TCF Canada syllabus

French test for Canadian economic immigration and citizenship. Four compulsory tests: listening and reading scored from 100 to 699, writing and speaking marked out of 20, each read as a CEFR level.

Compréhension orale (listening)

39 multiple-choice questions · 35 minutes

Four options, one right answer. A wrong or missing answer scores 0. Each recording is played once; the question is asked after the recording.

  • Familiar words and everyday exchanges (dialogues, interviews, phone calls)
  • Short messages and announcements
  • Radio or television items about people, facts and events
  • Talks on concrete or abstract subjects, at a normal pace

Compréhension écrite (reading)

39 multiple-choice questions · 60 minutes

Four options, one right answer. A wrong or missing answer scores 0. Questions get harder through the test.

  • Very simple messages, notices, ads, menus and timetables
  • Everyday and work texts, including personal letters
  • Articles and reports in which the writer takes a position
  • Long factual or literary texts, and specialised or abstract texts

Expression écrite (writing)

3 tasks · 60 minutes

A script can be marked « A1 non atteint » if the handwriting cannot be read, a task misses the required word count, the text is off topic, or a task is not done. On computer, a first mark may be assisted by France Éducation international's automated aid; the second mark is human.

  • Task 1: a message to a stated reader, describing, narrating or explaining (60 to 120 words)
  • Task 2: an article, letter or note reporting an experience, with comments or arguments (120 to 150 words)
  • Task 3: a text comparing two points of view on a social question, then giving your own (120 to 180 words)

Expression orale (speaking)

3 tasks · 12 minutes

Face to face with an examiner. The examiner marks the interview, then a second assessor marks the recording independently.

  • Task 1: directed interview, no preparation (2 minutes)
  • Task 2: interaction to obtain information in an everyday situation (5 minutes 30 seconds, including 2 minutes of preparation)
  • Task 3: give and defend a point of view, no preparation (4 minutes 30 seconds)