- CELPIP General and Express Entry
- CELPIP matches CLB 1:1, per ability
- The language minimum for each programme
- How the CRS scores your first official language
- What each ability is worth
- Job-offer points were removed on 25 March 2025
- Worked examples
- The FSW selection grid is not the CRS
- Why the weakest skill decides
CELPIP General is IRCC-designated for Express Entry, and its scoring converts cleanly: the CELPIP 1-12 scale maps directly onto the Canadian Language Benchmarks, ability by ability. The number on your score report is already a CLB level. This page covers the programme minimums, the full points tables and worked examples.
CELPIP General and Express Entry
For Express Entry, IRCC accepts CELPIP General, alongside IELTS General Training and PTE Core. The test type matters: Express Entry takes IELTS General Training, not IELTS Academic, and PTE Core, not PTE Academic, and it does not accept the IELTS One Skill Retake.
CELPIP General is one sitting of about three hours, with results online in eight business days, or three with express rating. Results must be less than two years old both when you complete your profile and again when you apply for permanent residence.
CELPIP General matches CLB 1:1, per ability
CELPIP General aligns with the CLB one-to-one, per ability: CELPIP 7 is CLB 7, CELPIP 8 is CLB 8, CELPIP 9 is CLB 9, and any score of CELPIP 10 or higher counts as CLB 10 or more.
The consequence is that CLB is measured, and the CRS is scored, per ability — there is no averaging of the four skills. You receive four separate CLB levels, each converted to points on its own, and a strong Listening score cannot lift a weak Writing score. Our CLB score guide covers that in detail.
The language minimum for each programme
Eligibility and CRS points are separate things, and the floor depends on your programme.
| Programme | Minimum language requirement | In CELPIP terms |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) | CLB 7 in all four abilities | CELPIP 7 in all four |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) — TEER 0 or 1 | CLB 7 in all four abilities | CELPIP 7 in all four |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) — TEER 2 or 3 | CLB 5 in all four abilities | CELPIP 5 in all four |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) | CLB 5 speaking and listening; CLB 4 reading and writing | CELPIP 5 speaking and listening; CELPIP 4 reading and writing |
Because CELPIP General is 1:1 with CLB, CELPIP 7 in all four abilities meets the FSW floor exactly, while a single CELPIP 6 anywhere means the profile does not meet it.
How the CRS scores your first official language
The CRS awards first-official-language points per ability, and each ability's value depends on whether you are assessed with a spouse or without one.
| CLB in the ability | Points with a spouse | Points without a spouse | All four abilities at this level (with / without spouse) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below CLB 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 / 0 |
| CLB 4 or 5 | 6 | 6 | 24 / 24 |
| CLB 6 | 8 | 9 | 32 / 36 |
| CLB 7 | 16 | 17 | 64 / 68 |
| CLB 8 | 22 | 23 | 88 / 92 |
| CLB 9 | 29 | 31 | 116 / 124 |
| CLB 10 or higher | 32 | 34 | 128 / 136 |
The "with a spouse" column is lower because a spouse contributes points elsewhere in the CRS. Four abilities at CLB 10 or higher give the maximum, 128 with a spouse and 136 without. CLB 7 to CLB 8 is worth 6 points per ability and CLB 9 to CLB 10 or higher only 3, so most recoverable points sit between CLB 7 and CLB 9. The CELPIP to CLB and CRS calculator applies these tables to your levels.
What each ability is worth
Each ability is worth the same as the others at every level, and points are awarded for each one independently. No ability pays more than another, which is what makes the weakest skill decisive.
| Ability | CLB 7 | CLB 8 | CLB 9 | CLB 10 or higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 16 / 17 | 22 / 23 | 29 / 31 | 32 / 34 |
| Reading | 16 / 17 | 22 / 23 | 29 / 31 | 32 / 34 |
| Writing | 16 / 17 | 22 / 23 | 29 / 31 | 32 / 34 |
| Speaking | 16 / 17 | 22 / 23 | 29 / 31 | 32 / 34 |
| All four abilities | 64 / 68 | 88 / 92 | 116 / 124 | 128 / 136 |
Each cell shows with a spouse / without a spouse. Because every ability carries identical value, a gain depends only on the levels you move between: +6 per ability for CLB 7 to CLB 8, +7 or +8 for CLB 8 to CLB 9, and +3 above CLB 9.
Second official language points
Second-official-language points are also awarded per ability, on the same no-averaging basis, but at a much lower rate.
| CLB in the ability | Points for that ability |
|---|---|
| CLB 4 or lower | 0 |
| CLB 5 or 6 | 1 |
| CLB 7 or 8 | 3 |
| CLB 9 or higher | 6 |
| Maximum across four abilities | 22 with a spouse / 24 without |
The ceiling is 22 points with a spouse and 24 without, against 128 and 136 for the first language: a useful top-up near a draw cut-off, not a substitute for raising your CELPIP General abilities.
Job-offer points were removed on 25 March 2025
One part of the CRS changed recently enough that older guides still describe it as current. Job-offer points were removed from the CRS on 25 March 2025. The 200-point award for a job offer in a Major Group 00 occupation and the 50-point award for other skilled job offers were both removed on that date, so a valid job offer no longer adds anything on its own.
Points many older profiles counted on are gone, and language now carries a larger share of the total: a candidate who once relied on the 50-point award must find the equivalent in language, education or work experience.
Worked examples: what a CELPIP profile is worth
Because points are awarded per ability, a whole profile can be totalled from the first-official-language table. Every figure below is the sum of four abilities.
| Scenario | Points with a spouse | Points without a spouse |
|---|---|---|
| All four abilities at CLB 7 | 64 | 68 |
| All four abilities at CLB 9 | 116 | 124 |
| Gain from moving all four abilities from CLB 7 to CLB 9 | +52 | +56 |
| Three abilities at CLB 10 with one stuck at CLB 8 | 118 | 125 |
| Three abilities at CLB 10 with one stuck at CLB 7 | 112 | 119 |
| All four abilities at CLB 10 or higher (maximum) | 128 | 136 |
The FSW selection grid is not the CRS
The Federal Skilled Worker selection grid also awards language points, and the two systems are easy to confuse because both are expressed per ability. The grid decides eligibility, where 67 of 100 points are needed across all selection factors; the CRS decides ranking among candidates already eligible.
| Your level in an ability | FSW selection grid points | Grid total from four abilities | CRS points (with / without spouse) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 7 | 4 | 16 / 24 | 16 / 17 |
| CLB 8 | 5 | 20 / 24 | 22 / 23 |
| CLB 9 or higher | 6 | 24 / 24 | 29 / 31 |
In the grid, first-language points are 4 per ability at CLB 7, 5 at CLB 8 and 6 at CLB 9 or higher, to a maximum of 24, plus 4 for a second official language at CLB 5 or above. Those are not comparable with CRS points: a CLB 9 profile takes 24 grid points but 29 or 31 CRS points for the same ability. Treat a maximum of 24 as the eligibility grid and anything in the thirties as the CRS.
Why the weakest skill decides
Every ability carries the same value and there is no averaging, so a profile's language score is limited by its lowest ability. Three abilities at CLB 10 will not carry a fourth at CLB 6: the total is four independent numbers added together.
Gains are also largest where most candidates have room: 6 points per ability from CLB 7 to CLB 8 and a further 7 or 8 from CLB 8 to CLB 9, against only 3 above CLB 9. A candidate with one ability two levels below the other three therefore gets a better return from that ability than from the three that already look good, which makes the wise order of preparation lowest-first.
Raising your CELPIP score
Because each ability is scored separately, targeted practice beats general preparation. Establish a level for each of the four abilities, then work on the lowest one, because that is where the next 7 or 8 points per ability are waiting. Our CELPIP practice tests cover all four abilities in the test format.
For the other accepted tests, see CELPIP vs IELTS and CELPIP vs PTE Core; for the wider system, see Express Entry CRS points. CELPIP for Australian visas explains why the Department of Home Affairs uses CELPIP levels that do not involve the CLB.
Last reviewed: 29 September 2026.