CELPIP Score Chart: CELPIP to CLB and CRS Points (2026)

Is your partner coming to Canada with you? What do you have?

Listening Reading Writing Speaking

For Writing and Speaking there is no mark out of 38, so choose the level shown on your report.

Pick a level for each skill to see your CLB and points.

CELPIP level to CLB chart

From level 3 to level 12 the two numbers are the same, so CELPIP 8 is CLB 8. Older score reports used the letter M for the lowest band. Newer ones show 0-2 instead. The points are for each skill when English is your first official language.

CELPIP level	CLB level	CRS points, single	CRS points, partner coming
12	12	34	32
11	11	34	32
10	10	34	32
9	9	31	29
8	8	23	22
7	7	17	16
6	6	9	8
5	5	6	6
4	4	6	6
3	3	0	0
0-2	0 to 2	0	0

There is no bonus past 10. A CELPIP 12 gets the same CRS points as a 10.

Listening and Reading raw scores out of 38

Your score report gives levels, not raw marks. Paragon first turns your right answers into a scaled score, so the same raw mark can give a different level on a harder or easier test form. The ranges below are the examples published on celpip.ca. The last two columns are our own working: the lowest practice mark that is not also inside a lower level's range.

CELPIP level	Listening /38	Reading /38	Safe Listening mark	Safe Reading mark
10 to 12	35-38	33-38	36	34
9	33-35	31-33	34	32
8	30-33	28-31	32	29
7	27-31	24-28	29	26
6	22-28	19-25	24	21
5	17-23	15-20	19	17
4	11-18	10-16	13	12
3	7-12	8-11	8	8
0-2	0-7	0-7	-	-

So for a safe CLB 9 on practice tests, look for 34 in Listening and 32 in Reading. Get 33 in Listening and the real test might still call it an 8.

What a full set of levels is worth

This table adds the four skills together. We used the same CLB for each skill so the jumps are easy to spot. They cover only first official language points.

CLB in all four skills	Single	Partner coming
10 or higher	136	128
9	124	116
8	92	88
7	68	64
6	36	32
5	24	24
4	24	24
Below 4	0	0

Two steps pay the most for each skill: CLB 6 to 7 and CLB 8 to 9, at about 8 points each. The step from 8 to 9 also matters for skill transferability. Once all four skills are CLB 9 or higher, the education and foreign work combinations move to the higher rate.

Example: same person, two test results

Take a single applicant with one bachelor's degree, two years of work outside Canada and no Canadian work.

CLB 8 in all four: 92 language points, plus 13 for education with language and 13 for foreign work with language. That is 118.
CLB 9 in all four: 124 language points, plus 25 and 25. That is 174.

Nothing else changed, but the score went up by 56 points.

How Writing and Speaking get their level

These two skills have no raw score. Trained people mark them. Each rater looks at four areas of your answer and scores every area on a scale with five steps. Those scores then become your level. Speaking gets 3 to 5 raters. Writing gets 4 to 6. When the raters do not agree, a benchmark rater reviews it.

CELPIP rules for Express Entry

Book CELPIP-General. That is the CELPIP test IRCC lists for Express Entry.
IRCC only takes a result that is under 2 years old, both on the day your Express Entry profile goes in and on the day you send your PR application. celpip.ca says a score stays valid for five years, but for Express Entry the 2-year limit is what counts.
Your levels show up in your online CELPIP account, normally on the second to fourth business day after the test.
Newer score reports also print an average of your four scores. IRCC does not use it. Each skill is scored on its own.

Quick answers

Is a CELPIP 9 counted as CLB 9 by IRCC?

It is. The two scales line up one to one between levels 3 and 12, so IRCC reads your 9 as CLB 9.

How many Listening answers out of 38 do I need for a 9?

The example chart on celpip.ca puts level 9 at 33 to 35 for Listening and 31 to 33 for Reading. On a practice test, aim for 34 in Listening and 32 in Reading. Those are the first marks that can't also count as a level 8.

Is CELPIP 10 worth more points than a 9?

Yes, 3 more per skill. You get 34 points per skill as a single applicant, or 32 if your partner is coming too. An 11 or a 12 earns nothing extra over a 10.

Does my CELPIP average count for Express Entry?

No. IRCC looks at each skill by itself and ignores the average on newer reports. One weak skill can still pull down your skill transferability points.

Sources

CELPIP: Test results, celpip.ca (raw score examples, rating, result times)
CELPIP: Updates to score reports and scoring chart, celpip.ca
Comprehensive Ranking System criteria, canada.ca (modified 16 Oct 2026)
Express Entry: Language test results, canada.ca (modified 16 Oct 2026)

Want your whole score? Put these levels into the CRS calculator. Took IELTS, PTE Core, TEF or TCF instead? Use the IELTS to CLB converter.

CELPIP score chart and CELPIP to CLB calculator