Guide · Exam format

TCF Canada format explained, part by part

Updated October 30, 2026 · 6 min read

The TCF Canada has four compulsory parts: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Together they take 2 hours 47 minutes. Knowing exactly what each part asks of you is the easiest way to stop losing points to the clock.

Short answerListening is 39 questions in 35 minutes. Reading is 39 questions in 60 minutes. Both are multiple choice and scored out of 699. Writing is three tasks in 60 minutes, and speaking is three tasks in 12 minutes with an examiner. Both are scored out of 20. For NCLC 7 you need roughly a B2 level in all four. Results are valid for two years.

The four parts at a glance

Part	What you do	Time	Scored out of
Listening (compréhension orale)	39 multiple-choice questions, 4 options, one correct	35 min	699
Reading (compréhension écrite)	39 multiple-choice questions, one correct answer	60 min	699
Writing (expression écrite)	3 tasks	60 min	20
Speaking (expression orale)	3 tasks, one to one with an examiner	12 min	20

Formats from Alliance Française de Philadelphie, Alliance Française Ottawa and the University of Victoria. Scales from the IRCC equivalency charts.

Listening and reading

Both parts are 39 multiple-choice questions. In listening you hear short recordings and pick one of four answers. In reading you work through written texts at your own pace within 60 minutes.

How the questions get harder

The questions are arranged in order of difficulty, starting at A1 and finishing at C2. The first few are short, everyday items like a sign, a notice or a simple message. The last ones use longer, more abstract texts and expect you to follow an argument or catch an implied meaning. Harder questions carry more weight, which is why the second half of each part matters so much for an NCLC 7 score.

For listening, this has a practical side: you can't scroll back. Stay focused right to the end, because the questions that decide whether you reach B2 come late.

How the 699 scale works

Your listening and reading scores each land between 100 and 699. The scale maps onto the six levels of the Common European Framework (CEFR):

Level	Score range
A1	100–199
A2	200–299
B1	300–399
B2	400–499
C1	500–599
C2	600–699

CEFR bands from Alliance Française de Melbourne. IRCC converts the score to NCLC using its own table, shown below.

Writing: three tasks in 60 minutes

You write three pieces, and each one asks a bit more of you than the last. The 60 minutes cover all three, so you decide how to split your time.

Task 1 (60 to 120 words): a message to describe, explain or tell something to a named person or group. Think of a note to a neighbour or a reply to a friend's invitation.
Task 2 (120 to 150 words): a short report or account written for several readers, backed up with your comments or arguments. For example, a post on a community forum about a local event.
Task 3 (120 to 180 words): you read two short documents with opposite views on a topic, then write a text that compares them and gives your own opinion.

Stay inside the word ranges. One way to split it is about 10 minutes on task 1, 20 on task 2 and 25 on task 3, keeping a few minutes to reread for agreement and verb endings.

Speaking: three tasks in 12 minutes

Speaking is a face-to-face interview with one examiner. The 12 minutes include 2 minutes of preparation.

Task 1 (2 minutes, no preparation): a guided interview about yourself, such as your work, studies, family or interests.
Task 2 (5 minutes 30, including 2 minutes of preparation): a role-play in an everyday situation where you ask the questions to get information. For example, calling a sports club to find out about classes and prices.
Task 3 (4 minutes 30, no preparation): the examiner asks a question and you give and defend your point of view on the spot.

Task 2 rewards variety: mix question forms (est-ce que, inversion, question words) rather than repeating the same one. In task 3, a clear structure with an opinion, two reasons and an example goes a long way.

How TCF Canada scores convert to NCLC

IRCC converts each of your four scores to an NCLC level separately. For the extra French points in Express Entry you need NCLC 7 in all four skills, not on average. This is the NCLC 7 row from IRCC's chart:

NCLC	Reading	Writing	Listening	Speaking
7	453–498	10–11	458–502	10–11

Source: IRCC language test equivalency charts. To convert any score, use our free NCLC converter. To see what those levels are worth, read CRS points for French at NCLC 7.

Weighing up the TEF Canada instead? Our TCF vs TEF comparison covers the differences.

Practical tips for test day

Bring your ID and convocation. Some centres, such as Alliance Française Ottawa, refuse entry without a valid passport and a printed convocation, with no exceptions.
Arrive early. Late candidates are not admitted once the test starts.
Ask whether it's on paper or computer. This varies by centre. Ottawa runs listening, reading and writing on computer, while Philadelphia and Victoria use paper. Practise in the same mode.
Expect waiting time. The test can take a half or full day depending on the number of candidates, and there is often a wait between parts.
Report problems on the day. See the 2026 change below.

Results, validity and retakes

Results usually arrive by email within two to four weeks, depending on the centre. They are valid for two years. IRCC says your results must be less than two years old both when you create your Express Entry profile and when you submit your application.

Alliance Française du Manitoba states you can retake the test as often as you like, with 30 days between attempts. Check your own centre's rules when you book.

Anything new in 2025 and 2026?

We found no change to the format itself: question counts, tasks and timings are the same as above. Two things are worth knowing:

In September 2025, France Éducation international announced that its partnership with IRCC had been renewed, with the TCF Canada continuing for five years.
Some test centres have announced changes for 2026–2027 sessions to how re-marking requests for writing and speaking, and complaints about exam conditions, are handled. Ask your centre about its current rules before test day, and raise any problem with the exam conditions on the day itself.

Rules like these can change, so check with France Éducation international or your test centre before you book.

Practise in the real format. Francora's timed mock exams follow the TCF Canada structure, and the speaking and writing practice is corrected by AI. A study plan works back from your test date, and your first chapters are free. If you're starting from scratch, see how long zero to NCLC 7 takes.

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Sources

Francora is an independent course, not affiliated with France Éducation international, the Alliance Française network or IRCC. This guide is general information, not immigration advice.