Overview of CELBAN
The Canadian English Language Benchmarks Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) is an assessment tool designed for internationally educated nurses who are applying for licensure in the nursing profession in Canada.
CELBAN is based on an extensive analysis of the language demands of the nursing profession across Canada. The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) were used as a standard. According to the results of this analysis, the English language levels required for nurses entering the Canadian nursing profession are:
- Listening:
- Reading:
- Writing:
- Speaking:
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CLB 9
CLB 8
CLB 7
CLB 8
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The content of the CELBAN reflects the language tasks that are required of nurses in the Canadian workplace.
CELBAN is designed to measure English language proficiency in the four basic language skill areas: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. The entire CELBAN lasts about 3 1/2 hours. It is administered in two parts.
Part One: a group test (about 3 hours) including:
- CELBAN Listening
- CELBAN Reading (Skim & Scan; Reading comprehension)
- CELBAN Writing
Part Two: an individual test
- CELBAN Speaking is an individual assessment administered separately from the group test. It consists of an interview with two trained CELBAN Speaking assessors, and lasts 20 to 30 minutes.
Candidates are required to meet the requirements in each of the four skill areas (Listening: CLB 9; Reading: CLB 8; Writing CLB 7; Speaking: CLB 8) in order to meet the requirements of the nursing licensing bodies.
At the present time (2005), candidates are only allowed to take CELBAN twice, and must wait at least 6 months from the first administration date to take it for the second time.
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