TCF Canada exam format: every section, timing and score explained

TCF Canada has four sections: listening (39 questions, 35 min), reading (39 questions, 60 min), writing (3 tasks, 60 min) and speaking (3 tasks, about 12 min). Listening and reading are scored out of 699; writing and speaking out of 20. For NCLC 7 in all four, you need 458, 453, 10 and 10.

Knowing the format won't teach you French. But it removes surprises, and surprises are what make people panic on the day. Here is each section, in plain English.

4

Sections, all required for Express Entry

~2h50

Total testing time, before check-in and breaks

/699 + /20

The two scoring scales

Add it up and you're looking at a little under three hours of actual testing. Your centre decides how the day is split and whether speaking happens at a different time, so check your convocation carefully.

You hear recordings and answer multiple-choice questions. Thirty-five minutes for 39 questions is tight, so there is little time to dwell.

• Read the question and options before the audio starts, if you get the chance.
• If you miss one, let it go. Chasing a lost question costs you the next one too.
• Practise with audio at natural speed, not slowed-down learner audio.

Same number of questions as listening, but you get almost twice the time. The risk here isn't speed. It's spending ten minutes on one hard text and rushing the last few.

You complete three writing tasks in one hour, and the clock is shared. Nobody tells you when to move on, so you have to manage it yourself.

• Read all three tasks first, then decide your time split before you write a word.
• Answer exactly what the task asks. Off-topic writing loses marks however good the French is.
• Leave a few minutes at the end to reread for agreement and verb endings.

Structures, model answers and a suggested time split are in the TCF Canada writing tasks guide. To practise against the clock with a live word count, use the writing practice timer.

Writing is scored out of 20, and 10 is the NCLC 7 line. That matters a lot, as you'll see below.

Speaking takes about 12 minutes, face to face with an examiner. It builds up in three steps, and most people find it less scary than they feared.

1. 1Task 1: the interview (2 min, no prep)The examiner asks about you: your life, work, plans. It feels like a polite conversation. Use it to warm up and settle your nerves.
2. 2Task 2: the role-play (5 min 30, incl. 2 min prep)You interact with the examiner in a set situation. Your job is to keep the exchange going, usually by asking questions, not to give a speech.
3. 3Task 3: argue a point of view (4 min 30, no prep)You give and defend an opinion on a topic. Take a clear side, give reasons and an example. This is where the higher scores are won.

Try the real timings below, prep phase included. Sample questions and phrases for each task are in the TCF Canada speaking tasks guide.

Listening and reading use a 0–699 scale. Writing and speaking use a 0–20 scale. IRCC converts each skill to an NCLC level separately, and there is no averaging.

Look at writing and speaking. A 10 is NCLC 7. A 9 is NCLC 6. One point out of 20 decides whether you get the French CRS bonus (25 or 50 points) and access to French-language category draws.

Plug in your practice scores with the TCF Canada score converter, or try the sliders here:

France Éducation international stopped accepting TCF re-marking requests for sessions from September 1, 2026. It's expected to come back around fall 2027.

In practice, the score you receive is the score you keep. If you land on a 9 in speaking, you can't ask for a second look. You would need to retake.

For the full day, from arrival to results, read what to expect on exam day. If you're still building up to NCLC 7, the NCLC 5 to 7 study plan breaks it into weeks.

TCF Canada runs at Alliance Française and Institut français centres worldwide. Some offer only TCF, like AF Delhi and AF Accra. Others, like AF Dubai, run both. In Canada, AF Toronto and AF Vancouver run it too. Seats at busy centres can go in minutes, so check the TCF Canada exam calendar early.