The mistakes that cost the most points in TEF and TCF Canada writing are not rare grammar. They are missing part of the task, writing outside the word range, mixing tu and vous, and a run of small errors: agreements, past participles, accents, anglicisms and faux amis. Most of them can be caught in a five-minute check at the end, if you know what to look for.
Key takeaways
- Task first: answer every point, in the right genre, inside the word range.
- Pick tu or vous from the reader and never switch.
- Check agreements, être + past participle, and the subjunctive after il faut que and bien que.
- Accents and homophones (a/à, ou/où, et/est) are spelling, and spelling is marked.
- Translate ideas, not words: anglicisms and faux amis make correct-looking French wrong.
On this page
Most writing points are lost in two places: not doing what the task asked and a steady drip of small errors. The first is a planning problem. The second is a checking problem. Both are fixable, and spelling is one of the criteria the TEF markers list, along with vocabulary, syntax and whether the text fits the situation.
Below are 18 mistakes we see again and again, grouped by type, each with a wrong and a right version. For the tasks themselves, see the TCF Canada writing tasks and TEF Canada writing and speaking guides.
- 18
- Common mistakes covered, with fixes
- 5 min
- The final check that catches most of them
- 10/20 · 310
- Writing minimum for NCLC 7 (TCF · TEF)
Mistakes 1–5: the task itself
#These cost the most, because no amount of good grammar makes up for a task that isn't done.
| # | Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missing a point the task asks for. The task says invite, give the date and suggest an activity; you forget the activity. | Underline every verb in the instructions before you write. Tick each one off at the end. |
| 2 | Writing outside the word range. TEF has minimums (80 for Section A, 200 for Section B). TCF has ranges (60–120, 120–150, 120–180). | Know what 100 words looks like in your writing. Aim for the middle of each TCF range and just past the TEF minimum. |
| 3 | Giving your opinion in TEF Section A. It's the continuation of a news article. | Stay factual and in the third person. Keep opinions for Section B. |
| 4 | Skipping the comparison in TCF Task 3. | Present both documents' views first, then give yours. |
| 5 | Copying sentences from the prompt or the documents. | Rephrase. Copied text doesn't show your French and wastes words. |
Mistakes 6–8: register and format
#| # | Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Salut Paul, … N'hésitez pas à me répondre. | Salut Paul, … N'hésite pas à me répondre. | Mixing tu and vous in one text. Pick from the reader and stay with it |
| 7 | J'sais pas si c'est une bonne idée. Y a plein de gens qui… | Je ne sais pas si c'est une bonne idée. Beaucoup de gens… | Spoken French in writing: dropped ne, j'sais, y a, du coup, ouais |
| 8 | Salut Monsieur, … Bisous | Madame, Monsieur, … Cordialement | Opening and closing must match the reader. A newspaper or a company gets a formal letter |
For formal openings and closings, the French formal letter phrases sheet has the standard formulas on one page.
Mistake 8 is easy to avoid once you know the formulas. The French formal letter guide lists the right opening and closing for a landlord, a company, a mayor or a newspaper.
Mistakes 9–14: grammar
#| # | Wrong | Right | The rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | des idées intéressant, une ville très beau | des idées intéressantes, une ville très belle | Adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number |
| 10 | Ma sœur est allé à Montréal. | Ma sœur est allée à Montréal. | With être, the past participle agrees with the subject |
| 11 | Hier, il a fait beau et j'étais allé au parc. | Hier, il faisait beau et je suis allé au parc. | Imparfait for background, passé composé for the action. Plus-que-parfait only for an earlier past |
| 12 | Il faut que les jeunes sont plus prudents. | Il faut que les jeunes soient plus prudents. | Il faut que, bien que, pour que take the subjunctive |
| 13 | Si j'aurais le temps, je viendrais. | Si j'avais le temps, je viendrais. | Never the conditional right after si. Si + imparfait, then conditionnel |
| 14 | Je vis au France. Ça dépend sur le prix. | Je vis en France. Ça dépend du prix. | Prepositions don't translate word for word: en France, au Canada, dépendre de |
Mistakes 15–16: spelling and accents
#| # | Wrong | Right | The rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Il a mal a la tête. Ou est la gare ? Il et content. | Il a mal à la tête. Où est la gare ? Il est content. | Homophones: a (verb) / à (preposition), ou (or) / où (where), et (and) / est (is), ces / ses, son / sont |
| 16 | Lundi, j'ai parlé Français à l'ecole. | Lundi, j'ai parlé français à l'école. | Days, months and languages take no capital in French. Accents are part of the spelling |
If your session is on a computer, practise typing accents before the exam. The French accents chart shows each accent and when it's used.
Mistakes 17–18: anglicisms and faux amis
#These are the hardest to see, because each word is real French. The sentence is wrong because it's built from English.
| Wrong | Right | English behind it |
|---|---|---|
| J'ai appliqué pour un emploi. | J'ai postulé à un emploi. / J'ai posé ma candidature. | apply for |
| Je suis excité de commencer. | J'ai hâte de commencer. | excited (excité has a different, stronger sense in France) |
| Ça fait du sens. | Ça a du sens. / C'est logique. | it makes sense (you'll hear it in Québec, but it's best avoided in an exam) |
| Je vais prendre une décision demain et retourner vers vous. | Je prendrai une décision demain et je vous recontacterai. | get back to you |
| Il est dans ses vingtaines. | Il a une vingtaine d'années. | in his twenties |
| French word | Actually means | For the English meaning, use |
|---|---|---|
| actuellement | currently | en fait (actually) |
| éventuellement | possibly | finalement (eventually) |
| une librairie | a bookshop | une bibliothèque (library) |
| assister à | to attend | aider (to assist) |
| sensible | sensitive | raisonnable, sensé (sensible) |
| une location | a rental | un endroit, un lieu (location) |
| formidable | great, wonderful | redoutable (formidable) |
Speaking has its own list. See the speaking mistakes that cost points for the spoken versions of these errors, and for the ones only speaking has.
What does a text with these mistakes look like?
#Here's a short TCF Task 1 answer with eight of the mistakes above, then the corrected version. Try to find them before you read the fix.
Salut Léa,
Je t'écris pour te dire que je suis arrivé au Canada la semaine dernière ! Ma femme est allé chercher un appartement et nous avons trouvé un endroit près d'une grande librairie, donc je peux emprunter des livres gratuitement. Les voisins sont très gentil. C'est un peu petit, mais ça fait du sens pour commencer. Éventuellement, nous voulons acheter une maison. Si tu aurais le temps, viens nous voir en Décembre. N'hésitez pas à m'appeler.
Bises, Amir
Salut Léa,
Je t'écris pour te dire que je suis arrivé au Canada la semaine dernière ! Ma femme est allée chercher un appartement et nous avons trouvé un endroit près d'une grande bibliothèque, donc je peux emprunter des livres gratuitement. Les voisins sont très gentils. C'est un peu petit, mais c'est logique pour commencer. Plus tard, nous voulons acheter une maison. Si tu as le temps, viens nous voir en décembre. N'hésite pas à m'appeler.
Bises, Amir
- Myth
A few small errors won't matter if my ideas are good.
FactThe TEF markers list spelling, vocabulary and syntax as criteria alongside content. One error rarely decides a level, but a steady stream of them pulls your text down.
- Myth
Longer is always better.
FactWord ranges are part of the task. Going far past the maximum in TCF eats time you need elsewhere, and every extra sentence is another chance to make an error.
- Myth
Rare vocabulary impresses the markers.
FactPrecise, correct vocabulary does. A rare word used wrongly costs you more than a simple word used well.
- Myth
I can fix my mistakes if I just reread the whole text.
FactRereading for meaning hides errors. Check one thing at a time: verbs, then agreements, then accents, then register.
For complete texts with none of these mistakes, read the 10 model answers for TCF Canada writing, each one inside its word range.
What should your final five minutes look like?
#Keep five minutes at the end of the writing test. Don't reread for meaning. Run this list, one pass per line.
Need a topic? Our TEF and TCF writing prompts are sorted by task and theme. Practise the check under real time pressure in the timer below, then compare your text with the French connectors guide to make sure the structure is as clear as the grammar. For complete TEF texts to compare with, read our sample answers for TEF writing. The free French grammar guide PDF covers the rules behind mistakes 9 to 14.
Not sure how far you are from NCLC 7 in writing? Convert a practice score with the TCF Canada score converter or the TEF Canada score converter, and see what each level is worth in the CRS points guide.
Questions people ask
Not doing the whole task: missing a point the instructions ask for, skipping the comparison in TCF Task 3, or giving an opinion in TEF Section A. Grammar matters, but an incomplete task costs more.
Yes. Le français des affaires lists spelling among the criteria for the writing test, together with vocabulary and syntax. Accents are part of French spelling.
200 words is the minimum the task sets. Falling short means you haven't fully done what was asked, which affects your mark. Aim to be a little past the minimum, with time left to check.
Standard French that any francophone reader understands is the safest choice. Some expressions common in Québec, like ça fait du sens, are criticised as anglicisms, so use the standard form in the exam.
Yes, when the reader is a friend or family member, as in many Task 1 messages. Use vous for a landlord, a company, a newspaper or several readers, and never mix the two in one text.
Keep a list of your own errors from every practice text. Before each new practice, read the list. In the exam, your final check looks for exactly those mistakes.
Terms in this guide
Each one is defined in plain English in the TEF & TCF Canada glossary.
Sources
- Le français des affaires: TEF writing sample topics and marking criteria (PDF)
- France Éducation international: TCF Canada
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