IELTS to CLB converter
Enter your IELTS General bands and see your Canadian Language Benchmark level — plus what it's worth in Express Entry CRS points.
Your bands, converted
Pick your IELTS General Training band for each skill. We apply the official IRCC conversion for each one.
Rule: your overall CLB is your lowest skill — Express Entry counts the minimum, not the average. Your weakest skill right now is Listening (CLB 7).
Express Entry CRS language points
Language points are one slice of your CRS score (max 136 with no spouse, 128 with spouse). Points below CLB 5 in a skill earn nothing for that skill.
The jump that matters
CLB 7 in all four skills (6.0 each) earns 68 CRS points. CLB 9 (Listening 8.0 · others 7.0) earns 124 points — a +56 point gain from the same four skills. That gap is why minimums don't get invited.
Latest Express Entry draws
Your language points are one piece of your CRS. Here are the most recent draws — the cutoffs show where invitations actually landed.
| Draw | Date | Program | ITAs issued | CRS cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #448 | Oct 13, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 752 | 772 |
| #449 | Oct 15, 2026 | Canadian Experience Class | 2,500 | 519 |
| #450 | Oct 16, 2026 | French-language proficiency | 5,000 | 435 |
| #451 | Oct 26, 2026 | Provincial Nominee Program | 792 | 761 |
| #452 | Oct 27, 2026 | French-language proficiency | 5,000 | 407 |
| #453 | Oct 28, 2026 | Transport Occupations | 150 | 477 |
Draw data as of Oct 29, 2026 — cutoffs move every round, so verify current draws at canada.ca. Heads-up: IRCC announced (Oct 16) that from Nov 3 the CRS adds up to 100 points for a job offer without an LMIA and 20–70 points for high-wage Canadian work experience — existing profiles are rescored automatically, and draws may pause for up to two weeks while scores are recalculated.
What is CLB?
The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are Canada's national standard for describing English ability. Immigration programs don't use IELTS bands directly — they convert your IELTS General Training scores to CLB levels, and your Express Entry CRS points are calculated from those CLB levels.
CLB 7 (6.0 in each IELTS skill) is the legal minimum for Express Entry. But invitations go to the highest CRS scores, so the band that actually matters is CLB 9 — Listening 8.0 with 7.0 in Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
Full IELTS → CLB conversion table
The official IRCC mapping for IELTS General Training. Find your band in a skill column — your CLB is the row it lands in.
| CLB level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 10 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| CLB 9 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| CLB 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| CLB 7 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CLB 6 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| CLB 5 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CLB 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Below CLB 4 | Any band below the CLB 4 minimum for that skill | |||
Unofficial estimate for practice planning — not an official IRCC assessment. Confirm requirements at canada.ca.
Know your number. Now raise it.
The converter shows where you stand. Practice shows you exactly what to fix — one criterion at a time.
Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge. This page never promises scores or immigration outcomes — only honest practice.