CELPIP

All You Need To Know About The CELPIP Exam

The Canadian immigration visas necessitate the proof of the English language skills of the applicant. There are so many exams that provide linguistic proficiency certificates, but perplexed about what to choose? Don’t worry, the CELPIP test is for this purpose only! Below you will find each and every detail about the same.

What is CELPIP?

The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) is the language assessment test for English language proficiency, taken by the candidates who wish to pursue their higher studies or aim for work opportunities in Canada.

This test is widely recognized by the Canada Immigration and Citizenship (CIC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), and the Real Estate Council of British Columbia (RECBC).

There are several benefits associated with the test, one of the predominant is that it is a completely computer-delivered test. Moreover, this test is concluded in one sitting and the results come as quickly as in just 4-5 business days.

Types of CELPIP

Conducted by Paragon Testing Enterprises, this test is a subsidiary of the University of British Columbia (UBC). This test has two types:
     ● CELPIP - General
     ● CELPIP - General LS

The CELPIP General test is aimed at evaluating the candidate’s Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking skills, while the CELPIP General LS only assesses the functional Listening and Speaking skills of the applicant.

CELPIP General test is generally taken by those who wish to substantiate their aptitude in English language while applying for permanent residence in Canada under the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Start-up Visa Programs, or Provincial Nominee Programs. On the contrary, CELPIP General LS is taken up by those candidates who want to get their Canadian Citizenship.

The CELPIP General test cost around CAD $280 (exclusive of the taxes) and the CELPIP General LS costs CAD $195 (exclusive of the taxes). The time duration of the former is about 3 hours and that of the latter is 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Modules of CELPIP

There are 4 modules in the general test whereas there are only 2 in the CELPIP General LS.

Listening Module

     ● This module has 6 components, six scored parts and one not marked
     ● The total questions are 40 in number
     ● The question types ranges from
           ○ Problem solving
           ○ Daily life conversation
           ○ Listening to information
           ○ Listening to a news
           ○ Discussion
           ○ Listening to a viewpoint

Reading Module

     ● This module has 4 components, four scored parts and one not marked
     ● The total questions are 38 in number.
     ● The questions types are sentence completion, text completion, WH questions, and multiple choice questions.
     ● The question types ranges from
           ○ Correspondence
           ○ Reading to apply a diagram
           ○ Reading to information

Writing Module

     ● This module has 2 tasks, both are marked.
     ● The tasks are as follows:
           ○ Task 1: writing an email
           ○ Task 2: response to a survey question

Speaking Module

     ● This module has 8 components, eight scored parts and one unmarked
     ● The total questions are 8 in number
     ● The question types ranges from
           ○ Giving advice
           ○ Talking about a personal experience
           ○ Describing a scene
           ○ Making predictions
           ○ Comparing and persuading
           ○ Dealing with a difficult situation
           ○ Expressing opinions
           ○ Describing an unusual situation

Band Score Descriptor

The score for CELPIP is given on the scale of 1-12. Both reading and listening sections have multiple choice questions and hence are marked in the integrated way: the response being correct or incorrect.

The speaking module is assessed on the basis of
     ● Coherence
     ● Lexical range
     ● Listening ability
     ● Task fulfillment

The writing module is evaluated on the basis of
     ● Content
     ● Vocabulary
     ● Readability
     ● Task fulfillment

The CELPIP score chart is measured against the Canadian Language Benchmark. 

CELPIP vs IELTS

Both of these exams are the English language tests and are the only ones accepted by the IRCC for immigration and citizenship in Canada. Since IELTS has two types, IELTS General has to be given by the candidate for the permanent residency purposes. Being the same, yet they are different.

The questions in IELTS exam are general while those in CELPIP are based on the situations of daily life and the exclusive intention is to check the familiarity of speaking English in real life. Therefore it is important to be well versed in the language and to practice constantly by speaking every day.

Although both these can not be defined on the basis of the difficulty level. This solely depends on the candidate. However, CELPIP only uses the North American accent in the listening module, thus it becomes a bit easy for the test takers.

Section-wise difference of the two is given below in the table.

Unlike the IELTS test, in which the speaking module takes place on a day other than the LRW modules, all the 4 modules take place in one sitting only in CELPIP. Another difference is that the scoring is different in both. In CELPIP, the score range is between 1 to 12, whereas, in IELTS, the band score ranges between 1 to 9.

List Of Educational Institutes That Accepts CELPIP

     1. Alberta Institute of Massage
     2. Ashton College
     3. Acsenda School of Management
     4. Bow Valley College
     5. Brock University – Masters Preparation Certificate in Education
     6. Canadian Arts & Sciences Institute
     7. Coast Mountain College
     8. Dalhousie University – UBC Certificate in Immigration: Laws, Policies and procedures Program
     9. Dominion Herbal College
     10. First College
     11. Focus College
     12. Gateway College Great Plains College
     13. MaKami College
     14. McKenzie College
     15. NorQuest College ELP (English Language Proficiency)
     16. Northern Lights College – Health Care Assistant
     17. Olds College
     18. Pace Canada College – Health Care Assistant
     19. Pacific Coast Community College
     20. Pacific Link College
     21. Pacific Rim Early Childhood Institute
     22. Rhodes Wellness College
     23. SELC Career College Vancouver
     24. Sprott Shaw College
     25. Think Tank Training Centre
     26. TLC-Edmonton Training for Foreign Caregivers
     27. Western Community College

How Turning Point helps you?

With our expert instructor-led CELPIP coaching, you get pre-assessments and numerous auto-scored mock tests to get an overview of where you stand. We provide both full-length and sectional tests so that the students get sufficient resources to sharpen their skills.

In addition to this, online learning material is provided to the enrolled students in our CELPIP online classes and the tests are taken on the AI based software so that the students get well-versed with the test environment. Moreover, the students get complete test registration support.

To know more about the test and the services provided, contact us directly or reach out to your nearest branch.