CELPIP Listening Score Chart
CELPIP Listening score chart
CELPIP Listening scores you on how many of the 38 questions you answer correctly. The chart below is the raw-score-to-level conversion Paragon prints with its official practice tests. Your CELPIP Listening level is also your CLB level, so a Listening 9 is CLB 9.
| Correct answers (out of 38) | CELPIP Listening level | CLB |
|---|---|---|
| 35-38 | CELPIP 10-12 | CLB 10-12 |
| 33-35 | CELPIP 9 | CLB 9 |
| 30-33 | CELPIP 8 | CLB 8 |
| 27-31 | CELPIP 7 | CLB 7 |
| 22-28 | CELPIP 6 | CLB 6 |
| 17-23 | CELPIP 5 | CLB 5 |
| 11-18 | CELPIP 4 | CLB 4 |
| 7-12 | CELPIP 3 | CLB 3 |
| 0-7 | CELPIP M | Below CLB 4 |
The bands overlap on purpose. The live test is equated across versions, so the same raw score can land on a slightly different level depending on how hard that form is. Read the chart as a solid estimate, not a fixed cutoff. For your full CLB profile across all four skills and the CRS points each level earns, see the CELPIP score chart.
How many you need
Around 33 correct out of 38 puts most people at CELPIP Listening 9, which is CLB 9. That is the level most Express Entry candidates aim for, because CLB 9 across all four skills unlocks the maximum skill-transferability points.
CLB 7, the usual Express Entry minimum, sits lower on the chart. If your goal is 7 rather than 9, the thing that costs people the level is a collapse: running out of time, guessing a long stretch, or missing a run of basic details. Protecting against that is worth more than chasing the hardest questions.
At CLB 9 and above you are protecting a margin of about five wrong answers across the whole section, so the review that moves your score is the kind that catches small, repeated mistakes rather than one hard passage.
Turn your level into CLB and CRS points
Your Listening level is your CLB level, but Express Entry scores you on all four skills together. Enter your four results in the CELPIP-to-CLB calculator to see your CLB profile and the CRS language points it earns, or read the full CELPIP score chart for what each level means and the score you need for PR and citizenship.
To see where your raw score actually lands, sit a full Listening mock test under real timing, or read the Listening practice test guide for the format and a sample question.
FAQ
CELPIP Listening score questions
How many questions do you need right for CELPIP Listening 9?
On the chart Paragon prints with its official practice tests, roughly 33 of the 38 Listening questions lands around CELPIP 9, which is CLB 9. The bands overlap because the test is equated across versions, so on a harder form the same raw score can read a level higher. Treat 33 as a target, not a cutoff.
Is the CELPIP Listening level the same as CLB?
Yes. Your CELPIP Listening level is your CLB level for Listening: a Listening 9 is CLB 9. That one-to-one mapping is what immigration programs read, so a raw score of 33 out of 38 that reads as a 9 counts as CLB 9 on your Express Entry profile.
Does Paragon publish an official Listening score chart?
Paragon prints a raw-score-to-level conversion chart with its official practice tests, and this page reproduces it. It is approximate rather than an exact formula: the live test is equated across forms, so the real cutoffs shift slightly by version. There is no published per-question scoring algorithm.