Here's my view.
I believe you should look at what category you're applying under, eg FSW, Provincial Nominee, etc. Then look at the requirement in the applicable CIC guide.
For example, FSW requirements for IELTS are [it is inside a table]:
First official language [for getting maximum points of 4 in each skill]
Speaking 6.5
Listening 7.5
Reading (General Training, not Academic) 6.5
Writing (General Training, not Academic) 6.5
If you hit the above score or higher then you get 4 points for each of the 4 english skills. 4 x 4 =16 points
Another example of result and points calculation:
Speaking = 7; points = 4
Listening = 7; points = 2 [require 7.5 or higher to get 4 points]
Reading = 7; points = 4
Writing = 7; points = 4
Note: For Listening, I understand that there is no "half" scores [eg 6.5 or 7.5] which means that you must aim for score of 8 [very few mistakes]. Do several practice tests to feel comfortable with the format [and know what to expect] and that would help a lot.
Hope above is clear.
Regards
