--- title: "CLB 4 TEF Canada score: L 145, R 121, S 181, W 181" description: "CLB 4 (NCLC 4) on the TEF Canada: 145 listening, 121 reading, 181 speaking and writing. What CLB 5 takes, and the 6 CRS points per ability it earns." canonical: https://francaisprep.com/clb/4/tef-canada last-updated: 2026-10-14 --- [CLB 4](/clb/4) # What TEF Canada score is CLB 4? CLB 4 (NCLC 4) on the TEF Canada takes 145 to 180 in listening, 121 to 150 in reading, 181 to 225 in speaking and 181 to 225 in writing. Each ability is converted on its own, so all four have to reach their figure before the result reads as CLB 4 overall. Updated 14 October 2026 | Level | Listening (out of 360) | Reading (out of 300) | Speaking (out of 450) | Writing (out of 450) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CLB 4 | 145 to 180 | 121 to 150 | 181 to 225 | 181 to 225 | | CLB 5 | 181 to 216 | 151 to 180 | 226 to 270 | 226 to 270 | | Level | Per ability, single | Per ability, with spouse | All four, single | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CLB 4 | 6 | 6 | 24 | | CLB 5 | 6 | 6 | 24 | Scores from IRCC's [French equivalency charts](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/language-test.html) and points from its [Comprehensive Ranking System criteria](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/check-score/crs-criteria.html), checked against canada.ca on 14 October 2026. IRCC revises these pages, so confirm the current values there before you plan around a number. ## The TEF Canada scores for CLB 4 (NCLC 4) IRCC's equivalency chart sets CLB 4 (NCLC 4) on the TEF Canada at 145 to 180 in listening, 121 to 150 in reading, 181 to 225 in speaking and 181 to 225 in writing. IRCC reads the TEF Canada attestation's Equivalence ancien score column, not the Score / 699 figure printed beside it: listening out of 360, reading out of 300, writing and speaking out of 450. On the TEF Canada the NCLC 4 band spans 36 possible listening scores and 30 reading scores; in writing and speaking it covers 45 points. ## CLB 4 and CLB 5 on TEF Canada, side by side CLB 4 is the lowest row IRCC publishes for the TEF Canada. Below it there is no CLB level to read, and the first-language CRS block awards 0 points for that ability. One level up, CLB 5 needs 181 in listening, 151 in reading, 226 in speaking and 226 in writing. Moving from CLB 4 to CLB 5 takes 36 points in listening, 30 points in reading, 45 points in speaking and 45 points in writing. The sections use different scales, so set each step against its own maximum: 36 of 360, 30 of 300, 45 of 450 and 45 of 450. ## How many CRS points is CLB 4 worth? As your first official language, each TEF Canada ability at CLB 4 earns 6 CRS points without a spouse or common-law partner and 6 with one: 24 or 24 across the four, in a block that tops out at 136 and 128. Reaching CLB 5 on the TEF Canada (181 listening, 151 reading, 226 speaking and writing) adds nothing to this block, because CLB 4 and CLB 5 share one row of the points table. It matters for eligibility instead. ## Where IRCC names CLB 4 as a minimum Federal Skilled Trades Program asks for NCLC 5 speaking and listening, NCLC 4 reading and writing. On the TEF Canada that is 181 listening and writing, 121 reading, 226 speaking. Each ability is checked against its own figure, so one result below the line fails the minimum however strong the other three are. ## NCLC 4 on the TEF Canada and the additional French points NCLC 4 does not open the additional French points: they start at NCLC 7 in all four abilities. On the TEF Canada, getting from NCLC 4 to NCLC 7 means 104 points in listening, 86 points in reading, 129 points in speaking and 129 points in writing more. French can also be your first official language. When it is, the per-ability CRS points above apply to these TEF Canada results exactly as they would to an English test. ## TEF Canada at the other CLB levels - [TEF Canada at CLB 5](/nclc-5) - [TEF Canada at CLB 6](/clb/6/tef-canada) - [TEF Canada at CLB 7](/nclc-7) - [TEF Canada at CLB 8](/clb/8/tef-canada) - [TEF Canada at CLB 9](/clb/9/tef-canada) - [TEF Canada at CLB 10](/clb/10/tef-canada) ## CLB 4 on the other tests - [CLB 4 on every test](/clb/4) - [CLB 4 on IELTS General Training](/clb/4/ielts) - [CLB 4 on CELPIP-General](/clb/4/celpip) - [CLB 4 on PTE Core](/clb/4/pte-core) - [CLB 4 on TCF Canada](/clb/4/tcf-canada) ## Check your own result - [CLB calculator for all five tests](/tools/clb-calculator) - [TCF and TEF score converter](/tools/score-converter) - [French CRS points calculator](/tools/french-crs-points) Questions ## TEF Canada, CLB 4: common questions ### What TEF Canada score is CLB 4? CLB 4 on the TEF Canada is 145 to 180 in listening, 121 to 150 in reading, 181 to 225 in speaking and 181 to 225 in writing, according to IRCC's equivalency chart. Every ability has to reach its own figure; a strong section does not make up for a weak one. ### Is NCLC 4 on the TEF Canada the same as CLB 4? Yes. NCLC and CLB are the same twelve-level framework under two names. NCLC is the French-language scale and CLB the English-language one, so a French result reported as NCLC 4 is the level English speakers write as CLB 4. IRCC reports French test results in NCLC. ### What TEF Canada score do I need for CLB 5? CLB 5 on the TEF Canada needs 181 in listening, 151 in reading, 226 in speaking and 226 in writing. From CLB 4, that is 36 points in listening, 30 points in reading, 45 points in speaking and 45 points in writing. ### How many CRS points is a CLB 4 TEF Canada result worth? With 145 listening, 121 reading, 181 speaking and writing on the TEF Canada as your first official language, you earn 6 points per ability without a spouse and 6 with one: 24 or 24 across the four. That is one block of the CRS, not your full score. ### Does NCLC 4 on the TEF Canada earn the French bonus points? No. The additional French points start at NCLC 7 in all four abilities, 3 levels above NCLC 4. ### Which TEF Canada score column does IRCC read? The Equivalence ancien score column. The attestation also prints a Score / 699 figure, but the NCLC 4 bands on this page apply to the Equivalence ancien score values. ### How do I turn my own TEF Canada result into a CLB level? Enter the four Equivalence ancien score values from your TEF Canada attestation in the free CLB calculator. It applies the same IRCC chart as this page, shows the level of each ability and the lowest one, and the CRS points that level earns. NEXT STEP ## Find out where your French actually stands Book a short assessment with Adèle: one writing task, one speaking task, and an honest plan for the weeks you have left before the exam. [Book an assessment](/book)[See the course tiers](/pricing) --- For agents: site index https://francaisprep.com/llms.txt, developer access https://francaisprep.com/developers, and TCF or TEF to NCLC conversion over a plain GET at https://api.francaisprep.com/v1/score/convert?exam=tcf_canada&listening=512&reading=470&writing=12&speaking=11 (exam is tcf_canada or tef_canada).