CELPIP scores explained: levels 1 to 12, CLB, and the validity its own site gives twice

CELPIP-General tests all four skills in one sitting of about 2 hours 50 minutes, with no separate speaking day. It is the one IRCC requires for Express Entry. celpip.ca lists it at $299 plus applicable taxes.

CELPIP-General LS tests only listening and speaking, in about 1 hour 10 minutes, and celpip.ca says it is used for Canadian citizenship applications. It is listed at $199 plus applicable taxes. Citizenship only assesses speaking and listening, so the four-skill test costs $100 more for two scores the citizenship file does not use.

celpip.ca publishes one table that maps each CELPIP level to CLB, to CEFR and to Australia's Department of Home Affairs levels. The CLB column is the one Canadian programmes use, and it matches CELPIP level for level.

The CEFR column surprises people: CELPIP maps level 4, the citizenship threshold, to A2, and B1 starts at level 5. Levels 7 to 9 are all B2, and 10 and 11 are both C1. Levels 0 and 1 mean there was not enough to assess, celpip.ca's raw-score charts mark the lowest listening and reading band M (0 to 7 of 38), and NA means you did not sit that component.

Listening and reading are marked by computer, right or wrong, and a blank counts as wrong. celpip.ca publishes an example chart of raw scores out of 38 and says the cut points move slightly between test forms because harder versions are equated differently. Both tests also contain unscored trial questions that look exactly like the real ones, so there is no point guessing which to skip.

Approximately, in listening: 35–38 right is level 10–12, 30–33 is 8, 27–31 is 7, 22–28 is 6, 17–23 is 5 and 11–18 is 4. In reading: 33–38 is 10–12, 28–31 is 8, 24–28 is 7, 19–25 is 6, 15–20 is 5 and 10–16 is 4. The overlapping ranges are celpip.ca's own; they are what equating looks like.

Speaking and writing are rated by people, on four dimensions each: content and coherence, vocabulary, listenability (readability for writing), and task fulfilment, which includes tone and length. Each speaking performance is rated by three to five raters and each writing performance by four to six, working independently; when they disagree, a benchmark rater is assigned.

Scores appear in your CELPIP account 2 to 4 business days after the test, and the PDF you download there is the official report: celpip.ca says paper reports have been discontinued. The scores stay viewable in the account for five years from the test date.

You can ask for a re-evaluation of some or all components within six months of the test, once per component. You pay when you apply, the fee for a component is refunded if its level changes, and the answer takes about one to two weeks. celpip.ca's own advice is that listening and reading re-evaluations are unlikely to change anything, because those are computer-marked; it is speaking and writing where a second look can move a level.

celpip.ca's format and scoring page says scores are valid for two years from the date your score report is issued. Its results page, under the same table, says valid for five years. We read both on 15 October 2026 and report them as written.

For Canada, the receiving rule is IRCC's, and it depends on what you are applying for. Express Entry: IRCC says results must be less than 2 years old both when you complete your profile and when you submit your permanent residence application. Citizenship: IRCC asks for a copy of your results even if they're expired, provided they meet its scores, as our guide to Canadian citizenship language proof sets out.

From IRCC's Express Entry language page, read 15 October 2026. These are minimums; points for ranking in the pool rise with higher levels. How the same CLB looks on IELTS and PTE Core is in CELPIP, IELTS or PTE Core for Canada.

Our reading: the jump that most often matters is from 6 to 7, because CLB 7 in every skill is the floor for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Speaking and writing are the two skills raters score, and the two most candidates can move with practice against a real listener.