What is CAEL?

CAEL is a test designed to measure the English language proficiency of students planning to study in Canadian post-secondary institutions.

CAEL is one of the best tools for identifying students with the right English skills for academic success. It provides an authentic representation of language use in a Canadian academic context. Test takers read articles, listen to a lecture, answer questions, and write a short essay, as they would be expected to do in a first-year Canadian university or college classroom.

CAEL scores from our test centres are now accepted for Student Direct Stream (SDS) applications!

Test Scores

Test takers receive individual English proficiency scores for the Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking components, as well as an overall score. CAEL scores are reported on a scale from 10 – 90 with accompanying descriptors of what performance represents. The overall score will now be calculated as an equally weighted average of the four component scores rounded to the nearest ten-point interval. The table below presents descriptions of test taker proficiency at each full band level.

CAEL Band Descriptor CAEL Score
Expert: Demonstrates a high level of competence, accuracy, and effectiveness in academic/professional settings 80-90
Adept: Uses generally accurate language in most settings; some limitations in flexibility are evident 70
Advanced: Displays competence in academic or professional settings 60
High Intermediate: Exhibits some competence in academic or professional settings; communication may break down in places 50
Intermediate: Demonstrates some ability to comprehend and articulate complex ideas and arguments typical of academic or professional settings 40
High Beginner: Expresses basic ideas about familiar topics in routine settings 30
Low Beginner: Communicates with limited ability 10-20

Who Accepts CAEL

CAEL is accepted by over 180 Canadian post-secondary institutions

CAEL is accepted by over 180 Canadian post-secondary institutions, as well as by a number of professional organizations as proof of English proficiency. Click below for a full list of accepting institutions and organizations.

Frequently Asked Questions

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CAEL Test Centres

40+ testing locations across the world
ALC Montreal
3563 Rue Berri, Montréal, QC H2L 4G3, Canada
Algonquin College
1385 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa, Nepean, Ontario, Canada
Ashton Testing Services
1190 Melville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Association for New Canadians
10 Smithville Crescent, St. John's, NL, Canada
Avalon Community College
155 Skinner Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5E8, Canada
BITTS Testing Services
7895 Tranmere Drive, Mississauga, ON L5S 1V9, Canada
Centennial College
941 Progress Avenue, Scarborough, ON, Canada
Columbia International College
1003 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Concordia University Montreal
1250 Guy Street, Montreal, QC, Canada
Concordia University of Edmonton
7128 Ada Boulevard Northwest, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Coquitlam College
516 Brookmere Avenue, Coquitlam, BC, Canada
DIVERSEcity – Surrey City Centre
10070 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC, Canada
ELS Vancouver
549 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada
English Testing Canada – Ottawa
150 Isabella Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Heartland International English School
280 William Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Herzing College Montreal
1616 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montreal, QC, Canada
Herzing College Winnipeg
1700 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Hotel Saskatchewan Regina
2125 Victoria Avenue, Regina, SK S4P 0S3, Canada
ILAC – International Language Academy of Canada
688 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1P1, Canada
ILSC Toronto
443 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada
International Language Institute – Halifax
1800 Argyle Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3N8, Canada
Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Civic Plaza
13485 Central Avenue, Surrey, BC, Canada
Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Richmond Campus
8771 Lansdowne Road, Richmond, BC, Canada
Mount Saint Vincent University
166 Bedford Highway, Halifax, NS, Canada
Okanagan College
Okanagan College Kelowna Campus, 1000 K. L. O. Road, Kelowna, BC V1Y 4X8, Canada
Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre (OCCSC)
400 Cooper Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2H8, Canada
Paragon Testing Enterprises
2925 Virtual Way, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Paragon Testing Enterprises Toronto
180 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada
Pathways Educational Services – Kitchener
248 Stirling Ave S, Kitchener, ON N2G 4L1, Canada
People Analytics
7191 Yonge Street, Markham, ON, Canada
People Analytics – Scarborough
3601 Victoria Park Avenue, Scarborough, ON, Canada
Precise Solutions Brampton
11 Queen Street East, Brampton, ON L6W 2A7, Canada
Precise Solutions Calgary
115 9th Avenue Southeast, Calgary, AB, Canada
Precise Solutions Toronto
20 Eglinton Ave W, Toronto, ON, Canada
Queen’s Collegiate – Etobicoke
200 Ronson Drive, Etobicoke, ON M9W 5Z9, Canada
Red Deer Polytechnic
100 College Boulevard, Red Deer, AB, Canada
Saint John College – UNB
100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB, Canada
Saskatchewan Polytechnic Regina
4500 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, Canada
Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatoon
1130 Idylwyld Drive North, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Study Abroad Canada
223 Queen St, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society
1004 North Park Street, Victoria, BC, Canada
Xyna International School – Brampton
60 Gillingham Drive, Brampton, ON, Canada
Xyna International School – Vaughan
180 Winges Rd, Vaughan, Woodbridge, ON, Canada
Centre for Success
B412, 4th Floor (across from the Consulate General of Canada), Elante Offices, Industrial Area Phase I, Chandigarh, India
Prometric Testing – Ahmedabad
501, 5th Floor, Parshwanath Esquare, Corporate Road, Prahlad Nagar
Prometric Testing – Bangalore
3rd Floor Tower B Prestige ShantiNiketan, White Field ITPL Road
Prometric Testing – Gurgaon
IRIS Tech Park, Sohna Road, Sector 48, Gurugram, Haryana 122018, India
Prometric Testing – Hyderabad
9th Floor, Unit 2, Kapil Towers IT Block Survey No 115/1, IT Park, Opposite ICICI Building, Nanakramguda, Serilingampaly Mandal
Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
17 Tseuk Luk Street, San Po Kong, Hong Kong
Prometric Testing – Beijing
no. 2 Kexueyuan South Road, Zhongguancun, Haidian District, Beijing, China
Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Inc
Times Plaza Building, United Nations Avenue corner Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines
Mexico Centre
$Mexico
SRTC
#402, 4F, TGL KyungBok BD, 303, Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06103 South Korea
TEPTH
Apricot Towers - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
CAEL
What I liked most about the CAEL was that you can do the test on the computer, it uses Canadian English, and the results are released quickly!
- Alinsson, CAEL - Test Taker
CAEL
I appreciated the availability of test dates for CAEL, and found it convenient and inexpensive compared to other English proficiency tests.
- Aashima, CAEL - Test Taker
paragon