What IELTS, CELPIP or PTE score is equivalent to NCLC 7?
Checked November 2, 2026
IRCC treats NCLC 7 and CLB 7 as the same requirement, on parallel scales for French and English. For example, the Federal Skilled Worker program asks for CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French. According to IRCC, CLB 7 means 6.0 in every skill on IELTS General Training, 7 in every skill on CELPIP-General, and 60 in listening and reading, 69 in writing and 68 in speaking on PTE Core. There is no official direct conversion from a TCF Canada score to an IELTS score.
The same level number in English tests
These are the thresholds IRCC publishes for Express Entry, per skill (listening, reading, writing, speaking).
| Level | IELTS General Training | CELPIP-General | PTE Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 5 | Listening 5.0, reading 4.0, writing 5.0, speaking 5.0 | 5 in each | Listening 39, reading 42, writing 51, speaking 51 |
| CLB 7 | 6.0 in each | 7 in each | Listening 60, reading 60, writing 69, speaking 68 |
| CLB 9 | Listening 8.0, reading 7.0, writing 7.0, speaking 7.0 | 9 in each | Listening 82, reading 78, writing 88, speaking 84 |
These are the minimums for each level. For Express Entry, IRCC requires the IELTS General Training option, CELPIP-General and the PTE Core option.
For French, the same NCLC 7 on TCF Canada means 458 in listening, 453 in reading and 10 out of 20 in writing and speaking (full chart).
Why there is no direct equivalence
TCF Canada and IELTS don’t measure the same language. IRCC publishes one chart per test, each converted to CLB or NCLC, rather than a chart comparing two tests. It places each test on the scale for its language, NCLC for French and CLB for English, and those levels are what count in your file. Comparing 6.0 on IELTS with 458 on TCF only works through that shared level 7.
What English adds to a French-first profile
If French is your first official language, English counts as your second official language.
| English CLB, per skill | CRS points per skill |
|---|---|
| 4 or less | 0 |
| 5 or 6 | 1 |
| 7 or 8 | 3 |
| 9 or more | 6 |
These points are capped at 24 without a spouse and 22 with one. There are also additional points for French. With NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills, you get 25 points if your English is CLB 4 or lower, or if you took no English test, and 50 points if it reaches CLB 5 or higher in all four skills. Details are in CRS points for French.
The 50-point bonus therefore needs NCLC 7 in each of the four French skills. In writing, that is 10 out of 20. Write a task to see your estimated mark today.