IELTS General Training for Canadian Immigration
Last verified: Aug 8, 2026
IELTS General Training is the Express Entry variant of IELTS, accepted for every Canadian economic-immigration program that requires English. IRCC does not accept the Academic module.
- Result turnaround
- Computer-delivered: 3–5 days. Paper-based: 13 days from the test date.
- Cost
- Approximately CAD 335–361 in Canada before tax; confirm with your test centre.
- Validity
- 2 years from the test date.
- Test centres
- 1,600+ test centres in 140+ countries, including 30+ in Canada.
Scores, CLB / NCLC levels, and CRS points
Each ability is scored 0–9 in 0.5 steps. IRCC uses the four per-ability bands only; the overall band does not count.
Listening
| CLB / NCLC level | Test score |
|---|---|
| 10 | 8.5 |
| 9 | 8 |
| 8 | 7.5 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 6 | 5.5 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4.5 |
Reading
| CLB / NCLC level | Test score |
|---|---|
| 10 | 8 |
| 9 | 7 |
| 8 | 6.5 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 6 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 3.5 |
Writing
| CLB / NCLC level | Test score |
|---|---|
| 10 | 7.5 |
| 9 | 7 |
| 8 | 6.5 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 6 | 5.5 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 |
Speaking
| CLB / NCLC level | Test score |
|---|---|
| 10 | 7.5 |
| 9 | 7 |
| 8 | 6.5 |
| 7 | 6 |
| 6 | 5.5 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 |
CRS impact
| Level | Example test scores | CRS effect |
|---|---|---|
| CLB 7 | Listening 6.0, Reading 6.0, Writing 6.0, Speaking 6.0 | Baseline for Express Entry; unlocks bilingualism bonus if paired with NCLC 7+. |
| CLB 9 | Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0 | Maximum 'medium' tier in CRS: significant jump vs CLB 7. |
| CLB 10 | Listening 8.5, Reading 8.0, Writing 7.5, Speaking 7.5 | Top tier; no further CRS points above this level. |
Before you book
- Unlimited retakes. The One Skill Retake covers a single ability within 60 days, for computer-delivered IELTS in Canada and select markets.
- CLB 9 Reading requires IELTS 7.0, the hardest General Training threshold for most candidates.
- Computer-delivered sittings are usually 1–3 weeks out; paper-based can be 6+ weeks.