IELTS by destination
IELTS preparation for Canada
Canada is one of the largest destinations for IELTS candidates, and it is also the one place where your band score is read through another scale entirely: the Canadian Language Benchmarks. Understanding which test to sit and how your bands convert is half the preparation.
Which IELTS do you need for Canada?
For permanent residence pathways — Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Programs and most work-experience streams — the accepted paper is IELTS General Training. For university and college admission, institutions ask for IELTS Academic. The two share identical Listening and Speaking papers; Reading and Writing Task 1 differ, so practise the variant your route actually requires.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes which language tests each program accepts; always confirm your specific stream on the official IRCC pages before booking.
CLB levels: how Canada reads your bands
Canadian immigration programs do not use band scores directly — each of your four module bands is converted to a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level, and program requirements are expressed as minimum CLB levels per ability. A half-band in one module can change a CLB level, which in turn changes Express Entry points, so knowing the conversion table matters as much as your raw preparation.
Our free IELTS-to-CLB converter maps each module band to its CLB level instantly, so you can see exactly which module is holding your profile back and target your practice there.
Practising for the computer-delivered test
Most Canadian test centres offer computer-delivered IELTS, and the on-screen experience — one-play audio, the highlight and notes tools, the two-minute Listening check — is exactly what CD IELTS Prep reproduces. Sitting full timed mocks in the same interface removes the format as a variable on test day, leaving only the language.
IELTS to CLB converter
See the CLB level each of your module bands earns.
General Training mock tests
Timed GT practice in the computer-delivered interface.
Band score calculator
Raw marks to band estimates for Listening and Reading.
Frequently asked questions
Is IELTS General Training or Academic required for Canadian PR?
Permanent-residence programs such as Express Entry use IELTS General Training. IELTS Academic is for study admission. Confirm your specific program's requirements on the official IRCC website, since streams differ.
How do IELTS bands convert to CLB levels?
Each module band maps to a CLB level through the published conversion table — the mapping differs per module, which is why our free IELTS-to-CLB tool converts all four at once and shows which module limits your overall CLB.
Can I practise the exact computer-delivered format here?
Yes. Every mock reproduces the computer-delivered interface: one-play Listening audio with a review window, timed sections with server-side clocks, highlighting, and the same navigation as the real test software.