TEF & TCF Canada glossary
37 terms you’ll meet on centre pages, attestations and Express Entry — explained in plain English, with where to go next.
A
- Alliance FrançaiseAF
A worldwide network of French language and culture centres. Many branches are approved test centres for TEF Canada, TCF Canada or both — from Alliance Française Paris Île-de-France (TEF Canada) to AF Mexico City — and each one runs its own calendar, fees and booking process.
- Ancien scoreÉquivalence ancien score · TEF old-scale score
The TEF Canada result on the older scale, printed as “Équivalence ancien score” next to the /699 score on your attestation. It is the only TEF number IRCC uses: listening out of 360, reading out of 300, writing and speaking out of 450.
- AttestationAttestation de résultats · results sheet
The official results document for your TEF Canada or TCF Canada session, with a score for each skill. You copy these scores into your Express Entry profile, so enter them exactly as printed (for TEF Canada, the ancien score column).
C
- Category-based drawCategory-based selection
An Express Entry round of invitations open only to candidates who meet a specific criterion, rather than to everyone in the pool. French-language proficiency is one of these categories.
- CEFRCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages · CECRL · A1–C2
The European six-level scale (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) used by many French courses and textbooks. IRCC does not use CEFR levels: it converts your TEF Canada or TCF Canada results to NCLC levels instead.
- CLBCanadian Language Benchmarks
Canada’s scale for describing language ability, used by IRCC for English test results. Its French counterpart is NCLC, and a level on one is worth the same as the same level on the other — people often say “CLB 7” for both.
- Compréhension écriteCE · Reading
The reading section. TEF Canada has 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes; TCF Canada has 39 questions in 60 minutes, scored out of 699.
- Compréhension oraleCO · Listening
The listening section. TEF Canada has 40 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes; TCF Canada has 39 questions in 35 minutes, scored out of 699.
- ConvocationExam-day notice
The notice your test centre sends after you register, telling you the date, time and place of your session. Read it for what to bring — some centres, such as AF Delhi, require your passport on exam day.
- CRSComprehensive Ranking System
The points system IRCC uses to rank Express Entry profiles. Language ability earns core points, and strong French can add up to 50 additional points on top.
- CRS French bonusAdditional points for French
Extra CRS points for NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills: 25 points if your English is CLB 4 or lower (or you have no English test), 50 points if your English is CLB 5 or higher in all four skills.
E
- E-TEF / E-TCFComputer-based TEF Canada · e-TEF
Computer-based versions of the exams, run at some centres. AF Lagos, for example, runs E-TEF Canada and E-TCF Canada, with no postponement or refund once you register.
- English tests accepted by IRCCCELPIP-General · IELTS General Training · PTE Core
For English, IRCC accepts CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core. Your English result matters for French candidates too: it decides whether the French bonus is 25 or 50 points.
- Exam sessionSession · Sitting
One scheduled exam date at a test centre, with a limited number of seats. A session can be open, sold out or not yet open for registration; our centre pages list the ones we can see.
- Express Entry
IRCC’s online system for the main federal economic immigration programs. You create a profile, get a CRS score, and the highest-ranked candidates (or those in a targeted category) are invited to apply for permanent residence.
- Expression écriteEE · Writing
The writing section. TEF Canada has two sections — continue a news article (80+ words, 25 min) and argue a point of view (200+ words, 35 min). TCF Canada has three tasks in 60 minutes, scored out of 20.
- Expression oraleEO · Speaking
The speaking section, done with an examiner. TEF Canada has two sections — obtain information (5 min) and persuade (10 min). TCF Canada has three tasks in about 12 minutes: an interview, a role-play and arguing a point of view, scored out of 20.
F
- FEIFrance Éducation international
The organisation that runs TCF Canada. It stopped accepting TCF re-marking requests for sessions from September 1, 2026, and expects to bring them back around fall 2027.
- French-language proficiency drawFrench category draw · Francophone draw
A category-based Express Entry draw for candidates with NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills. Third-party reports put 2026 cut-offs mostly around 380–420 CRS, but these are not official figures.
I
- Institut françaisIF · French Institute
France’s official cultural institutes abroad. Like Alliances Françaises, some are approved TEF Canada and TCF Canada centres — for example in Dakar, Yaoundé and Cairo — each with its own dates and booking rules.
- IRCCImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
The Canadian federal department that runs Express Entry and citizenship. For French, it accepts only TEF Canada and TCF Canada — not TEF Québec, TCF Québec or TCF Tout Public.
- ITAInvitation to Apply
The invitation an Express Entry candidate receives after being selected in a draw, which lets you submit a permanent residence application. Your language results must still be valid on the day you submit.
L
- Le français des affairesLFA · CCI Paris Île-de-France
The organisation that runs TEF Canada. It is part of CCI Paris Île-de-France, the Paris region’s chamber of commerce and industry.
- Live seat count
One of the four ways centres release places: each session is listed with a seats-left counter, and returned or unpaid places can reappear. AF Toronto, which runs no waitlist, works this way. Watching the page closely is how people catch those returns.
N
- NCLCNiveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
The French counterpart of CLB. IRCC converts each of your four TEF Canada or TCF Canada scores to an NCLC level separately — there is no averaging, so your weakest skill sets your lowest level.
- NCLC 7CLB 7 in French
The key French threshold for Express Entry: NCLC 7 in all four skills earns the CRS French bonus and eligibility for French-language draws. It takes 458 listening, 453 reading, 10 writing and 10 speaking on TCF Canada, or 249 / 207 / 310 / 310 (ancien score) on TEF Canada.
R
- Re-markingRe-correction · score review
Asking the exam provider to check and re-score your results. FEI stopped accepting TCF re-marking requests for sessions from September 1, 2026 (expected back around fall 2027), so report any problem with exam conditions to the centre on the day.
- Registration window
An announced date and time when a centre opens bookings for its next sessions, after which seats go first-come, first-served — often within minutes at busy centres. The time is given in the centre’s own time zone. AF Colombo, for example, opens each session about a month before the exam.
- Result validityValidity period
TEF Canada and TCF Canada results are valid for two years from the test date. They must still be valid both when you create your Express Entry profile and when you submit your PR application.
S
- Score /699699 scale
The 0–699 scale TCF Canada uses for listening and reading. TEF Canada also prints a /699 score, but IRCC ignores it for TEF — enter the ancien score instead.
T
- TCF CanadaTest de connaissance du français pour le Canada
One of the two French tests IRCC accepts, run by France Éducation international. Four sections: listening and reading scored out of 699, writing and speaking out of 20.
- TCF Québec
A separate TCF version for Québec. IRCC does not accept it for Express Entry or other federal programs, so check that your booking says TCF Canada.
- TCF Tout PublicTCF TP
The general-purpose TCF. IRCC does not accept it for Express Entry or citizenship; only TCF Canada counts.
- TEF CanadaTest d’évaluation de français pour le Canada
One of the two French tests IRCC accepts, run by Le français des affaires (CCI Paris Île-de-France). All four sections are taken the same day, about 2 h 55 in total, and IRCC uses the ancien score from your attestation.
- TEF QuébecTEFAQ
A separate TEF version for Québec. IRCC does not accept it for federal programs, so make sure your booking says TEF Canada.
U
- Unannounced dropSurprise drop
A centre posting new sessions without any warning. AF Pondichéry and AF Kathmandu both release dates this way. There is no date to prepare for, so the only way to catch one early is to have the page watched.
W
- WaitlistWaiting list · Liste d’attente
Some centres collect names by email and offer seats in order — AF Chandigarh, whose TEF Canada list has run to 10–12 months, and AF Trivandrum both work this way — and some (such as AF Delhi) put overflow registrations on a waiting list. Joining early matters more than speed on the day.
Want the whole picture rather than one word? Our guides walk through booking, scores and exam day step by step, and the FAQ answers the questions we get most. Rules change, so always confirm with IRCC and your test centre before you pay. Missing a term? Email [email protected].
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