Scores and levels
TCF Canada: the four tests, minute by minute
The TCF Canada is France Éducation international’s version of the TCF for Canadian immigration. Here is what each test asks and how long you get.
Express Entry language points
93
| First official language | 68 |
| Second official language | 0 |
| French bonus | 25 |
Level per skill
| TCF Canada | Reading: NCLC 7Writing: NCLC 7Listening: NCLC 7Speaking: NCLC 7 |
Language minimum met?
- Federal Skilled Worker (CLB 7 all four)Met
- Canadian Experience Class, TEER 0 or 1 job (CLB 7)Met
- Canadian Experience Class, TEER 2 or 3 job (CLB 5)Met
- Federal Skilled Trades (5 speaking/listening, 4 reading/writing)Met
- Express Entry French-language category (NCLC 7 all four)Met
- Citizenship, ages 18 to 54 (CLB 4 listening and speaking)Met
Points from language only: age, education, work experience and the rest of the CRS are not counted here. Charts and points read on canada.ca.
The TCF Canada is the version of the Test de connaissance du français that France Éducation international runs for Canadian immigration, and IRCC accepts it for Express Entry and citizenship. According to the candidate manual (version J, September 2024), the four tests are all compulsory and last 2 h 47 in total: listening (39 questions, 35 minutes), reading (39 questions, 60 minutes), writing (3 tasks in 60 minutes) and speaking (3 tasks in 12 minutes). Each comprehension question offers 4 choices with one right answer, difficulty rises as you go, and recordings are played only once. Comprehension is scored from 100 to 699 and expression is marked out of 20. Results come within 10 working days on computer or 15 on paper, the report is valid 2 years, and 30 days must pass between two sittings. Each skill then converts to an NCLC level.
Charts, converters and questions by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How charts and questions are built
The format, test by test
France Éducation international describes the TCF Canada in its candidate manual. The four tests are compulsory and run in this order of size:
| Test | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 39 questions, 4 choices each, recordings played once | 35 min |
| Reading | 39 questions, 4 choices each | 60 min |
| Writing | Task 1: 60–120 words. Task 2: 120–150 words. Task 3: 120–180 words | 60 min |
| Speaking | Guided interview (2 min), interaction with 2 min of preparation (3.5 min), point of view (4.5 min) | 12 min |
The total is 167 minutes of testing. In reading, that leaves 92 seconds per question on average; the timer beside this article recalculates it once you set aside a few minutes for checking.
How the questions behave
Every multiple-choice question has 4 options and exactly one correct answer. The manual says difficulty increases through the test, which means the last questions are worth the time you saved on the first ones. In listening, nothing is replayed: you hear each document once and answer. This is the main habit to build, and the TCF Canada mock sections reproduce the count of questions and the time limit, then give a raw result and an approximate indication of our own, never an official score.
Marking: two scales on one report
The comprehension tests are scored from 100 to 699. Writing and speaking receive a mark out of 20. IRCC converts each of the four to an NCLC level with its own chart, which is set out on the TCF Canada score page. In practice, NCLC 7 asks 453 in reading, 458 in listening and 10 out of 20 in each expression test.
Registration, fee and versions
The TCF exists in several versions (TCF TP, TCF IRN, TCF Québec and TCF Canada), so check that your booking says TCF Canada before you pay. Registration goes through approved centres, listed on the France Éducation international TCF Canada page. Each centre sets its own price. As a dated example, the Université de Sherbrooke language centre listed $415 when we read its page on October 26, 2026. This site is independent and takes no registrations.
Results, validity and the gap between sittings
The manual announces results within 10 working days for a computer sitting and 15 for a paper one. The report is valid for 2 years, matching IRCC's requirement that Express Entry results be under 2 years old at profile creation and at the permanent residence application. If you want to try again, 30 days must separate the two sittings; the results and retake page counts the days for you.
TCF Canada or TEF Canada?
For IRCC both tests are equal. The TCF Canada has three writing tasks with word ranges, three short speaking tasks and a 30-day gap; the TEF Canada has two longer tasks in each expression test and a 20-day rule per test. The TCF or TEF comparison weighs those differences.