The IELTS score you need for a PGWP: CLB 7, CLB 5, and the test mistakes that get refused

Quick take. If you graduate from a university bachelor's, master's or PhD (or any other university programme), you need CLB 7 in all four skills: IELTS General Training 6.0 in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. College and other non-university graduates need CLB 5: Listening 5.0, Reading 4.0, Writing 5.0, Speaking 5.0. The IELTS Academic result you used for admission does not count, the result must be under 2 years old when you apply, and it has to go in with your application.

Since 1 November 2024, a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) needs proof of English or French. Most pages give you the CLB 7 figure and stop. The refusals happen in the details: the wrong IELTS version, a result that has expired, or one skill half a band short. This guide covers all of it, from IRCC's own pages, checked on 7 October 2026.

The minimum scores

IRCC sets the level by the kind of programme you finished (IRCC: PGWP eligibility):

The bands come from IRCC's PGWP language results table. Each skill is checked on its own. An overall 7.0 with Writing 5.5 is not CLB 7, and there is no averaging.

If you sent your PGWP application before 1 November 2024, the language requirement does not apply to you.

The other accepted tests

IRCC accepts three English tests and two French ones for the PGWP: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General and PTE Core, or TEF Canada and TCF Canada (IRCC: PGWP documents). For CLB 7:

The PTE Core figures are the lowest score in IRCC's CLB 7 range for each skill. If you are choosing between tests, IELTS vs PTE vs TOEFL vs Duolingo compares them; TOEFL and Duolingo are not accepted for the PGWP.

Four mistakes that get applications refused

1. Sending the IELTS Academic result from your admission. Your university almost certainly accepted IELTS Academic. The PGWP list names IELTS General Training, not Academic, so the certificate in your admission file won't do. You need a General Training test, even if your Academic scores were higher.

2. A result that is too old. IRCC's documents page says your test results must be less than 2 years old when you submit the application. A test taken before a two-year master's has usually expired by graduation.

3. Leaving the test until after you graduate. You have 180 days from confirmation that you completed your programme to apply, and your study permit has to be valid at some point in that window. The test result has to go in with the application. IRCC warns that without it your application may be refused. Booking a test date, sitting it and waiting for the result all eat into those 180 days. Many students sit the test in their final term so the result is ready when they get their final marks.

4. Counting on One Skill Retake. IRCC's list of accepted tests does not include One Skill Retake, and Canada's Express Entry already refuses it. If Writing comes back at 5.5, plan on retaking the full test. One Skill Retake explains where it is and isn't accepted.

Why Writing is the usual problem

For CLB 7 you need 6.0 in every skill, and for most test takers Writing is the lowest of the four. Listening and Reading often come in at 7.0 or above while Writing sits at 5.5. A 5.5 is enough to fail the whole requirement, however high the others are.

General Training Writing is two tasks: a letter (Task 1) and an essay (Task 2). Task 2 is worth twice as much and is marked on the same four criteria as Academic. Moving from 5.5 to 6.0 is mostly about answering every part of the question, developing each paragraph with an example, and cutting the grammar mistakes that repeat. The GT letter guide covers Task 1.

After the PGWP: the same score works harder

The PGWP is often the first step towards permanent residence through Express Entry, where the same test feeds your CRS score. There CLB 9 (Writing 7.0) earns far more points than CLB 7. If you are going to sit IELTS General Training anyway, it is worth knowing what each half band in Writing is worth in CRS points. The IELTS to CLB calculator shows the CLB level of each of your bands.

Not sure your Writing is at 6.0 yet? Write a Task 2 essay in the essay checker or paste a letter into the letter checker. You get an estimated band for each criterion and the sentences holding it back. It is a practice estimate, not an official IELTS result.

Requirements checked on 7 October 2026 against IRCC's PGWP eligibility, language results and documents pages. IRCC changes PGWP rules often, so confirm on canada.ca before you book a test or apply.