The Canadian Language Benchmarks, or CLB, are used in Canada to teach and test language learning for adults. It is important for you to understand the CLB if you plan to go to English class, train, look for work or study at a college or university.

Many adult ESL programs in Canada use the Canadian Language Benchmarks. Students and teachers use CLB to understand what English is needed for daily life in Canada. The CLB does not list grammar or vocabulary. It lists tasks for everyday, real English use. A task is something you can do in English. Two examples: phone a company about a job; talk to a neighbour about building a new fence

The benchmarks are organized in 3 stages and 12 levels. The benchmarks describe tasks that people can do in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

As a preliminary assessment, you can use the following language skills checklist to help you determine your level of English skills:

• Speaking
• Listening
• Writing
• Reading