SLE Results Explained: Levels A, B, C, E, X and CBC
Table of Contents12 sections
Your SLE results come as one letter per test: X, A, B, C or E, given separately for reading comprehension, written expression and oral communication. A job poster's linguistic profile, such as CBC, tells you which letter you need in each skill. This guide explains what each result means, how the Second Language Evaluation is scored, how long results stay valid and what to do if you fall one level short.
It applies whether you take the SLE in French or in English. Francophones taking it in English will find the same ground covered in French on the ELS d'anglais page.
In short: each of the three SLE tests gives its own result: X (below A), A (basic), B (intermediate), C (advanced) or E (exemption). A profile like CBC lists the levels needed in reading, writing and oral, in that order, and you meet it skill by skill.
Results are valid for 5 years, you wait 30 days before retaking a test, and online reading and writing tests cannot be rescored.
What SLE test results mean: X, A, B, C and E
The SLE is three separate tests run by the Public Service Commission (PSC): Reading Comprehension, Written Expression and the Oral Language Assessment. A, B and C are levels, and they are cumulative, so a C in reading means you also meet A and B. X and E are results rather than levels. X means you did not reach level A, while E means exemption: you met level C, are expected to keep it, and never need to retest that skill.
Each level is defined in the Treasury Board's Qualification Standards in Relation to Official Languages. TBS rewrote that page on September 16, 2026 and renamed the skills, but A, B, C, X and E did not change. In plain language:
Level | Reading comprehension | Written expression | Oral communication |
|---|---|---|---|
A | Simple texts on familiar, routine work topics | Isolated words and simple phrases on familiar topics | Simple questions, answers and instructions on familiar topics |
B | Overall meaning, details and main ideas of most work texts | Short factual texts on concrete topics; errors generally do not block understanding | Concrete topics: describing actions, giving instructions and factual explanations |
C | Abstract or unfamiliar topics and fine nuances | Detailed, well-structured texts on complex or abstract topics | Abstract, complex or sensitive topics, opinions and hypotheticals, with ease |
Note the oral line between B and C: the standards say level B is not expected to handle hypothetical situations or sensitive issues. Those belong to level C.
How to read a linguistic profile (BBB, CBC, CCC)
A bilingual position's linguistic profile is three letters, always in this order: reading comprehension, written expression, oral communication. CBC means C in reading, B in writing and C in oral. A dash replaces a letter when a skill is not required, so B-B means no writing requirement. The highest possible profile is CCC.
No overall pass mark exists. A higher result covers a lower requirement, so a C or an E in reading satisfies a B. One level short in a single skill means you do not meet the profile, whatever your other results.
Profile | Reading | Writing | Oral | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BBB | B | B | B | Intermediate in all three; the supervisory minimum in bilingual regions before June 20, 2025 |
CBC | C | B | C | Now the minimum for new supervisory appointments in bilingual regions |
CCC | C | C | C | Advanced in all three; the highest profile |
BBC | B | B | C | Intermediate reading and writing, advanced oral |
CCB | C | C | B | Advanced reading and writing, intermediate oral |
B-B | B | Not required | B | Reading and oral only; no writing result needed |
Why CBC now matters for supervisors
Since June 20, 2025, under the Directive on Official Languages for People Management, new appointments to bilingual positions that supervise employees in bilingual regions require at least CBC instead of BBB. Supervisors already in place below the new level are not removed; they are encouraged to take language training.
Bilingual imperative or non-imperative staffing
In imperative staffing, you must meet the profile at the time of appointment, so a bilingual imperative CBC poster means valid C, B and C results when you are appointed. In non-imperative staffing, available for indeterminate appointments where the deputy head allows it, you can be appointed first if you sign an agreement to become bilingual and reach the levels within two years through publicly funded language training.
SLE score bands for reading and writing
Reading and writing are multiple choice, and your level depends on your number of correct answers. Pilot questions do not count: supervised reading has 60 questions with 50 scored, and supervised writing has 65 with 55 scored. The unsupervised internet tests (UIT) are shorter. These are the published bands.
Test | X | A | B | C | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Supervised reading (out of 50) | 0 to 17 | 18 to 27 | 28 to 37 | 38 to 44 | 45 to 50 |
Supervised writing (out of 55) | 0 to 19 | 20 to 30 | 31 to 42 | 43 to 51 | 52 to 55 |
UIT reading (out of 25) | 0 to 8 | 9 to 13 | 14 to 18 | 19 to 25 | None |
UIT writing (out of 30) | 0 to 10 | 11 to 16 | 17 to 23 | 24 to 30 | None |
There is no E on an unsupervised test: a perfect UIT score gives you a C. UIT results taken in the PSC's Candidate Assessment Tool (CAT) on or after September 1, 2022 are official, valid for 5 years and portable, though the PSC can require a supervised retest if it doubts a result.
Wrong answers are not penalized, so never leave a question blank. The bands are tight at the edges: on supervised reading, a single correct answer separates 37 (B) from 38 (C).
How the SLE oral level is decided
The Oral Language Assessment is a live conversation with a PSC assessor on Microsoft Teams, 20 to 40 minutes including instructions, with no formal parts. The assessor starts with simple questions about your work to check level A, then moves to questions that target level B, then level C.
You receive one global rating based on sustained performance across the whole test, not a score per question. The assessor considers what you can do and the quality of your language: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency and clarity. One strong answer among weak ones will not earn a C. An E means the assessor judges you can maintain C indefinitely.
Pausing to think is not held against you, but constant self-correction hurts fluency, and assessors recognize memorized speeches.
When SLE results arrive
- Supervised reading and writing: in My Tests in CAT, 48 hours after you finish.
- Oral: sent to you and your department contact within 5 business days.
How long SLE results are valid
A result is valid for 5 years, provided you respected the 30-day retest period. After that, it stays valid indefinitely for the position you hold, as long as its linguistic profile is not raised above your level. Results are portable across bilingual federal positions.
An E never expires. A new valid result replaces the previous one, even if it is lower, so retaking a test just to refresh a C means a weaker day could cost you that C.
Retesting and rescoring an SLE test
You must wait 30 days before retaking the same test, whatever the format. Retest earlier and the result is invalid, and a new 30-day period starts.
The oral can be rescored. Send a written request within 10 business days of the results reaching your department, through the HR officer who requested the test. A second assessor rates the recording without knowing the first result, and the new result stands even if it is lower. Online reading and writing tests cannot be rescored.
Why TEF, TCF, DELF or IELTS cannot replace an SLE result
A TEF, TCF, DELF or DALF result in French, or an IELTS or CELPIP result in English, does not count for a bilingual federal position. Only PSC-approved second language evaluation tests can fill a letter in a linguistic profile. Departmental alternative methods for oral testing ended on October 1, 2025.
Missed your SLE level by one band? What to do next
Find the exact gap first. For reading or writing, check how many points separate you from the next band: 35 out of 50 in reading is three correct answers from a C. Then work on that skill only, since your other results stay valid.
- Use the 30 days. Plan a focused practice block that ends close to your new test date.
- Practise with the format. The PSC's free self-assessment tests are unofficial and differ from the real tests, but add useful practice.
- For the oral, rehearse level C questions. Explain why something happens, say what you would do if a situation changed, and defend an opinion on telework or training, out loud and without notes.
- Listen every day. Mauril, the free CBC/Radio-Canada app recommended by the Canada School of Public Service, builds listening and vocabulary.
- Avoid sites selling real SLE questions. PSC test content is Protected, and the PSC monitors the web for its items.
Check where you stand before your SLE test
Mocko's SLE French practice gives you two free quick tests and one free full mock exam of all three tests, with no credit card needed. The mock applies the published bands, and its report gives a level per test, your reading and writing scores, and a profile such as CBC. Its recorded oral climbs from level A to level C questions. Create a free account to take your first test.
FAQ: SLE results and levels
Five years, provided you respected the 30-day wait between attempts. After that, a result stays valid for the position you hold unless its profile is raised above your level. An E never expires.
