The one thing to understand first
Canada does not score your IELTS band. It converts each of your four skills into a Canadian Language Benchmark level, from CLB 4 to CLB 10, and awards points per ability.
Two consequences follow, and they are the whole strategy:
- Your lowest skill sets the limit. The four abilities are converted separately. An 8.0 in Reading with a 6.0 in Writing does not average. It gives you a CLB 8 and a CLB 7, and you are scored on the lower one.
- Points come from the level, not the band. There is no point value attached to "7.0 in Writing" directly. There is a point value attached to CLB 7, which Writing 6.0 happens to map to.
IELTS to CLB, per ability
Each ability converts on its own. The table below is the official one.
| CLB | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ | 8.5-9.0 | 8.0-9.0 | 7.5-9.0 | 7.5-9.0 |
| 9 | 8.0 | 7.0-7.5 | 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 |
Note the asymmetry. Listening 7.5 is only CLB 8, while Reading 6.5 is also CLB 8. Writing and Speaking are the two easiest abilities to push to CLB 9, because 7.0 in either one is enough.
This is the most useful fact on the page for planning. If you are at 7.0 in Reading, 6.5 in Writing and 6.0 in Listening, you are being scored at CLB 7, and the work worth doing is in Listening.
CRS points for your first official language
Points are awarded per ability, so the totals below are four times the per-ability figure.
| CLB per ability | Without a spouse | With a spouse |
|---|---|---|
| 10+ | 34 | 32 |
| 9 | 31 | 29 |
| 8 | 23 | 22 |
| 7 | 17 | 16 |
| 6 | 9 | 8 |
| 4 or 5 | 6 | 6 |
The maximum from a first official language is 136 without a spouse, 128 with one.
Worked on the weakest skill, which is how the score is actually set:
| Weakest ability | That CLB | Points across four abilities |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 in all four | CLB 7 | 68 |
| 6.5 in all four | CLB 8 | 92 |
| 7.0 in all four | CLB 9 | 124 |
| CLB 10 across four | CLB 10+ | 136 |
So 6.0 to 7.0 in every skill, which is most of a typical candidate's remaining work, is worth 56 points from language alone.
Which stream needs what
| Programme | Minimum | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker | CLB 7 | 6.0 in all four, plus 1 year skilled work experience and an ECA |
| Canadian Experience Class | CLB 7 | 6.0 in all four, plus 1 year Canadian work experience |
| Federal Skilled Trades | CLB 4-5 | Lower minimums, but certificate of qualification or a job offer needed |
CLB 7 is the floor, not the goal. Meeting the minimum gets your profile eligible for the pool. It does not get you an Invitation to Apply. Express Entry ranks everyone in the pool against everyone else, so a profile at the minimum is competing against profiles that scored higher on age, education, work experience and language. How far above the floor the cut-off lands in any given round is published per draw and changes constantly, which is why nobody can quote you a number in advance.
Which is worth being blunt about: language is the highest-value factor you can actually change on your own, because it is the one you can move with study. Age, education and work experience are fixed or nearly fixed. If your profile is short on points, language is where the movement is.
A second official language changes the arithmetic
French is worth more per point than English, and the bonus is large:
- NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities, with English at CLB 4 or lower: 25 additional points
- NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities, with English at CLB 5 or higher in all four: 50 additional points
Fifty points is nearly the value of moving a full band in English. If you studied French at school, or have family who did, this is worth costing out before deciding where to spend three months of study effort. Most Indian candidates have some French and do not consider it at all.
Where to spend the study effort
- Find your weakest ability first. It sets the limit. Everything else is upside you are not currently collecting.
- Push it to the next CLB level, not to the next band. The step from CLB 7 to CLB 8 is worth 6 points per ability. You do not need a whole band for that, just enough of a band in the right ability.
- Writing and Speaking are the cheapest CLB 9 routes. Both need 7.0 for CLB 9. Listening needs 8.0 and Reading needs 7.0.
- Recheck the scores together. A CLB 8 in three abilities and a CLB 7 in the fourth is scored at CLB 7. There is no partial credit for the three strong ones.
What you do not control
The figures on this page are the published point values, and they are the part you can plan against. What is not on this page: the cut-off in any particular draw, the pool composition on a given day, and whether an ITA arrives.
Those change with every draw, and nobody can promise them. Any preparation advice that includes a guaranteed invitation to apply timeline is either guessing or selling something. Treat a date someone gives you as unknown, and plan on the basis that your score is what you control.
Migration rules also change. Confirm the current figures against the IRCC Express Entry pages before you book a test, since the tables above are a snapshot of published values rather than a guarantee they will not change.
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