A couple of times, we’ve had people ask about Canada’s IELTS and what it means.
You’ve most likely heard of that word before. If you have friends that’s been pursuing to immigrate to Canada, you’ve probably had them talk about it before.
In this post, we will be letting you in on what IELTS means and why it is considered necessary for Canada Immigration.
When it comes to going to Canada, there are processes involved. Processes that needs to be followed. IELTS is one of those important processes.
To give you a more clearer idea of what IELTS is about and what it entails, let’s get started.
What Is Canada’s IELTS?
IELTS stands for International English Language Testing system. It is one of the recognized English language test systems for immigrants seeking to immigrate to Canada.
There are two major languages being spoken in Canada; English and French. As such, Canada has made it mandatory that all immigrants seeking to immigrant to Canada must prove their proficiency in French or English language.
Due to this reason, taking the Canada IELTS test is compulsory. Not only are immigrants required to take the test, they are also required to pass the test before going ahead with the rest procedures to apply to immigrate to Canada.
The test is aimed at proving being able to communicate properly in English if looking to study and then work in Canada.
The test is carried out based on four factors. These are, writing, speaking, listening and reading.
How Does IELTS Work?
As a result of the Canada’s IELTS tests, candidates are scored between 1 to 10. If your preferred language is English, you are required to seat for this.
Candidates are to include the result from the test alongside other documents with their application if invited to apply. Failure to include the test result may lead to their application not being processed.
Candidates are not to ask for their language test results to be sent directly to the Canada immigration body. The results should be sent with complete application. The original copy should be kept in a safe place as it may be requested for later.
What Is The Minimum IELTS Score?
Well, the minimum score varies depend on the requirement of your VISA, the program and the organization where you plan to study or work in.
For example, if you are pursuing to work in Canada as a lawyer, the IELTS score is a minimum score of 7.0 in each section. If pursuing to work as a nurse, the minimum overall score is 6.5 and 7.0 for speaking.
For federal skilled worker program, below are the needed points if you choose English as your official language:
CLB Level and IELTS Scores
| CLB Level | Points per subcategory | Listening | Reading | Speaking | Writing |
| 7 | 4 | 6.0-7.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| 8 | 5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| 9 | 6 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| 10 and above | 6 | 8.5-9.0 | 8.0-9.0 | 7.5-9.0 | 7.5-9.0 |
You get 4 points in total If English is your second language and if you meet the following per-section requirements.
| CLB Level | Total Points | Listening | Reading | Speaking | Writing |
| 5 and above | 4 | 5.0-9.0 | 4.0-9.0 | 5.0-9.0 | 4.0-9.0 |
Please note that if you get CLB4 or lower, no points will be awarded. If however, you get CLB 10 or higher, you will gain the maximum number of points. The maximum number or point is 34 or 32, if married.
We recommend doing more research to find out the minimum IELTS points for your preferred program.
