IELTS or CELPIP? From someone who got 7.5 in IELTS and 10 in CELPIP

Updated 6 Nov 2026

I took IELTS Academic and got 7.5 overall, but my Writing and Speaking both stopped at 6.5. Then I switched to CELPIP, studied for a month and got an average of CLB 10, with 10 in Speaking and 9 in Writing. In immigration groups I see so many people stuck in exactly the same place: 8 in Listening and Reading, but Writing and Speaking stuck at 6.5, sometimes 8.5 in three skills with Writing at 6.5 after three attempts and a remark that didn't change anything. While I was looking into CELPIP, I read a lot of experiences from people who had taken both tests, so this post compares the two tests section by section, combining my own experience with what I read and checking it against the official scoring criteria of both tests.

First, Canadian immigration only accepts IELTS General, not Academic. Listening and Speaking are the same in both IELTS versions, while the General Reading passages and Writing tasks are closer to everyday life. IELTS scores have to be converted to CLB: CLB 9 needs 8.0 in Listening and 7.0 in Reading, Writing and Speaking, and CLB 10 needs 8.5, 8.0, 7.5 and 7.5. So a 6.5 in Writing or Speaking puts that skill at CLB 8, and your profile no longer counts as CLB 9 in all four skills, however high the other three are. CELPIP scores are the CLB level itself: a 9 is CLB 9, with no half points.

Speaking: Harder tasks, more forgiving scoring

The CELPIP task types are clearly harder than IELTS. The eight tasks are eight different kinds of speaking: giving advice, talking about a past experience, describing a scene, predicting what will happen, comparing and persuading, dealing with a difficult situation, giving your opinion and describing an unusual situation. Each task gives you 30 to 60 seconds to prepare and 60 to 90 seconds to speak, alone in front of a computer, with no examiner asking follow-up questions or helping you along like in IELTS. Getting 7.5 in IELTS Speaking but only 7 in CELPIP because the task types were unfamiliar isn't rare, so don't assume that speaking well means you're ready for the test.

The scoring, though, is more forgiving in CELPIP. According to the public IELTS band descriptors, a 7 in Speaking means using some less common and idiomatic vocabulary, a flexible range of sentence structures, and mostly error-free sentences. At 6 you get your ideas across and the meaning is clear, but complex sentences still have frequent errors and lack flexibility. That's why so many people get stuck at 6.5: they speak clearly and to the point but can't reach 7 without the "fancy" words and complex structures. CELPIP Speaking is scored on four areas: content and coherence, vocabulary, listenability, and task fulfillment. For vocabulary, the rater asks how wide your vocabulary is and whether you use it naturally. For listenability, it's whether your answer is easy to follow and understand, and the last area also looks at whether your tone fits the situation. In my view, speaking natural, clear English and doing exactly what the task asks already earns a high score, without cramming in difficult words.

I got 6.5 in IELTS Speaking and 10 in CELPIP without using anything fancy. I just practised until each task felt familiar and had an answer structure ready for every task. Someone who took CELPIP three times and IELTS twice also found CELPIP Speaking harder but more generously scored. Each CELPIP speaking response is scored by 3 to 5 independent raters, while in IELTS there's a single examiner sitting in front of you. Talking to a computer is also less nerve-racking than talking to a person, and people who got 12 in Speaking all say the same.

Writing: Write clearly, in the right tone

CELPIP has two tasks, an email and a survey response (choose one of two options and explain why), each 150–200 words in about 26–27 minutes, typed on the computer. IELTS General also has two tasks in 60 minutes: a letter of at least 150 words and an essay of at least 250 words, and the essay topics are more academic.

The scoring works like Speaking. For a 7 in IELTS Writing, the band descriptors ask for less common vocabulary, awareness of style and collocation, a variety of complex sentences and many error-free sentences. CELPIP scores four areas: content and coherence, vocabulary (again, whether you use words naturally), readability (paragraphs, linking words, grammar, spelling) and task fulfillment (covering every point, the right tone, the right length). CELPIP tasks are emails to a neighbour or a manager, or feedback about your community, so writing that is clear, in the right tone and reads naturally scores well. I got 9 in Writing. An English teacher stuck at CLB 8 in IELTS Writing reached CLB 10 after switching to CELPIP. People who got 12 in Writing advise against memorizing hundreds of "fancy" words from the internet: pick 4 or 5 linking words and use them until they feel natural, because words you aren't comfortable with sound odd in a sentence. Each CELPIP writing task is scored by 4 to 6 raters. In CELPIP, save a few minutes at the end of each task to reread your answer and fix basic grammar mistakes before you submit.

Reading: CELPIP needs more inference

CELPIP isn't necessarily easier here. The first time I tried CELPIP Reading I only got CLB 8. IELTS Reading has lots of fill-in questions: sentence completion, summaries, notes, tables. For those you mostly find the keyword, locate the right paragraph and copy words from the text. CELPIP is all multiple choice, and many questions ask you to work out what the writer means, how someone feels, or which paragraph contains which information. If you've pushed your IELTS Reading to 8+, you'll know multiple choice is the hardest type, because you have to understand the passage and keywords alone aren't enough. CELPIP Reading is almost all questions like that. If you're used to scanning for keywords in IELTS, practise reading whole paragraphs and asking yourself what the writer is trying to say before you choose.

Because CELPIP is on a computer, you can't underline in the passage the way you can on a paper IELTS test. If you rely on underlining keywords, try a CELPIP Reading test on a computer before you register and see how it feels.

Listening: Familiar accents, but questions are read only once

CELPIP accents are North American, mostly Canadian, so they sound familiar if you live here, while IELTS also uses British and Australian accents. CELPIP topics are all about everyday life in Canada: work, housing, neighbours. On the other hand, in Parts 1 to 3 each question is read aloud only once, not printed for you to read ahead, and you have about 30 seconds to answer. Part 5 is a video of three people talking, so you have to remember who said what. Practise taking quick notes for each speaker and choosing your answer within 30 seconds. IELTS lets you read the questions first and answer while you listen, but it has many fill-in questions, so a spelling mistake costs you the mark.

So which one?

If you need CLB 9–10 for Express Entry and you're stuck around 6.5 in IELTS Writing and Speaking, give CELPIP a try. Some people find the opposite: the person above who took CELPIP three times ended up recommending IELTS because it suited them better. If you already have 7 or more in Writing and Speaking, feel more confident talking to a person than to a computer, or like underlining on paper, IELTS may suit you better. The surest way is to try both before you register. CELPIP has 2 free practice tests on its official website, so do one CELPIP test and one IELTS test and you'll see which one fits you.