--- title: "TCF Québec 2026: read on the échelle québécoise, not NCLC" description: "TCF Québec is read by the Quebec ministry on the échelle québécoise, not by IRCC on the NCLC. How it differs from TCF Canada, and which one you need." canonical: https://francaisprep.com/tcf-quebec last-updated: 2026-10-25 --- Quebec route # TCF Québec is not TCF Canada, and the difference costs money Quebec runs its own immigration selection, with its own ministry and its own French scale. If you book the federal exam for a Quebec application, or read your result off an NCLC chart, you have spent a test fee on the wrong paperwork. [Book a placement call](/book)[Compare TEF and TCF](/tef-vs-tcf) - A Quebec exam, read on a Quebec scale - Not the same test as TCF Canada - Written by Adèle, a native French teacher ![Adèle, the native French teacher who runs Français Prep](/_next/image?url=%2Fadele.png&w=3840&q=75) Adèle SasonNative French teacher - every class, every correction By [Adèle Sason](/about), Français Prep · Updated 25 October 2026 In short TCF Québec is the version of the TCF aimed at Quebec immigration. The result is read by the Quebec ministry against the échelle québécoise, a different scale from the NCLC benchmarks IRCC uses for Express Entry. The exam tests the same four abilities and the same French, but it belongs to a different application route. Before you book, be certain which authority is going to read your attestation, because that decides which test you should be sitting. ## TCF Québec at a glance Who reads the result The Quebec ministry (MIFI). Which scale The échelle québécoise, not NCLC. Which programmes Quebec's own economic selection programmes. Sections The four abilities exist, but Quebec programmes have historically weighted oral French. Level required Set by programme and revised periodically. Validity Results must be recent when you apply. The thing to understand first ## Quebec and Express Entry are two separate systems Quebec selects its own economic immigrants and does not use the federal Express Entry system. That means a different ministry, a different French scale, and different accepted tests. A result prepared for Express Entry is read against NCLC levels by IRCC; a result prepared for Quebec is read against the échelle québécoise by the Quebec ministry. The French is the same French, but the paperwork is not interchangeable, and this is the single thing candidates most often get wrong. The rest of this site is written for the federal route, which is why almost every page here talks about NCLC 7. If Quebec is your route, treat those numbers as belonging to a different conversation. The teaching transfers completely. The thresholds do not. Side by side ## Same French, different paperwork | What differs | Express Entry (federal) | Quebec | | --- | --- | --- | | Who selects you | Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, through Express Entry. | The Quebec ministry (MIFI), through its own programmes. Quebec issues its own selection certificate before the federal stage. | | Which scale reads your result | NCLC, the Canadian benchmark scale, which is what every conversion chart on the rest of this site refers to. | The échelle québécoise, a separate 12-level scale. An NCLC number does not map across by simply reusing the digit. | | Which tests are accepted | TCF Canada and TEF Canada. | A wider set, including the TEFAQ, the TEF, the TCF for Quebec and certain DELF or DALF diplomas. | | Which abilities are weighted | All four abilities are read separately, and the weakest one sets what you can claim. | Historically weighted towards oral French, which is why oral-only sittings are common. | | What a strong result is worth | Additional CRS points on top of your core human capital score. | Points inside Quebec's own selection grid, which is scored differently from the CRS. | Quebec revises its programmes, its selection grid and its accepted tests more often than the federal system does, and the thresholds move with them. Every number that matters to your application should be read off the current Quebec government pages rather than from any third party, including this one. Where it goes wrong ## Four mistakes that cost a test fee Test centre seats are paid for in advance and are rarely refundable, so the errors below are not academic. Each one we have listed is one we have seen a candidate make, and each is avoidable with ten minutes on the right government page. - ### Assuming NCLC 7 carries over It does not, because Quebec does not use NCLC. Quebec reads results against the échelle québécoise, a separate scale. Reusing the digit from a federal chart is the most common error we see, and it is the one that costs a test fee. - ### Booking TCF Canada for a Quebec application TCF Canada and TCF Québec are different sittings aimed at different authorities. Booking the wrong one is an expensive mistake, because test fees are paid to the centre and are rarely refundable. - ### Preparing all four abilities when two are read If your programme weights oral French, months spent grinding written comprehension is time you did not need to spend. Confirm what your route reads before you build a study plan around all four. - ### Trusting a forum post over the ministry Quebec's thresholds and programmes change more often than the federal ones. A number that was correct two intakes ago circulates for years afterwards, and nobody updates the post that told you. ## Why this page quotes so few numbers Quebec revises its programmes, its selection grid and its accepted tests more often than the federal system does, and the thresholds move with them. Every number that matters to your application should be read off the current Quebec government pages rather than from any third party, including this one. We would rather send you to Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration for the threshold than publish a figure that was right last year. Questions ## TCF Québec, answered ### Is TCF Québec the same as TCF Canada? No. They share a name and a test family, but they are aimed at different authorities. TCF Canada produces a result IRCC reads against NCLC for federal economic immigration. TCF Québec produces a result the Quebec ministry reads against the échelle québécoise for Quebec's own selection. Booking the wrong one is the most expensive mistake on this page. ### Does my NCLC level tell me my Quebec level? Not directly. NCLC and the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français are separate scales maintained by different governments, and you cannot simply carry a number across by keeping the digit. ### Which French test does Quebec accept? Quebec accepts a wider set of tests than the federal system, including the TEFAQ, the TEF, the TCF for Quebec and certain DELF or DALF diplomas. ### Do I need all four abilities for Quebec? Quebec's programmes have historically put the weight on oral French, which is why oral-only sittings are common there and rare federally. That does not mean written French never counts. ### Can I use one result for both Quebec and Express Entry? Sometimes, but do not assume it. The two systems accept overlapping but not identical test lists, and they read the results on different scales. If you are keeping both routes open, decide that before you book, because it may change which test you sit and which sections you pay for. ### Do you prepare candidates for TCF Québec? Yes. The French is the same French: the same four abilities, the same marking of writing and speaking by a person. What changes is which sections you focus on and which threshold we track you against. Raise Quebec on the placement call and the plan gets built around that route instead of the federal one. ### Is OPAL a TCF test centre? No. TCF Canada by OPAL is an online preparation platform run by Open Academic Learning, built around practice series, a simulator and evening group sessions for the TCF Canada. It does not set or mark the exam. Whether any organisation can register you for a TCF sitting is answered only by France Éducation International's official list of centres. ### Can I sit the TCF at Concordia? Université Concordia in Montréal is on France Éducation International's list of TCF centres, in the dated copy our test centre finder shows. Which version it runs on a given date, TCF Canada for Express Entry or TCF Québec for Quebec's own selection, is for the centre to confirm, so check its own page before you pay. ### Is this immigration advice? Français Prep prepares candidates for French exams. We are not licensed immigration consultants, we do not assess eligibility for any Quebec programme, and nothing here is immigration advice. Looking for a seat in Montréal, Concordia included? Our [TCF Canada Montréal centre guide](/exam-centres/montreal) lists the centres on the official TCF list. Weighing a platform such as OPAL instead of a teacher? See [OPAL TCF compared with Français Prep](/alternatives/opal). The French is the same for both routes, so the [TCF Canada preparation course](/tcf-canada-course) works for TCF Québec too; say so when you [book a placement call](/book). Preparation ## The teaching is the same, the target is not Tell us on the placement call that Quebec is your route and the plan gets built around that threshold instead of the federal one. - ### Weekly plan The whole practice platform: every TCF and TEF Canada series, unlimited AI corrections, timed mock tests and the course lessons. CA$9.99per week Canadian dollars (CAD) Billed weekly, cancel any time. Access runs to the end of the week you paid for. [Start the weekly plan](/dashboard/premium) - Every practice series in all four exam sections - Unlimited AI writing and speaking corrections - Timed mock tests in the real exam format - Course lessons and a weekly study plan - ### 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 Canadian dollars (CAD) Eight weekly classes of 60 minutes: 8 hours of live teaching, CA$56 an hour, with your writing and speaking marked every week. [Join a small group](https://buy.stripe.com/fZu4gyfXZ9uK5Aj1P46Vq01) Full refund within 14 days of purchase if you have not taken a session. - Everything in the weekly plan - One 60-minute live class with Adèle every week - Marked writing submissions every week - Marked speaking recordings every week - Most popular ### One-to-one tutoring Private sessions scheduled around your test date, with a study plan built from your diagnostic results. CA$800per 10 sessions Canadian dollars (CAD) CA$80 an hour, booked around your test date: ten 60-minute sessions. [Book one-to-one](https://buy.stripe.com/dRm8wOfXZdL07IralA6Vq0a) Full refund within 14 days of purchase if you have not taken a session. - Everything in small-group live - Private 60-minute sessions scheduled around your test date - Study plan built from your diagnostic test - Unlimited marked writing and speaking during your block Not ready to commit to a block? Try a trial class. One 40-minute class with Adèle, one to one. The CA$30 comes off any block you book within 30 days. [Try one class for CA$30](https://buy.stripe.com/6oU4gy3bd9uK4wf0L06Vq0c) Not sure which tier fits? [Book a free 15-minute video call.](/book) 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. - ### Marked against the real criteria Every writing and speaking task comes with a model answer and the marking grid, so you can see exactly what an examiner rewards. On the live tiers, Adèle marks your own work by hand and tells you which 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. - ### The NCLC threshold always in view Every section is worked against the NCLC thresholds IRCC publishes. A practice result is not an NCLC level; only your attestation gives one. Practice shows you where you lose marks. - ### Study from anywhere, in your timezone Everything is online, for candidates in Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, India, France and Canada. The free plan and the weekly plan run entirely on your own clock. On the live tiers, if you miss a class the recording and the correction still reach you. Keep reading ## The other exams, in the same detail - [TEFAQ 2026: the TEF for Quebec, usually just 2 oral testsThe TEFAQ is the TEF adapted for Quebec, most often sat as compréhension orale and expression orale alone. Shorter than TEF Canada, and read by Quebec.](/tefaq) - [TCF Canada 2026: NCLC 7 needs 453 reading, 458 listeningFour tests in 2 h 47: listening 39 questions in 35 min, reading 39 in 60, writing 3 tasks in 60, speaking 3 in 12. Scored to 699 and out of 20.](/tcf-canada) - [TEF vs TCF Canada: which is easier, and how they differNeither is officially easier: both convert to the same NCLC levels and IRCC treats them as equal. What differs is format, timing and section counts.](/tef-vs-tcf) - [TCF Canada score chart 2026: NCLC 7 = 453 CE, 458 CONCLC 7 is 453 to 498 reading, 458 to 502 listening and 10 to 11 out of 20 in writing and speaking. Full conversion table from NCLC 4 to NCLC 10.](/tcf-canada/score-chart) NEXT STEP ## Find out where your French actually stands Book a short assessment with Adèle: one writing task, one speaking task, and an honest plan for the weeks you have left before the exam. [Book an assessment](/book)[See the course tiers](#tiers) --- For agents: site index https://francaisprep.com/llms.txt, developer access https://francaisprep.com/developers, and TCF or TEF to NCLC conversion over a plain GET at https://api.francaisprep.com/v1/score/convert?exam=tcf_canada&listening=512&reading=470&writing=12&speaking=11 (exam is tcf_canada or tef_canada).