- Take CELPIP-General, all four skills, for permanent residence, Express Entry and work permits like the PGWP that ask for language results.
- Take CELPIP-General LS, Listening and Speaking only, for Canadian citizenship. It takes about 1 hour 10 minutes.
- CELPIP-G is IRCC's short name for CELPIP-General. CELPIP General 2014 is the version that began on April 1, 2014.
CELPIP-General tests all four skills and is the version you need for permanent residence and work permits. CELPIP-General LS tests only Listening and Speaking, and it is the version CELPIP offers for Canadian citizenship.
Both are CELPIP tests, and both are taken on a computer at a test centre. The rest of this guide explains which one fits your application, what the LS test includes, and what the older names on forms mean.
Which test for which goal
Start with what you are applying for. As of October 2026, this is how the two tests line up:
- Express Entry or another permanent residence program: take CELPIP-General. IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) lists CELPIP-General as its accepted CELPIP test.
- Post-graduation work permit (PGWP): take CELPIP-General. IRCC asks for a minimum level in all four language areas.
- Canadian citizenship: take CELPIP-General LS. CELPIP calls it the IRCC approved test for citizenship applications.
- Australian visa, a professional licence, a job or a school: take CELPIP-General. CELPIP says the LS test is accepted only for Canadian citizenship.
The key point is simple. An LS score report has no Reading or Writing results. Any program that needs all four skills cannot use it.
If you plan to apply for PR now and citizenship later, the full test may cover both steps. That is explained in the citizenship section below.
What each test includes
The two tests share the same Listening and Speaking sections. The LS test simply leaves out Reading and Writing.
CELPIP-General
The full test has four sections, all in one sitting:
- Listening: 6 parts, about 46 to 55 minutes.
- Reading: 4 parts, about 43 to 56 minutes.
- Writing: 2 tasks, an email and a survey response, in 53 minutes.
- Speaking: 8 tasks, about 15 minutes.
CELPIP describes the total as under 3 hours. You get a level for each of the four skills.
CELPIP-General LS
The LS test has only two sections:
- Listening: 6 parts and 38 questions, about 47 to 55 minutes. The parts cover problem solving, a daily life conversation, information, a news item, a discussion and viewpoints.
- Speaking: 8 tasks, about 15 minutes. You answer prompts on the screen, and the computer records you.
You get two levels: one for Listening and one for Speaking. For a full walk through every part of the four sections, read our CELPIP test format guide.
Length and fee
CELPIP says the LS test takes about 1 hour 10 minutes in one sitting. There is no separate Speaking day. The full CELPIP-General takes just under 3 hours.
The fee is lower for LS, but the exact amount depends on where and when you book. In October 2026, a Toronto test centre page on celpip.ca listed $199 CAD for the LS test and $299 CAD for the full test. Other pages and centres may show slightly different amounts, and tax may be added. Check the price on the booking page before you pay.
Two more booking details from the same centre page:
- Cancelling: at least seven days before the test, you get back 50% of your fee. Later than that, you get nothing back.
- Transferring: moving to another date at least seven days ahead costs up to $50 CAD plus tax. Some CELPIP pages say the first transfer is free, so check your account. Our guide to rescheduling a CELPIP test has the details.
These rules can change, so read the current terms when you register.
Citizenship: CLB 4 in two skills
For citizenship, IRCC wants proof that you can speak and listen at CLB 4 or higher. CLB stands for Canadian Language Benchmarks, the scale IRCC uses for language levels. This rule applies if you are 18 to 54 years old.
On a CELPIP report, CLB 4 means a level of 4 or higher in both Listening and Speaking. IRCC's page says "4 or higher (up to 12) in listening and speaking" for tests taken on or after April 1, 2014. Reading and Writing are not part of the citizenship requirement.
A few points from IRCC's citizenship pages that often surprise people:
- Expired results are fine. IRCC asks you to include your results "even if they're expired" when the scores are high enough.
- The page does not name the LS version. It asks for CELPIP-G results with 4 or higher in Listening and Speaking.
- Other proof is accepted. A diploma or transcript from a program taught in English or French can work instead of a test.
So if you already have a full CELPIP-General report from your PR application, look at its Listening and Speaking levels first. Then check IRCC's page before you book a new test. You may not need one.
For the other tests and proof IRCC accepts for citizenship, see our guide to the English test for Canadian citizenship. To compare CELPIP levels with CLB levels for other programs, use the CELPIP score chart.
CELPIP-G and General 2014
These names confuse a lot of people. They are not separate tests you can book today.
What CELPIP-G means
CELPIP-G is short for CELPIP-General. IRCC's citizenship page uses the full name "Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program General Test (CELPIP-G)". When a form asks for CELPIP-G, it means the General test.
What CELPIP General 2014 means
IRCC published a notice in March 2014 about a change. From April 1, 2014, the old CELPIP General test was no longer given. It gave only the new "CELPIP General 2014" test, with a new scoring structure.
The old test reported scores like 2H, 3L or 4H. The newer test reports levels from 1 to 12. IRCC still lists both, because old results can matter for citizenship:
- Tested on or before March 31, 2014: IRCC asks for 2H or higher in Listening and Speaking.
- Tested on or after April 1, 2014: IRCC asks for 4 or higher in Listening and Speaking.
If you book a CELPIP test today, you get the current test with levels from 1 to 12. You do not need to look for a "2014" version.
Practising for the LS test
Because the LS sections match the full test, any CELPIP Listening and Speaking practice applies to both. Here is what each section asks of you.
Listening
You hear each recording once, then answer multiple choice questions on the screen. The early parts are everyday conversations. The later parts are longer, such as a news item or a discussion between several people.
Here is an original example in the style of CELPIP Listening Part 2, Listening to a Daily Life Conversation. It was written for this post by CelpMock and is not an official question.
Notice that the man first asks for Saturday. Wrong options often repeat words you heard, so listen for the final decision.
Speaking
The eight tasks include giving advice, describing a scene, comparing two options and dealing with a difficult situation. Each task gives you a short time to prepare and a fixed time to speak. Practise with a timer, because the recording stops when the time runs out.
Our Speaking guide has every task with sample questions and timing. The Listening guide explains all six parts. Our free sample test takes about 50 minutes and includes one Listening part and one Speaking task on the real timers.