CELPIP reading score chart

CELPIP reading score calculator: right answers to a level

Enter how many drop-downs you got right across all 4 parts, out of 38: your raw score. Reading runs 43–56 minutes because some versions of an official test add questions that are not scored; your score comes from those 38 alone.

What you see is a practice estimate, not an official score. Take the lower level as your safe estimate, and retest with a different full section before you count on the higher one.

How the CELPIP reading score is calculated

Nobody rates your reading: your score depends only on how many questions you get right. Paragon publishes an approximate guide that turns right answers into levels, in rows that overlap, and this converter reads your total with three rules.

• A total in two rows shows both levels. With 31 right, you are in level 8’s row (28–31) and level 9’s (31–33), so you see 8–9.
• A total in one row adds its nearer neighbour. With 29 right, you are only in level 8’s row, below its middle, so level 7 joins it: 7–8. With 30, above the middle, you see 8–9.
• A total in the exact middle leans down. 32 is halfway through level 9’s row, so you see 8–9 rather than 9–10.

So a range starting at 9 first appears at 33, where level 9’s row meets the top row: 9–12, or CLB 9–10+.

The full CELPIP reading score chart

Each row pairs a span of right answers with a CELPIP level and its CLB. Compared with listening, reading rows sit lower: from level 7 up, each starts 2 or 3 right answers earlier, so 33 right shows 9–12 in reading but 8–9 in listening.

• Top row: 33–38 right covers levels 10 to 12, all counted as CLB 10+.
• Bottom row: 0–7 right is “M”, below level 3.
• Where rows meet: 24–25 right belongs to levels 6 and 7, 28 to 7 and 8, 31 to 8 and 9, and 33 to 9 and the top row.

Listening has its own bands: compare them on our listening score chart.

Reading scores in CLB terms, and totals to aim for

IRCC treats CELPIP levels 4 to 10 as CLB 4 to 10, skill by skill, so a reading range of 8–9 is CLB 8–9 in reading. Scores of 10 to 12 all count as CLB 10+ in Express Entry, and scores under 4 have no CLB equivalent.

CLB 7 in CELPIP reading is a reading score of 7: 24–28 right, with a range from 7 at 27. CLB 9 in reading is 31–33 right, with a range from 9 at 33. Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for each level are on our CELPIP score chart, and our CLB 9 page covers all four skills at that level.

4 parts, 4 timers: reading’s time problem

Each reading part has its own timer, and time left on one part does not carry over to another. So pace is part of your reading score, and the pressure differs by part:

Those seconds include reading each text, so there is no time to read every word slowly. A good split is about a third of a part’s time for a first read for the main idea, and the rest for finding the line each question needs.

Each part closes when its time is up, so choose something in every drop-down before the last minute, and use any time left to check. Practise pacing on Reading Part 4, which runs free with its 13-minute timer.

Reading methods that raise your score

• Scan for the detail a drop-down needs

  Read the words around a drop-down first, then search the passage for the matching name, number, time or condition. Read closely only there.

• Match meaning, not words

  An option that repeats a phrase from the text is not always right, and the correct one may say the same thing differently, such as “called off” for “cancelled”.

• Part 4: name each writer’s opinion

  Before answering, sum up each view in two or three words: who, for or against, and why. Questions about who thinks what then go quickly.

• Leave no drop-down empty

  Your score depends only on right answers, so a reasoned guess can only add to your total.

Practise each reading part on its own timer

Start with the part that ran out of time, or the one that lost the most answers for its size, in your last full section. Each card lists the part’s questions and timer, plus what to practise there.

• Part 1 · 11 questions · 11 minReading CorrespondenceWork out who wrote the message, to whom and why before you answer, then find the line behind each choice.
• Part 2 · 8 questions · 9 minReading to Apply a DiagramLearn what the diagram can tell you, such as dates, prices or rules, before you read the situation it applies to.
• Part 3 · 9 questions · 10 minReading for InformationSkim each paragraph for its topic first, then scan only the paragraph that holds the detail a question needs.
• Part 4 · 10 questions · 13 minReading for ViewpointsNote each writer’s position and reason as you read, since the questions ask who thinks what.Free practice set →

Why one reading part is too short for this chart

Paragon’s guide reads a full section of 38 questions, while a reading part has 8 to 11. Scaled up to 38, each answer in Part 4 weighs about 4, so one slip changes a part’s result far more than a full section’s.

A level for one part is therefore only indicative: its total is scaled to 38, read on this chart, then widened by one level each way. Getting 8 of 10 in Part 4 scales to 30, which reads as 8–9, so the indicative range is 7–10.

How to improve your CELPIP reading score by one level

Near the top of the chart, each level starts 2 to 4 right answers above the one below. First find out whether time or understanding is costing you those answers, because their fixes differ.

1. 1

   Sit a full timed section

   Take all 4 parts with their timers, for example in our free mock test, and note your total, your range and which parts ran out of time.

2. 2

   Sort your misses

   Mark each wrong answer as “ran out of time”, “misread a question” or “fell for a similar word”. Your biggest group is your first fix.

3. 3

   If time is your problem

   Practise one part a day against its timer, reading first for its main idea and then scanning for each detail.

4. 4

   If understanding is your problem

   Slow down on untimed practice and prove every answer with a line from the text before you choose it. Add the timer back once your answers hold up.

5. 5

   Read everyday texts daily

   Notices, emails, schedules and opinion pieces, ten to fifteen minutes a day, train the skills all four parts test.

6. 6

   Retest after a few weeks

   Take a different full section and compare the lower ends of your ranges, not single numbers.