What score do you need for CLB 7 in French?

For CLB 7 in French (IRCC calls it NCLC 7), you need 458 / 453 / 10 / 10 on TCF Canada (listening / reading / writing / speaking), or 249 / 207 / 310 / 310 on TEF Canada using the "Équivalence ancien score". You need that level in all four skills, each one on its own. There is no averaging.

That is the whole answer. The rest of this page helps you read your own result correctly, and avoid the two mistakes that cost people points.

Both exams land on the same NCLC scale. NCLC 7 on TCF Canada is worth exactly the same to IRCC as NCLC 7 on TEF Canada. If you are still choosing, our TEF vs TCF comparison walks through the real differences.

Move the sliders to your scores (or your practice-test scores). Each skill converts separately, just like IRCC does it.

Took TEF Canada instead? The CLB calculator handles both exams, and the TEF score converter reads your attestation line by line.

No. IRCC converts each skill on its own. Your NCLC level for French bonus points is only as high as your lowest skill.

The second person has the "better" scores overall. They still miss out, because one writing point is below the line. This is why people plan their study around their weakest skill, not their average.

If one skill came back at NCLC 6, here is what to do after missing CLB 7 in French: the CRS cost, retake timing and how to fix that one skill.

Your TEF Canada attestation shows two sets of numbers: a score out of 699 and an "Équivalence ancien score". IRCC uses only the ancien score: listening out of 360, reading out of 300, writing and speaking out of 450. The TEF Canada score chart lists every level from NCLC 4 to 10.

One more TEF detail. CCI Paris Île-de-France temporarily changed TEF scoring for tests taken between Dec 11, 2023 and May 6, 2024, then reverted it. If you tested in that window, you should have been emailed updated scores, and you must update your Express Entry profile with them.

NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills does two things for an Express Entry profile.

• Extra CRS points. +25 if your English is CLB 4 or lower (or you have no English test). +50 if your English is CLB 5 or higher in all four skills.
• French category draws. You become eligible for French-language proficiency draws. IRCC's rounds page shows 2026 cut-offs from 382 to 435 through October, on the old grid, well below Canadian Experience Class rounds.

For the full picture of how those draws work, read what NCLC 7 gets you in French draws, or check yourself with the draw eligibility checker.

The bonus is not the only French points. NCLC 7 also earns first- or second-language points per skill. Our guide to how many CRS points French is worth has the full IRCC tables, and the CRS language points calculator adds it all up.

NCLC 7 is roughly B2, and that is a real step up from B1. Our honest guide to TEF and TCF Canada difficulty explains what that means in each skill.

For the French bonus and category draws, NCLC 7 is the line that matters. Going higher can still add points elsewhere in CRS, so aim a little above the minimum if you can. It also gives you a cushion on test day, when nerves can cost a point.

Close to NCLC 7 but not there yet? A focused plan helps. Our NCLC 5 to 7 study plan is built around fixing the weakest skill first. For listening and reading under exam conditions, sit a TCF Canada mock test.

For the exact points and the scores you'd need, read NCLC 9 and 10 in French: is it worth aiming higher?.

No mock scores yet? Tick what you can do in French for a rough level. NCLC 7 sits between a strong B1 and B2 on the European scale (see CEFR vs NCLC vs CLB).

Then see how long it takes to reach NCLC 7 from your level, or plug your hours into the study hours calculator.

Seats are the hard part in many cities. See which sessions are coming up, and what is open near you on the centres page.