What TCF Canada score do I need for NCLC 9 or NCLC 10?
Checked November 1, 2026
NCLC 9 starts at 523 in listening, 524 in reading and 14 out of 20 in writing and speaking. NCLC 10, the top of IRCC’s table, starts at 549 and 16 out of 20. Going from NCLC 7 to NCLC 9 in all four skills adds 56 CRS points for a single applicant, before skill transferability.
| Skill | NCLC 8 | NCLC 9 | NCLC 10 and above |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 503–522 | 523–548 | 549–699 |
| Reading | 499–523 | 524–548 | 549–699 |
| Writing | 12–13 | 14–15 | 16–20 |
| Speaking | 12–13 | 14–15 | 16–20 |
IRCC puts everything from 549 to 699, and from 16 to 20, on one line. A score of 699 gives no more points than 549. In FEI’s table, 14–15 out of 20 is C1 and 16–20 is C1–C2.
CRS points per skill, first official language
| Level | Single | With a spouse |
|---|---|---|
| NCLC 7 | 17 | 16 |
| NCLC 8 | 23 | 22 |
| NCLC 9 | 31 | 29 |
| NCLC 10 and above | 34 | 32 |
Why NCLC 9 is a threshold
IRCC’s skill transferability points double when all four skills reach CLB 9. With a post-secondary degree, or with foreign work experience, the language part of those points goes from 13 or 25 at CLB 7 to 25 or 50 at CLB 9, depending on the credential or the years of experience. Each of these combinations is capped at 50 points, and skill transferability as a whole at 100. That comes on top of the 56 points above.
In writing, NCLC 9 means 14 out of 20, four marks above the NCLC 7 line. If writing is your lowest skill, it is the one that holds the whole profile back. Write one task to see your mark now, or look up every level in the NCLC conversion table.