699 | 16–20 | 16–20 |
- Tests: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General and PTE Core for English; TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French.
- IELTS: the band shown is the lowest that reaches the level. A trailing + means that score or higher.
- TEF Canada: use the “Équivalence ancien score” column of your results statement — not the “Score / 699” column.
Source: IRCC — Express Entry: Language test results (page last updated June 22, 2026; checked against IRCC on October 8, 2026). Always confirm against IRCC's current chart before relying on a score.
Frequently Asked Questions
CELPIP is the simplest conversion of all: your test score IS your CLB level, 1-to-1, with no table lookup needed. A CELPIP 9 is CLB 9, a CELPIP 7 is CLB 7. CELPIP is also the only test that measures a genuine CLB 11 or 12 — IELTS, PTE Core, TEF Canada, and TCF Canada all cap out at "CLB 10 or more" in IRCC's own equivalency tables, so if you are aiming for the highest possible language points, CELPIP is the only test that can show it.
Enter your General Training band scores above — IRCC's official CLB equivalency only applies to IELTS General Training, not IELTS Academic, so make sure that is the version you took. Each of your four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) is converted separately against its own threshold. As an example, CLB 9 requires Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, and Speaking 7.0 — a single weaker skill only lowers that skill's CLB, not the others.
There is no single "good" score — CLB 7 is the most commonly cited minimum across federal programs and many provincial and citizenship requirements, but the number that actually matters for Express Entry is how your CLB level translates into CRS points, and higher is always worth more. Use our CRS calculator with your converted CLB level to see the real impact on your score.
Yes, completely free with no sign-up required. It converts your raw test scores using IRCC's own official equivalency tables for IELTS General Training, CELPIP, PTE Core, TEF Canada, and TCF Canada — the exact same tables IRCC itself uses, so the conversion is exact for a correctly-entered score. What it cannot do is verify your actual test result was entered correctly, or catch a test-taker error on the official score report — always double-check your raw scores against your test report before relying on the result.
NCLC (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens) is the French-language name of the same twelve-level scale that CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) uses for English. IRCC reads English test results (IELTS General, CELPIP, PTE Core) as CLB levels and French test results (TEF Canada, TCF Canada) as NCLC levels, and program requirements are written that way — for example NCLC 7 in all four skills for the Express Entry French-language category. The levels line up one to one; only the name and the source test differ.
CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is the scale Quebec uses to assess French ability, separate from the CLB scale used for federal programs. If you are applying through a Quebec program rather than federal Express Entry, your TEF Canada, TCF Canada, or DELF/DALF results are typically assessed against CEFR levels instead of CLB. A TEF Canada or TCF Canada score shown in the French section above gives you both readings at once — no need to enter it twice.
Free Tool · CLB (English) · NCLC (French) · TEF Canada · TCF Canada → NCLC · No sign-up required