PTE Core score chart

The official table

CLB	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
CLB 10	89–90	88–90	89–90	90–90
CLB 9	82–88	78–87	84–88	88–89
CLB 8	71–81	69–77	76–83	79–87
CLB 7	60–70	60–68	68–75	69–78
CLB 6	50–59	51–59	59–67	60–68
CLB 5	39–49	42–50	51–58	51–59
CLB 4	28–38	33–41	42–50	41–50
CLB 3	18–27	24–32	34–41	32–40

Source: Pearson PTE Core Score Guide, Jan 2024 (v1), p. 9, identical to the IRCC language-testing page for Express Entry. Scores below the CLB 3 row have no benchmark. Confirm the table on the IRCC site before relying on it.

How to read it

Each column is a skill and each row is a Canadian Language Benchmark. To find your CLB in a skill, take the score for that skill from your report, run down that skill's column and stop at the row whose range contains it. A Reading score of 72 falls in 69 to 77, so it is CLB 8. Do this four times, once per skill. The four answers are what IRCC records; the raw scores are not used again after the lookup.

Three rules follow from the shape of the table.

• Every skill has its own thresholds. A 78 is CLB 9 in Reading, CLB 8 in Speaking, CLB 8 in Listening and CLB 7 in Writing. Never read one number across the whole row.
• Bands are steps. Inside a band, every score is identical for immigration purposes. 60 and 70 in Listening are both CLB 7. Only crossing a boundary changes anything.
• There is no rounding. One point below a boundary is the lower benchmark. 87 in Writing is CLB 8; 88 is CLB 9.

The numbers worth memorising

For planning, the lower edge of each band is all that matters. These are the minimum scores per skill for each level from CLB 4 upward.

Level	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
CLB 10	89	88	89	90
CLB 9	82	78	84	88
CLB 8	71	69	76	79
CLB 7	60	60	68	69
CLB 6	50	51	59	60
CLB 5	39	42	51	51
CLB 4	28	33	42	41

Two rows get quoted more than any others. CLB 7 (60, 60, 68, 69) is the floor for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and for Canadian Experience Class candidates in TEER 0 and 1 occupations. CLB 9 (82, 78, 84, 88) is where Express Entry language points jump and where the skill-transferability combinations reach their higher rates. The score planning calculator turns these into a per-skill gap from your current result.

Why the bands are not the same width

Look at how many points each band covers in the middle of the table.

Level	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
CLB 9	7 points	10 points	5 points	2 points
CLB 8	11 points	9 points	8 points	9 points
CLB 7	11 points	9 points	8 points	10 points
CLB 6	10 points	9 points	9 points	9 points
CLB 5	11 points	9 points	8 points	9 points

The table was built by aligning PTE Core scores to the CLB descriptors skill by skill, not by dividing 10 to 90 into equal slices. Writing's CLB 9 band is only two points wide (88 to 89) because the writing descriptors for CLB 9 are demanding and the test's writing scale is compressed at the top. Reading's CLB 9 band is ten points wide (78 to 87) because reading performance spreads out more evenly on the scale. In practice this means a Writing result is more sensitive to a single error than a Reading result: a slip that costs three points barely moves your Reading CLB but can drop Writing a whole level.

The lower half of the table shows the opposite pattern. Speaking has the strictest floor: CLB 5 starts at 51 in Speaking but at 39 in Listening. People who speak hesitantly but understand well often see a twelve-point gap between those two skills on the same report, and the table treats that gap as a full benchmark.

The overall score and the skills profile

Your score report shows an overall score on the same 10 to 90 scale, built from every scored item in the test. It is not on this chart and IRCC does not ask for it. Use it only to compare one attempt with another. Beneath the four skill scores Pearson also provides a skills profile, a breakdown of how you did on the kinds of items that feed each skill. It is the most useful part of the report for planning a retake, because it shows whether a Listening score was held down by summarising, by dictation or by the multiple-choice items.

What feeds each skill

PTE Core scores are integrated: most speaking tasks also count toward Listening or Reading, and most listening tasks with typing also count toward Writing. The four columns of the chart are therefore not four separate sections of the test. Read Aloud contributes to both Reading and Speaking; Write from Dictation contributes to both Listening and Writing. A low Writing score can come from poor dictation spelling as easily as from a weak email. The tasks-by-skill page maps every question type to the skills it scores.

Comparing with IELTS and CELPIP

There is no direct conversion between PTE Core and the other tests IRCC accepts. The only link is the CLB: each test has its own alignment table, and two results that land on the same CLB are treated as equal. Because the alignment was done separately for each test, the "same" level can feel easier or harder to reach depending on the test and the skill. The pages for IELTS General and CELPIP put the tables side by side so you can see where the lines fall.

Validity and when to retake

A PTE Core score is valid for two years from the test date, and IRCC requires it to be less than two years old both when you submit an Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence. The practical rule for a retake is the same as the practical rule for a first attempt: look at the weakest skill, find the next boundary above it in this chart, and ask whether practice can move you across it with a margin of two or three points. If the answer is no, the retake will mostly reproduce the result. If you are one or two points under a line in a single skill, a focused retake is one of the best-value things you can do, because that single boundary can be worth eight or more Comprehensive Ranking System points on its own.

Quick answers

Is 65 a good PTE Core score?

It depends on the skill. 65 is CLB 7 in Listening, Reading and Writing but only CLB 6 in Speaking. Whether that is "good" depends on the programme you are applying under.

What PTE Core score equals CLB 9?

Listening 82, Reading 78, Speaking 84 and Writing 88, each as a minimum.

Does the overall score have a CLB?

No. Only the four skill scores are converted.

Can I combine the best skills from two tests?

No. IRCC takes all four skills from one sitting of one test.