IELTS to CLB conversion tripped me up, here is what I learned

I assumed an overall 7.0 was "CLB 9" and built my whole points estimate on it. It is not. CLB is calculated per skill, and your CRS language points are driven by your weakest band, not your overall. My reading was 6.5 while everything else was 7.5. That single band pulled me from CLB 9 down to CLB 8 for reading and cost me points I had already counted. If you are borderline, check every band against the CLB table separately before you spend money on anything else. And if one band is dragging you, retaking the test is far cheaper than any of the alternatives.