ESL Jigsaws

CLB Levels

Posted by Nancy Callan on 18 February 2012 | 0 Comments

Tags: CLB levels, adult immigrants, ESL, Canadian Language Benchmarks, levels, beginner, intermediate, listening, speaking, reading, writing

Many teachers have suggested having CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) levels on the covers of my books. I've been reluctant for a few reasons.

Having the CLB levels is useful for teachers in Canada teaching adult immigrants. CLB is not yet used in Canadian private ESL schools, colleges or public schools for children and teenagers. It's not used in the United States or other countries. 

Students in, for example, a CLB Level 1 class (what we generally think of as low beginner ESL) might have a range of benchmarks: a CLB 1 in listening and speaking, a CLB 2 in reading and a CLB 0 or "pre" in writing. They might be equally likely to have a CLB 0 in listening and speaking, a CLB 2 in reading and CLB 1 in writing. This mix of abilities or skills in a classroom reflects the multi-level nature of all language classes.

Some systems might classify students in a CLB 3 or 4 class as lower intermediate and others might call them high beginners. 

Classifying books for a CLB level class is, therefore, not an exact science. Classes where, for example, many students have a spotty educational background from their home country may struggle more with memorization and written tasks, despite having high benchmarks in some skill areas. 

The chart below indicates the CLB levels of the books from ESL Jigsaws for the reference of teachers or program coordinators of classes for adult immigrants in Canada. The asterisks indicate levels where it depends on the makeup of the class. 

Click on this image to view the chart large on your computer and/or download and print it.