CELPIP format at a glance
CELPIP comes in two versions. CELPIP-General tests Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking in one computer-delivered sitting of under three hours, and it is the version IRCC accepts for permanent residence. CELPIP-General LS tests only Listening and Speaking in about 1 hour 10 minutes, and celpip.ca designates it for Canadian citizenship. In both, Speaking is 8 tasks in 15 minutes: the prompt appears on screen, you answer into a headset microphone, and there is no examiner; your recordings are rated later by three to five raters. There is no separate speaking appointment. Results appear online in 2 to 4 business days. In Canada, celpip.ca lists CELPIP-General at CAD 299 and CELPIP-General LS at CAD 199, each plus applicable taxes; in India the date table shows INR 15,500 per CELPIP-General sitting (read 21 October 2026). Sources: the celpip.ca test format and scoring page, the CELPIP-General page and the CELPIP-General LS page.
| Component | CELPIP-General | CELPIP-General LS |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 46 to 55 minutes, 38 questions in 6 parts | Same component (the LS page prints 47 to 55 minutes) |
| Reading | 43 to 56 minutes, 38 questions in 4 parts | Not tested |
| Writing | 53 minutes, 2 tasks | Not tested |
| Speaking | 15 minutes, 8 tasks | 15 minutes, 8 tasks |
| Total | Under 3 hours (the overview page says under 2 hours 50 minutes) | About 1 hour 10 minutes |
| Designated for | Permanent residence (Express Entry, PNP), Australian visas, professional designation, colleges and universities | Canadian citizenship |
| Fee in Canada | CAD 299 plus applicable taxes | CAD 199 plus applicable taxes |
A note on the numbers: celpip.ca's pages do not all agree. The format page, the CELPIP-General page, the overview and the Canadian residency page give Listening 46 to 55, Reading 43 to 56 and Writing 53 minutes. The CELPIP-General LS page prints Listening as 47 to 55 and repeats older General timings (Reading 55 to 60, Writing 53 to 60, "about 3 hours"). We use the figures most pages give. A 2024 celpip.ca notice set the Canadian fee at CAD 290 plus tax from 1 October 2024; the current pages show CAD 299. Our fees and booking page tracks the price by country.
CELPIP-General vs CELPIP-General LS: which one you need
| Your purpose | Book | Source and note |
|---|---|---|
| Express Entry: Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades | CELPIP-General | IRCC: "You must take the CELPIP-General test." LS results are not accepted. |
| Provincial Nominee Programs, Post-Graduation Work Permit, Start-Up Visa | CELPIP-General | celpip.ca lists these among the residency pathways; check the stream's own score rule. |
| Canadian citizenship, age 18 to 54 | CELPIP-General LS (or General) | IRCC accepts either with level 4 or higher in listening and speaking. |
| Australian visa | CELPIP-General | celpip.ca says CELPIP-General is approved by the Department of Home Affairs. |
| A professional body, college or university | CELPIP-General | Confirm the organisation accepts CELPIP before you book. |
Two details catch people out. First, LS is not a cheaper route to PR: Express Entry needs all four abilities. Second, for citizenship you may not need a new test at all. IRCC's citizenship language proof page says that if the CELPIP-General results you sent with your PR application show 4 or higher in listening and speaking, you include a copy "even if they're expired". If you are booking LS for a parent or spouse who became a permanent resident through Express Entry, find their old score report before you pay for a new test.
For LS candidates testing in Canada, celpip.ca's test day page lists the Canadian permanent resident card as acceptable ID for CELPIP-General LS, which helps if your passport is out for renewal. The score you need on either version, and what it means in CLB, is on our scoring and CLB page.
Section by section: parts, questions and timings
From the celpip.ca CELPIP-General page. The CELPIP Guidebook for Test Takers (July 2026) numbers the components in this order: 1 Listening, 2 Reading, 3 Writing, 4 Speaking. The December 2025 edition, still linked from the overview page, also lists an unscored practice task at the start of Listening, Reading and Speaking; the July 2026 component table does not show it.
| Component | Part or task | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (46 to 55 min) | Part 1: Listening to Problem Solving | 8 |
| Part 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation | 5 | |
| Part 3: Listening for Information | 6 | |
| Part 4: Listening to a News Item | 5 | |
| Part 5: Listening to a Discussion | 8 | |
| Part 6: Listening to Viewpoints | 6 | |
| Reading (43 to 56 min) | Part 1: Reading Correspondence | 11 |
| Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram | 8 | |
| Part 3: Reading for Information | 9 | |
| Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints | 10 | |
| Writing (53 min) | Task 1: Writing an Email | 1 |
| Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions | 1 | |
| Speaking (15 min) | Tasks 1 to 8 (listed below) | 8 |
Four things in the official notes matter for preparation:
- Reading is part of every component. celpip.ca says test takers "will be required to read answer choices in the Listening Test and questions in the Speaking Test". LS candidates who never practise reading on screen lose time here.
- Unscored questions. Listening and Reading contain unscored trial items that look exactly like scored ones. Treat every question as real.
- On-screen tools. The overview lists a personal timer, a word counter and spell-check. The word counter and spell-check are for Writing; our Writing page covers both tasks.
- Speaking is component 4 on CELPIP-General. In the guidebook's order it follows Listening, Reading and Writing, which take about 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes on the official timings. Your voice and focus need to last; practise speaking when you are tired, not only first thing in the morning.
What happens in the Speaking room
CELPIP Speaking happens at the same workstation where you did the rest of the test. Pieced together from celpip.ca's test day page, the guidebook and the official podcast:
| Step | What happens | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Equipment | You wear headphones with a headset microphone. Workstations are separated by walls or partitions. | Official podcast, episode 24 |
| 2. Practice task | The December 2025 guidebook lists an unscored practice task before Task 1. If you get one, use it to settle your speaking volume (our tip). | CELPIP Guidebook for Test Takers, December 2025 edition |
| 3. Read the prompt | Each task's question appears on screen and you must read it. | CELPIP-General page |
| 4. Prepare | A progress bar shows your preparation time. Note three or four keywords on the notepaper you were given. | Official podcast, episode 9; test day page |
| 5. Speak | A second progress bar runs while you speak. You answer once; there is no re-recording on test day. | Official podcast, episodes 9 and 24 |
| 6. Next task | The test moves on through all eight tasks in about 15 minutes in total. | celpip.ca format page |
| 7. Rating | Your recordings go to three to five raters who score Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability and Task Fulfillment. | celpip.ca results page |
Per-task seconds. celpip.ca's format pages give the 15-minute total but not a per-task table. In the official podcast (episode 24) a CELPIP expert describes the preparation time as "30 seconds or a minute". Third-party study sites print per-task timings, but we have not been able to check them against celpip.ca, so we do not repeat them as fact. The free official practice test on the celpip.ca free practice tests page runs the real timers; do one task there before you set your home drill.
Three official facts that change how you speak
- Nothing has to be true. In episode 9 of the official podcast, a member of CELPIP's instructional products team says "none of what you say has to be real" and that raters care how clearly you express yourself and the depth of your content.
- Recited answers are a risk. The test day page warns that responses that are not original or spontaneous may lead to score cancellation. Learn structures, not speeches.
- Raters never see your notes. The same podcast says the notepaper is only there to help you organise ideas.
The eight Speaking tasks, in order
The task names are celpip.ca's. The descriptions are in our words; the full templates, timings from the official practice test and model answers are on our CELPIP Speaking tasks 1 to 8 page, and the overview is our CELPIP Speaking guide.
| Task | Official name | What it asks you to do (our words) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giving Advice | Advise a friend, relative or colleague who has a decision or problem. |
| 2 | Talking about a Personal Experience | Tell a short story from your life on a set theme, with a point to it. |
| 3 | Describing a Scene | Describe a picture on screen clearly enough for someone who cannot see it. |
| 4 | Making Predictions | Say what is likely to happen next, and why. |
| 5 | Comparing and Persuading | Choose between options and persuade someone to agree with your choice. |
| 6 | Dealing with a Difficult Situation | Handle a delicate conversation: a complaint, a refusal or a request, politely and firmly. |
| 7 | Expressing Opinions | Give your view on a question and support it with reasons. |
| 8 | Describing an Unusual Situation | Describe something unusual to someone who cannot see it. celpip.ca's own sample shows a strange chair you describe to a friend on the phone. |
Notice how many tasks name a listener: a friend, a neighbour, a manager. Task Fulfillment includes tone, so the same idea said to a friend and to a landlord should not sound the same. Our CELPIP Speaking practice bank has TalkDrill-written prompts for every task.
Other voices, the headset and how to practise for both
The test room is not silent. The celpip.ca test day page says you may hear other test takers speaking or typing, and that "the sound of other test takers submitting their responses is a standard test room condition". In episode 24 of the official podcast, a CELPIP expert gives two pieces of advice worth following exactly:
- Practise with background noise. Turn on the TV or radio at low volume for some of your practice, so a neighbour starting Task 5 while you are on Task 3 does not break your concentration.
- Speak at your normal volume, as if on the phone. She notes that some sample responses are hard to hear because the speaker almost whispers, worried about disturbing others. Volume, intonation, pronunciation and pace are part of how raters hear you. Do not shout; do not whisper.
Our own advice, not CELPIP's: keep the microphone in the same place for every task (about two fingers from the corner of your mouth), do not touch the cable while speaking, and breathe out before you start so your first word is not swallowed. If you have never spoken into a headset for a full minute, do it at home at least five times before test day.
Test day: arrival, ID and the rules that cost people their seat
From the celpip.ca test day information page and the late policy on the overview page:
| Rule | What celpip.ca says | What it costs if you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Arrive 45 minutes before your test; check-in closes 15 minutes before the start | Entry refused, no refund or transfer |
| ID | The original, valid, unexpired document you registered with, matching your registration details | Entry refused, no refund or transfer |
| ID in India | Passport booklet or refugee travel document | Same |
| ID in the UAE | Passport booklet, refugee travel document or Emirates ID | Same |
| ID in the Philippines and Nigeria | Passport booklet or refugee travel document | Same |
| ID in Canada | Passport booklet, refugee travel document, Canadian permanent resident card, RPID, refugee protection claimant document or US passport card (immigration purposes) | Same |
| Confirmation email | Bring a printed or digital copy | celpip.ca names no penalty; it lists your registration number and sitting details, so bring it |
| Belongings | Only your ID goes into the test room; phones, watches of any kind, notes and pens stay in a locker or bag | Removal from the room; scores may be cancelled |
| Breaks | The test does not pause; raise your hand for an escorted washroom break | Lost minutes; away for over 20 minutes and the test is terminated |
| Problems | Tell test centre staff at once, and report it in your CELPIP account within 24 hours | No corrective action after 24 hours or once scores are released |
At check-in your ID is scanned, you are photographed (the picture appears on your score report) and you are asked to turn out your pockets; at your seat you get a pen and notepaper. Scented products are discouraged, children cannot wait unsupervised, and eating, drinking and chewing gum are not allowed in the room. One rule matters for Indian applicants in particular: if you registered with your passport, celpip.ca recommends you do not send it away for a visa or renewal before your test date. Without it you will be refused entry with no refund. For where and when to sit, see our CELPIP test dates and centres page.
Cancelling, transferring and booking a resit
From the test policies on the celpip.ca overview page (full list on its policies and forms page):
- Cancelling: at least seven calendar days before the test, 50 per cent of the fee is refunded; less than seven days before, nothing is refunded.
- Transferring to another date, time or place: at least seven calendar days before, a transfer fee of CAD 50 plus applicable taxes. Inside seven days, contact the CELPIP office; they may ask for documents such as a doctor's note.
- Resits: you may register for no more than one test session within five calendar days. CELPIP recommends more study before a retake.
- Results: online in your CELPIP account in 2 to 4 business days. If more than five business days pass with no email, contact the CELPIP office. Re-evaluation and sending the PDF to IRCC are covered on our results and re-evaluation page.
Booking is online only: celpip.ca says test centres do not process registrations. If you are deciding between CELPIP and IELTS or PTE Core before you book, our comparison page sets the three side by side.
Rehearse the Speaking component at home
A 25-minute drill that copies the room as closely as a home can. The eight prompts below are written by TalkDrill in the style of each task; they are not official items.
- Put on a wired headset or earphones with a microphone. Turn a radio or TV on at low volume in the same room.
- Set your phone to record. Use the preparation and speaking times you saw in the official free practice test. If you have not done it yet, start with our own starting point of 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak per task, and adjust once you have seen the real timers.
- One take per task. No stopping, no restarting. Keywords only on paper.
- Do all eight back to back, then listen to the recording once and score it with the self-rating sheet on our scoring page.
| Task | Rehearsal prompt (written by TalkDrill) |
|---|---|
| 1 | A friend wants to buy a car in her first month in Canada. Advise her on what to consider. |
| 2 | Talk about a time you had to learn something quickly for work or study. |
| 3 | Picture a busy farmers' market on a Saturday morning. Describe it to a friend who has never been to one. |
| 4 | In the same market, a stall owner has just dropped a box of apples. Say what will probably happen next. |
| 5 | Your family is choosing between a basement suite near the subway and a townhouse further out. Choose one and persuade your partner. |
| 6 | Your manager has asked you to work this Saturday, but it is your daughter's school concert. Talk to your manager. |
| 7 | Should employers let staff work from home two days a week? Give your opinion. |
| 8 | You saw a bicycle with a small roof and a bookshelf at a street fair. Call a friend who loves odd inventions and describe it. |
On TalkDrill, the same drill works as an AI role-play for Tasks 1, 5 and 6, where the AI plays your friend, partner or manager, and the AI characters are good company for Tasks 2 and 7. When you are ready for a plan with dates, the 30-day CELPIP 9 plan builds on this drill week by week, and the CELPIP hub links every part of this guide.