Exam guide

TCF Canada: format, scoring and the NCLC level you need

The TCF Canada is the French test Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada accepts as proof of French ability. This page sets out the four sections, how each one is marked, how those marks convert into NCLC levels, and how you register.

Book a placement call See the preparation tiers

Four compulsory sections: listening, reading, writing, speaking
Results valid for two years in an IRCC application
NCLC 7 opens the Express Entry French-language category

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What is the TCF Canada?

The TCF Canada is a French-language test administered by France Éducation International and designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as proof of French ability. It has four compulsory sections - listening, reading, writing and speaking - and each section is reported as a level rather than as a pass or a fail. Those four levels are converted to Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC), and it is the NCLC level, not the raw score, that decides what your French is worth in an Express Entry profile.

You need it if you are claiming French in a Canadian permanent-residence application and you are not taking the TEF Canada instead. Read it as a measurement, not an exam you can fail: the only question that matters is whether each of your four levels reaches the NCLC your programme requires.

Run by: France Éducation International
What it proves: Your French to IRCC when you claim French in a Canadian permanent-residence application.
Sections: Four, all compulsory: compréhension orale, compréhension écrite, expression écrite, expression orale.
Pass mark: None. Each section returns a level, and IRCC reads the four levels separately.
Result validity: Two years from the test date for an IRCC application.
Total test time: Check the combined duration of the four sections against the current France Éducation International information sheet.

Exam format

The four sections of the TCF Canada

All four sections are compulsory. Unlike the general TCF, the Canada version has no separate grammar and vocabulary module, so nothing is scored except the four abilities IRCC converts to NCLC levels.

TCF Canada exam format: what each section asks and how long it lasts
Section	What you are asked to do	Questions and timing
Compréhension oraleListening	Recorded dialogues, public announcements, radio extracts and short reports, each answered as a multiple-choice question. The recording plays once.	Check the question count and the time limit (commonly cited as 39 questions in 35 minutes).
Compréhension écriteReading	Signs, messages, emails, press articles and longer documents you have to compare, again as multiple choice.	Check the question count and the time limit (commonly cited as 39 questions in 60 minutes).
Expression écriteWriting	Three written tasks that get progressively more demanding, from a short practical message to a text where you weigh two positions and argue your own.	3 tasks. Check the total time allowed and the word count expected for each task.
Expression oraleSpeaking	Three spoken tasks with an examiner: a guided interview about you, an interactive task where you ask the questions, and a monologue where you defend a point of view.	3 tasks. Check the total speaking time and the preparation time allowed before tasks two and three.

Check every question count, time limit and word count above against the current TCF Canada information sheet from France Éducation International. The figures marked in the table are the ones most often quoted by test centres, but they have been revised before and none of them should be published as fact until checked at source.

Scroll the table sideways to see both columns.

How it is marked

How the TCF Canada is scored

The two comprehension sections and the two production sections are marked on different scales, which is why candidates so often misread their own result.

Compréhension orale and compréhension écrite are machine-marked and reported as a points score, which is then mapped to a level from A1 to C2. Check the maximum points value of that scale, usually cited as 699.
Expression écrite and expression orale are marked by trained examiners out of 20, against published criteria for task achievement, range of language and accuracy.
There is no overall mark. You are not given a single TCF Canada score, and there is no pass threshold. IRCC reads the four sections independently, and your weakest section is the one that limits your file.

That last point is the one worth planning around. A candidate at NCLC 9 in reading and NCLC 6 in speaking is treated as an NCLC 6 candidate wherever a programme requires a level in all four abilities. Preparation time is almost always better spent on the weakest section than on the one that already clears the bar.

Score conversion

TCF Canada results converted to NCLC levels

Listening and reading are shown as points bands; speaking and writing are shown out of 20. NCLC 7 in all four abilities is the level the Express Entry French-language category asks for.

TCF Canada score to NCLC level conversion for the four abilities
NCLC	TCF Canada
NCLC	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
NCLC 10	549-699	549-699	16-20	16-20
NCLC 9	523-548	524-548	14-15	14-15
NCLC 8	503-522	499-523	12-13	12-13
NCLC 7 Level highlighted on this pageThe level the Express Entry French-language category asks for in all four abilities.	458-502	453-498	10-11	10-11
NCLC 6	398-457	406-452	7-9	7-9
NCLC 5	369-397	375-405	6	6
NCLC 4	331-368	342-374	4-5	4-5

Check every band in this table against the current IRCC test-equivalency chart for the TCF Canada before publication, and record the date it was checked. These boundaries decide eligibility and CRS points, IRCC has revised them in the past, and an out-of-date band here would mislead someone about their own application.

Scroll the table sideways to see all four abilities.

Registration

How to register, and where you can sit it

Registration runs through an approved test centre. That is the only route, and it is worth understanding before you plan a test date.

1Find a test centre approved for the TCF Canada. France Éducation International publishes the list of approved centres; there is no central booking desk and no way to sit the exam outside an approved centre.
2Check that the centre runs the Canada version. France Éducation International administers several versions of the TCF, and only the Canada version is the one IRCC accepts for economic immigration.
3Pick a session from that centre's own calendar and pay that centre's fee directly to it. Français Prep never handles registration or exam fees.
4Turn up with the identity document you registered under. Check which documents each centre accepts, since the accepted list is set locally and a mismatched name is the most common reason a candidate is turned away.

Dates and fees

Test dates, fees and how long a result lasts

Nothing about the TCF Canada calendar is centralised, and the fee is not a single published number. This is what is fixed, and what still has to be checked locally.

Session calendar: Each centre publishes its own sessions. There is no single national or global TCF Canada calendar, so availability at your nearest centre is what actually sets your test date.
Fee: The fee is set by the test centre in local currency, not by France Éducation International. No figure is printed here until the current amount has been checked at the centres our candidates use.
Results turnaround: Check the current interval between the session and the downloadable attestation.
Retake interval: Check the minimum waiting period between two TCF Canada sessions, and whether a single-section retake is currently allowed.
Validity: Two years from the test date. IRCC needs a result that is still inside that window on the day it receives your application, not on the day you started the profile.
Who you pay: Always the test centre. Preparation and registration are separate purchases, and no preparation provider can register you.

Overhead view of a pair of hands writing on a blank notebook page — Two of the four papers start from a blank page.

What the exam asks for

Four papers, two of which you produce from nothing

Listening and reading are recognition tasks: the answer exists somewhere in front of you and your job is to find it. Speaking and writing are production tasks, and a blank page is where preparation quietly fails, because you can revise vocabulary for months without ever once producing a timed piece under exam conditions.

That asymmetry is why the two production papers usually need the larger share of your preparation time. They are also where feedback pays back fastest: a structural habit corrected once applies to every task you write after it.

Questions candidates actually ask

TCF Canada: frequently asked questions

Is the TCF Canada accepted by IRCC?

Yes. IRCC designates the TCF Canada as proof of French for permanent-residence applications, alongside the TEF Canada. The result has to be less than two years old when IRCC receives your application.

Is there a pass mark on the TCF Canada?

No. The TCF Canada has no pass or fail. Each of the four sections returns a level, and what matters is whether those levels reach the NCLC your programme asks for. The Express Entry French-language category asks for NCLC 7 in all four abilities.

What TCF Canada score gives NCLC 7?

10 or 11 out of 20 in expression écrite and in expression orale, plus a points score inside the NCLC 7 band in compréhension orale and compréhension écrite. The full table is on the TCF Canada score chart. Check every band against the current IRCC equivalency chart before you rely on it.

How long are TCF Canada results valid?

Two years from the date you sat the exam, for IRCC purposes. If your result expires mid-application you have to sit the exam again.

How much does the TCF Canada cost?

The fee is set by each test centre in local currency, so it varies by country. No fee figure appears on this page until the current amount has been checked at the centres our candidates actually use.

Can I retake only one section?

Whether France Éducation International currently allows a single-section retake of the TCF Canada, and the minimum interval between two sessions, are both rules set by the exam board and are not stated here until confirmed.

Should I take the TCF Canada or the TEF Canada?

Both are accepted by IRCC and both convert to the same NCLC scale, so the decision usually comes down to which exam your nearest centre runs, what it charges, and which format suits how you work. We compare them section by section in TEF vs TCF Canada.

Is the speaking section face to face?

The expression orale section is conducted with an examiner rather than scored by a machine. Check whether your own centre runs it in person or by videoconference, because that is decided centre by centre.

Do I need French if my English is already strong?

French is optional, but it is where the points are. Reaching NCLC 7 in all four French abilities is what makes you eligible for the Express Entry French-language category draws, and French also adds points on top of your English. Check the current additional-points values with IRCC before relying on any number.

Preparation tiers

Choose how much live teaching you want.

Every tier covers listening, reading, speaking and writing, and every tier tracks you against a target NCLC level. Exam registration is paid to your test centre and is never included.

Self-paced
The full lesson library plus timed practice tests for all four sections, worked on your own schedule.
CA$149one-time
One payment, no subscription. Lifetime access to the library.
Start self-paced
- Lesson library for all four exam sections
- Timed full-length practice tests
- Model answers for every writing and speaking task
- NCLC score tracker
Most popular
Small-group live
Weekly live classes with Adèle, in groups small enough that everyone speaks, plus marked writing and speaking.
CA$449per 8-week block
Covers all eight weeks, about CA$56 a class.
Join a small group
- Everything in self-paced
- Weekly live class with Adèle
- Marked writing submissions every week
- Marked speaking recordings every week
One-to-one tutoring
Private sessions scheduled around your test date, with a study plan built from your diagnostic results.
CA$950per 10 sessions
CA$95 a session, booked around your test date.
Book one-to-one
- Everything in small-group live
- Private sessions scheduled around your test date
- Study plan built from your diagnostic test
- Unlimited marked writing and speaking during your block

Not sure which tier fits? Book a free 15-minute video call.

Prices are in Canadian dollars and include any tax that applies. Exam registration fees are paid directly to your test centre and are not included in any tier.

WHY PREPARE HERE

Preparation built around the exam you are actually sitting

Four things every tier includes, whether you study on your own or work with Adèle every week.

A native French teacher marks your work
Adèle reads every writing task and listens to every recording, then tells you which specific mistakes are costing you the most points.
Timed practice in the real exam format
You practise each section under the clock, in the order and the length you will meet on test day, so the paper itself is never the surprise.
Every result mapped to an NCLC level
Practice results are converted to NCLC levels using the published conversion tables, so you always know how far you are from the level your profile needs.
Study from anywhere, in your timezone
Lessons run online for candidates in Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, Senegal, France and Canada. If you cannot attend live, the recording and the correction still reach you.

OUR COMMITMENT

What we promise, and what we will never claim

Your result is decided by official examiners we have no contact with, so no honest preparation service can promise you a score. What we can commit to is the work: the corrections, the practice papers and the teaching hours you paid for.

What we do not claim

We do not guarantee a TCF Canada or TEF Canada score, an NCLC level, or a number of CRS points.
We do not register you for the exam, and we have no influence over marking, exam dates or seat availability.
We are an independent preparation service, not an examiner and not an official test centre.

Our commitment, in writing

Every writing and speaking task you submit is marked by Adèle herself.
Prices are in Canadian dollars and include any tax that applies. Exam registration is never included: that fee goes to your test centre.
We will never invent a testimonial, a statistic or a pass rate.

Keep reading

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