From the blog

Notes on the exams, the scores and the paperwork.

Short, checkable pieces on the TCF Canada and the TEF Canada: what the scores convert to, what the rules actually say, and where candidates lose time they did not need to lose.

Hands writing on a blank notebook page, illustrating work on the French subjunctiveGrammar

Le subjonctif: the trigger list, and what a marker actually sees

The subjunctive is the structure that most often separates a capped script from one a band higher. Which expressions genuinely require it, which ones people wrongly think do, and why avoiding it costs you more than getting it slightly wrong.

16 June 2026 · 10 min read

A hand writing on paper at a desk, illustrating the choice between passé composé and imparfaitGrammar

Passé composé or imparfait: it is a decision, not a rule you look up

Every textbook gives you the same list of triggers, and the list stops helping the moment you write a real paragraph. What the two tenses actually do to a sentence, why the choice is yours more often than you were told, and how markers spot a candidate guessing.

12 May 2026 · 9 min read

Hands writing in a notebook, illustrating how French scores convert to NCLC levelsScores

NCLC 7 and CLB 7 are the same level with two names

One twelve-level scale, two acronyms, and a lot of confusion. Why your French converts to NCLC, why the number is the same one English speakers call CLB, and what reaching 7 in all four abilities is actually worth.

24 March 2026 · 6 min read

Books and planners on a desk, illustrating when to sit the French test in a PR applicationGuide

The French test for Canadian PR: where it sits in the application, and when to sit it

A language result is not a box you tick once. It has to be valid at two separate moments in an Express Entry application, and testing too early is a more common mistake than testing too late.

18 February 2026 · 7 min read

Canadian flags, illustrating a guide to the French tests Canada acceptsGuide

Which French test do you need for Canada? The two IRCC accepts, and how to choose

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada accepts exactly two French tests, and neither of them is the one most people first search for. What each is, the level you actually need, and how long a result lasts.

14 January 2026 · 8 min read