What are the Canadian Language Benchmarks?

The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are the national standard used in Canada for describing, measuring and recognizing the English language proficiency of adult immigrants and prospective immigrants for living and working in Canada.

The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) promotes and supports the recognition and use of the CLB as a practical, fair and reliable national standard of second language proficiency in educational, training, community and workplace settings.

The CLB provide a descriptive scale of communicative proficiency in English as a Second Language, expressed as benchmarks or reference points.  They cover four skill areas:  reading, writing, speaking and listening, and use real life language tasks to measure language skills.

The CLB provide a framework of reference for learning, teaching, programming and assessing adult English as a Second Language in Canada, a national standard for planning second language curricula for a variety of contexts, and a common "yardstick" for assessing the outcomes.

The Canadian Language Benchmarks  are currently available in two documents:

• Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000:  English as a Second Language for Adults
• Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000:  ESL for Literacy Learners

See the statement prepared by the Quality Review and Appropriate Use Committee of the CCLB Board about "Appropriate Uses of the Canadian Language Benchmarks Guidelines and Assessment Tools" by clicking here CLB - Appropriate Uses. 

Companion Documents to the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000:

The following 4 documents provide a more in-depth study and support for the CLB 2000: 

Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000: Theoretical Framework contains a discussion of the theoretical background and philosophical foundation on which Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 was built as well as the CLB assessment / evaluation rating scales, an overview of the CLB global profiles of Benchmarks 1-12, a glossary of terms, and a bibliography.

Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000: Additional Sample Task Ideas builds on Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 with an extensive listing of additional sample task ideas for Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing Benchmarks.

Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000:  Companion Tables serve as a companion to the CLB 2000 and provide an overview of all benchmarks from 1 through 12.  Companion Tables to the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000

Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000: A Guide to Implementation gives both experienced and novice adult ESL teachers the theory and practical application they need to implement the Canadian Language Benchmarks in their specific teaching situations. It includes numerous classroom and program examples from across the country.

For further information on how to obtain these and other resources, please visit our Publications page.

For further information about the French counterpart to the CLB, les Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, please click here.

March 2012: The CCLB has recently revised the CLB standard document. The revised version will be available soon.