CELPIP to IELTS Conversion: What Each CELPIP Level Equals in IELTS, Skill by Skill

How the conversion really works#

CELPIP and IELTS are different tests with different scales. CELPIP reports a level from 1 to 12 for each skill, and Paragon has calibrated those levels to the Canadian Language Benchmarks so that a CELPIP level is a CLB level. IELTS reports a band from 1 to 9 in whole and half bands for each skill, plus an overall band. IRCC converts IELTS General Training bands to CLB levels with its own table.

So the only official route from one test to the other goes through CLB:

1. Take your CELPIP level in a skill. It is your CLB level in that skill.
2. Look up the IELTS General Training band that IRCC maps to the same CLB level in the same skill.

This gives a useful answer for immigration purposes, because IRCC treats the two results as equal. It does not mean a person who scored CELPIP 9 would score IELTS 8.0 on the same day, and it says nothing about an IELTS overall band, which CELPIP doesn’t have. Our CLB guide explains the 12 levels; this page is the two tests side by side.

CELPIP to IELTS conversion chart#

IRCC’s conversion for every CLB level from 4 to 10, with the CELPIP level and the IELTS General Training bands for each skill. The IELTS band is the minimum for that CLB level; anything up to the next row is the same level.

Read in the CELPIP direction, the chart says:

• CELPIP 10 to 12 ≈ IELTS 8.5 or more in listening, 8.0 or more in reading, 7.5 or more in writing and speaking. IRCC does not separate CLB 10, 11 and 12 for points, so the three top CELPIP levels map to one IELTS band range.
• CELPIP 9 ≈ IELTS 8.0 listening, 7.0 reading, 7.0 writing, 7.0 speaking.
• CELPIP 8 ≈ IELTS 7.5 listening, 6.5 reading, 6.5 writing, 6.5 speaking.
• CELPIP 7 ≈ IELTS 6.0 in all four skills. This is the only level where the four skills line up.
• CELPIP 6 ≈ IELTS 5.5 listening, 5.0 reading, 5.5 writing, 5.5 speaking.
• CELPIP 5 ≈ IELTS 5.0 listening, 4.0 reading, 5.0 writing, 5.0 speaking.
• CELPIP 4 ≈ IELTS 4.5 listening, 3.5 reading, 4.0 writing, 4.0 speaking.

Two patterns stand out. Above CLB 7, IELTS listening needs a full band more than the other skills, so a CELPIP 9 in listening corresponds to a harder IELTS score (8.0) than a CELPIP 9 in writing (7.0). Below CLB 7, IELTS reading needs a full band less. The same CELPIP level therefore matches a different IELTS band depending on the skill, which is why a single-number converter can’t be right.

PTE Core follows the same logic. For reference, CLB 9 is 82 to 88 in listening, 78 to 87 in reading, 88 to 89 in writing and 84 to 88 in speaking, and CLB 7 is 60 to 70, 60 to 68, 69 to 78 and 68 to 75. The full PTE table is in our guide to the three English tests for Canada PR.

IELTS to CELPIP: the half bands in between#

Going the other way is where most mistakes happen, because IELTS has half bands and CELPIP does not. An IELTS band that sits between two rows of the chart counts as the lower CLB level, which means the lower CELPIP level.

A worked example. Someone scores IELTS General Training 7.0 in all four skills, overall band 7.0. In CLB terms that is listening 7, reading 9, writing 9 and speaking 9, which is the same as a CELPIP result of 7, 9, 9, 9. For Express Entry that listening 7 costs 14 points compared with a 9, and it also blocks the CLB 9 skill transferability points, which only count when all four skills are at 9. The same person with IELTS 7.0 in reading, writing and speaking but 7.5 in listening is CLB 8 in listening, and with 8.0 is CLB 9 everywhere.

Note that IRCC does not accept the IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry, so an IELTS listening band can’t be fixed on its own; the whole test is retaken.

Why the two scales don’t line up#

• Different number of steps. CELPIP has 12 levels and reports whole numbers. IELTS has 9 bands and reports halves, so 17 possible scores between 1 and 9. Each CELPIP level above 7 covers roughly one IELTS half band; below 7 the match is looser.
• Different tests under the scores. CELPIP listening and reading have 38 questions each; Paragon’s approximate chart puts level 9 at about 33 to 35 correct in listening and 31 to 33 in reading. IELTS listening and reading have 40 questions, and IELTS says band 7 in listening is about 30 marks and band 8 about 35 on an average version. The two are not counting the same thing, so a “percent correct” conversion is meaningless.
• Different descriptors. Paragon lists CELPIP 7, 8 and 9 as CEFR B2, 10 and 11 as C1 and 12 as C2. IELTS describes band 6 as “competent”, 7 as “good” and 8 as “very good”. Both are informative, neither is a conversion.
• No overall score in CELPIP. IELTS averages the four skills into an overall band, rounded to the nearest half. CELPIP reports four levels and nothing else, and IRCC only ever looks at the four skills, so the overall band plays no part in the conversion.

Australia converts the tests differently#

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs accepts CELPIP-General for visas for tests taken on or after August 7, 2025, and publishes the scores it wants from each test for each English level. Its mapping is not the same as IRCC’s.

Competent English matches IRCC’s CLB 7 (CELPIP 7 and IELTS 6.0). After that the two governments part ways: for Proficient English, Australia asks for CELPIP 10 in writing against IELTS 7.0, while in Canada IELTS 7.0 writing equals CELPIP 9. For Superior English it wants CELPIP 12 in writing, the top of the scale, against IELTS 8.0. If you are applying to Australia with CELPIP, writing is the skill to prepare hardest. Australia also accepts the IELTS One Skill Retake for eligible visas, which IRCC does not, and it does not accept CELPIP Online or IELTS Online for visas.

What the conversion means for your choice of test#

If you are choosing a test for Canada, the chart is a map of where each test is strict:

• IELTS listening needs 7.5 for CLB 8 and 8.0 for CLB 9, a band above the other skills. If listening is your weak skill, CELPIP’s single-number levels make the bar more predictable.
• IELTS reading is the generous one at the lower levels: 4.0 counts as CLB 5 and 5.0 as CLB 6. For a program that asks for CLB 5, such as the Federal Skilled Trades Program, IELTS reading is the easiest box to tick.
• Speaking is where the tests feel most different: CELPIP records you talking to a computer for eight short tasks, IELTS is a face-to-face interview. No chart captures that; our CELPIP vs IELTS comparison does.
• Timing and cost matter too: CELPIP is one sitting of under three hours with results in two to four business days, and it costs $299 plus tax in Canada. The score you need for each CLB level, and the points each level earns, are in our CELPIP score chart.

Whichever test you choose, convert skill by skill, use IRCC’s table and not a rounded average, and remember that for Canadian immigration the two results are worth exactly the same once they become CLB levels.

Sources#

CLB conversion tables, accepted tests and the One Skill Retake rule: canada.ca, language test results. CRS points by CLB: canada.ca, CRS criteria. CELPIP levels, CLB and CEFR calibration, approximate scores and Australian levels: celpip.ca, test results; fee and test length: celpip.ca, overview. IELTS band scores, half bands, overall band and listening marks: ielts.org, IELTS scoring in detail. Australian English levels: Department of Home Affairs, English language requirements, with the Competent, Proficient, Superior and Vocational English pages. Checked October 9, 2026.

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