CELPIP for Citizenship: The Score You Need, CELPIP-General LS and Other Proof IRCC Accepts

For Canadian citizenship, CELPIP counts if you score level 4 or higher in both Listening and Speaking. Either CELPIP-General or the shorter CELPIP-General LS works, and LS tests only those two skills in about 1 hour 10 minutes. The rule applies to applicants aged 18 to 54, and a test is only one of five kinds of language proof IRCC accepts. PrepEx's free practice covers exactly these two skills: all six Listening parts and all eight Speaking tasks, with two graded sessions a day.

Practise Listening and Speaking free Check whether you need a test

We checked the citizenship rules against IRCC's five language-proof pages, and the CELPIP details against CELPIP's citizenship, results and test-day pages and its 2024 test data report, on 12 November 2026. IRCC updates these pages, so read them again before you apply.

Who needs language proof for citizenship

If you're 18 to 54, you must send proof that you can speak and listen in English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 or higher. The proof goes in with your citizenship application. IRCC says that if it's missing or it can't read it, the whole application is returned to you.

Only speaking and listening count, so a CELPIP-General report with a low Reading or Writing score still works if Listening and Speaking are 4 or more.

Language proof is a separate requirement from the citizenship test, which checks what you know about Canada rather than your English level.

The five kinds of proof IRCC accepts

IRCC lists them in this order. Go through the first four before you book a test, because you may already have one of them.

1. Education in English or French. A secondary or post-secondary program taught in English or French, in Canada or abroad, shown with a diploma, transcript or certificate. Documents in another language need a certified translation that shows the language of instruction.
2. Test results from your permanent residence application. Results you sent for PR can be sent again, even if they've expired, if they're high enough. For CELPIP-General taken on or after 1 April 2014, that's 4 or higher in Listening and Speaking; older CELPIP-G results need 2H or higher.
3. LINC or CLIC language classes. A certificate showing CLB 4 or higher in speaking and listening, for training on or after 1 November 2012.
4. Some provincial programs. Results at CLB 4 or higher from the programs IRCC names in British Columbia (ELSA), Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia (PENS), Ontario (adult non-credit language training) and Quebec.
5. An approved language test, with the minimum scores below.

For IELTS, IRCC names General Training, not Academic. If you have none of these yet and can't reach CLB 4, IRCC points applicants to government-funded language classes.

What CELPIP score you need for citizenship

Level 4 or higher in Listening and level 4 or higher in Speaking. Any level from 4 to 12 meets it, and a higher level earns you nothing extra. The average on your score report doesn't count either: Listening 10 with Speaking 3 doesn't qualify.

CELPIP level 4 is CLB 4, which sits at A2 on the European CEFR scale. CELPIP describes it as "adequate for daily life". Think of everyday English rather than workplace English: following a conversation about an appointment or a problem at home, and explaining a simple situation in your own words, even with mistakes.

In Listening, level 4 is about 11–18 correct answers out of 38 on CELPIP's approximate chart, which is fewer than half. The ranges overlap because test forms differ, so 11 or 12 could also be level 3, while 13 or more is level 4 or higher anywhere on the chart. Speaking has no raw score. Raters judge your recordings on Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability and Task Fulfillment.

Most people who sit CELPIP reach this level. In CELPIP's 2024 data, about 98% of CELPIP-General test takers scored 4 or higher in Listening, and about 98% did in Speaking. Most of them were aiming at PR scores, so read that as context, not as a pass rate for the LS test.

Where fluent speakers slip is the format. You speak to a computer, not a person. Each Speaking task gives you 30 or 60 seconds to prepare and 60 or 90 seconds to talk, and the recording stops when the time runs out. Each Listening recording plays once, and other people in the room may be talking at the same time. One timed run-through at home makes all of that familiar.

Hear the Listening recordings once and record the Speaking tasks on the real timer before you book. Take a free CELPIP practice test

Check you're comfortably above level 4 in both skills, on the computer format, before you book. Start free Listening and Speaking practice

What CELPIP-General LS is

CELPIP-General LS is the citizenship version of CELPIP. It tests only Listening and Speaking, takes about 1 hour 10 minutes, and CELPIP says it's accepted only for Canadian citizenship. Sessions run only in Canada and India.

You should expect the same two sections that appear in CELPIP-General:

• Listening: six parts and 38 scored questions in about 46–55 minutes: Problem Solving, a Daily Life Conversation, Information, a News Item, a Discussion (on video) and Viewpoints. In Parts 1–3 the questions are spoken, with 30 seconds for each; in Parts 4–6 they're written. Unscored questions may appear too.
• Speaking: eight tasks in about 15 minutes: giving advice, a personal experience, describing a scene, making predictions, comparing and persuading, a difficult situation, expressing opinions and an unusual situation. Your answers are recorded and scored later by three to five trained raters.

LS is shorter, not easier. The level you need is the same 4 on either version. What you skip is Reading and Writing. For the fee in Canada and India, see our CELPIP exam fee guide.

CELPIP-General LS or CELPIP-General: which to book

Your situation usually makes the choice for you:

• Your PR-time CELPIP-General results have 4 or more in Listening and Speaking. You may not need a new test; use them under IRCC's step 2.
• You only need citizenship proof and can test in Canada or India. Book LS, the shorter sitting.
• You might also need a CELPIP score for something else, such as an Australian visa. Book CELPIP-General, because LS counts only for citizenship.
• You're outside Canada and India. LS isn't offered there, so book CELPIP-General.

Our CELPIP-General vs General LS page compares the two in more detail, and the CELPIP test format guide covers every section of the full test.

How to practise CELPIP Listening and Speaking

If your everyday English is solid, you don't need a long course to reach level 4. You need to have done every task type once on the clock:

1. Do each Listening part once. PrepEx has practice for all six: Problem Solving, Daily Life Conversation, Information, News Item, Discussion and Viewpoints. Note two or three words per speaker: who wants what, and why. The listening notes lesson shows a layout. For a Listening and Speaking-only routine, use the CELPIP-General LS practice guide.
2. Record all eight Speaking tasks. Start with Task 1, giving advice, then work through Task 2, Task 3, Task 4, Task 5, Task 6, Task 7 and Task 8. Give your answer first, then a reason and an example, and keep going until the timer ends.
3. Listen back. Long pauses, restarts and sentences that trail off are what Listenability picks up. Compare with our Speaking samples with audio.
4. Do one full timed run a few days before the test, with some background noise if you can.

Don't memorise Speaking answers. CELPIP counts memorizing test answers as cheating, and a former CELPIP rater has said raters recognise memorised sentences that could fit any prompt. Practise a way to organise an answer, not the answer itself.

A free PrepEx account gets two graded CELPIP practice sessions a day. Listening is marked against an answer key with an explanation for each question. Each Speaking recording gets a level estimate on the same four dimensions CELPIP raters use, with feedback. After three graded sessions in at least two sections, such as Listening and Speaking, one full-length CELPIP-General practice test unlocks free. It covers all four skills, since PrepEx has no separate LS mock; for citizenship, watch its Listening and Speaking sections. Every practice level is an estimate. More detail: our CELPIP Listening test guide and CELPIP Speaking test guide.

Test day, results and retakes

Bring the original, valid ID you registered with; it's the only thing allowed in the test room, and the centre gives you a pen and notepaper. Arrive 45 minutes early, because check-in closes 15 minutes before the start. Our CELPIP test-day checklist covers the rest.

Results appear in your CELPIP account in about 2–4 business days. Download the PDF score report there and include it with your citizenship application.

If Listening or Speaking comes back below 4, CELPIP has no one-skill retake, so you sit the test again. In Canada you can't take more than one session within 5 calendar days; outside Canada, sessions must be at least 30 calendar days apart. If you think a Speaking score is wrong, you can ask for re-evaluation within six months of your test date. It takes about one to two weeks, and CELPIP has said scores aren't lowered. Our CELPIP re-evaluation guide explains when it's worth it.

Find out where your Listening and Speaking stand before you book. Start the free practice test

Sources we checked

• IRCC: Proof of language for citizenship, step 1 — ages 18 to 54, CLB 4 in speaking and listening, education proof
• IRCC: Proof of language, step 2 — PR-time results, even if expired
• IRCC: Proof of language, step 3 — LINC or CLIC certificates at CLB 4
• IRCC: Proof of language, step 4 — provincial language programs
• IRCC: Proof of language, step 5 — approved tests and minimum scores
• IRCC: Language test results for Express Entry — CELPIP-General required for Express Entry
• CELPIP: Canadian Citizenship — LS covers Listening and Speaking in about 1 hour 10 minutes
• CELPIP: Take the CELPIP Test in Canada — LS accepted only for citizenship
• CELPIP: Find a Test Date — LS sessions only in Canada and India
• CELPIP: CELPIP-General — Listening parts, unscored items
• CELPIP: Test Results — levels, Listening chart, raters, results, re-evaluation
• CELPIP: Test Overview — check-in closes 15 minutes before the test
• CELPIP: Test Day Information — ID, notepaper, noise, memorised answers
• CELPIP: Policies and Forms — retake spacing and re-evaluation rules
• CELPIP 2024 Data Report — level shares in Listening and Speaking