Onterra Tutor🇨🇦 Canada Express Entry
Express Entry converts your IELTS General Training scores into Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels, and your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points climb steeply with them. The practical floor for the Federal Skilled Worker stream is CLB 7; serious candidates chase CLB 9 or higher because language is the cheapest big block of CRS points available.
The requirement at a glance
| Test accepted | IELTS General Training only |
|---|---|
| CLB 7 (FSW minimum) | 6.0 in each of the four skills |
| CLB 9 (strong CRS) | Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0 |
| CLB 10 | Listening 8.5, Reading 8.0, Writing 7.5, Speaking 7.5 |
What people miss
- Academic IELTS is not accepted for Express Entry. Book General Training.
- Moving from CLB 8 to CLB 9 can add roughly 50-100 CRS points once skill transferability kicks in. Half a band in one skill can change your draw outcome.
- Listening has the highest thresholds: CLB 9 needs 8.0 in Listening but only 7.0 elsewhere. Train listening hardest.
- Scores must be less than 2 years old when you receive an invitation to apply.
Are you already there?
Find out before you pay the exam fee. Check a real essay or record a speaking answer and get examiner-style bands in about a minute, free.
Questions people ask
What IELTS score is CLB 9?
Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0 and Speaking 7.0 on General Training. It is the level where Express Entry's skill transferability points open up fully.
Can I combine two test sittings?
No. Canada takes all four skills from a single sitting, so one weak paper means rebooking the whole test.
Figures reflect commonly published requirements and can change. Confirm against the official government or regulator source before booking.