Practice
TEF Canada and TCF Canada writing practice
Choose a task, read the subject, start typing: the clock starts with your first word, and the counter tells you whether your text is long enough.
Subject
« Les cours de musique ne sont pas indispensables à l’école. » Donnez votre opinion avec des arguments et des exemples.
Time
35:00
| Words | 0 |
| 200 words or more expected · Under the expected length | |
Self-assessment checklist: 0 of 7 points ticked
Our own checklist, inspired by what the tasks ask: it is not the official marking grid. Your text is not sent or saved.
Writing is the test you can practise best on your own, provided you time yourself and count your words. This page gives you every writing task of the TEF Canada and TCF Canada with a subject written by Radif Partners, a timer set to the task, a word counter and a checklist. On the TEF Canada, writing lasts 60 minutes: section A (25 minutes) asks you to continue a news item in at least 80 words, section B (35 minutes) to defend a point of view in at least 200 words. The TCF Canada has 3 tasks in 60 minutes, with ranges of 60 to 120, 120 to 150, 120 to 180 words. NCLC 7 in writing starts at 428 on the TEF scale and at 10 out of 20 on the TCF. The checklist is ours, not the official marking grid, and no software can mark your text the way the examiners do. What you type is neither sent nor saved: copy it before closing the page if you want to keep it or show it to a teacher.
Charts, converters and questions by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How charts and questions are built
The writing tasks side by side
| Test and task | What you write | Time | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEF Canada, section A | the rest of a news item | 25 min | 80 words or more |
| TEF Canada, section B | a point of view with arguments | 35 min | 200 words or more |
| TCF Canada, task 1 | a short message | 60 min for the three tasks | 60 to 120 words |
| TCF Canada, task 2 | an article or account | shared | 120 to 150 words |
| TCF Canada, task 3 | two views compared, then yours | shared | 120 to 180 words |
The coach also offers the two writing tasks of the TEF IRN, the CCI's test for French administrative procedures; the TEF IRN page explains what it is used for. The CCI presentation and the TCF manual are the sources of every figure above.
How the writing coach works
Pick a task in the list. A subject appears, written by Radif Partners in the style of the task; "Another subject" gives a new one. The timer starts on your first keystroke, or with "Start", and counts down from the time of the task. While you type, the panel shows the number of words and says whether you are under the expected length, inside it, or past the upper limit for the TCF tasks. Under the text, a checklist of seven points helps you reread: does the text answer the task, is it organised, is the register right for the reader, are verbs and agreements under control? Ticking is for you only. Spell-check is switched off in the text box, so no underlining helps you along.
Length is a floor, not a target
On the TEF, the figures are minimums. Writing exactly 200 words in section B leaves no margin if the examiner counts differently from you, so aim a little above. On the TCF, the instructions give a range, and the upper bound matters as much as the lower one. Our suggestion for both tests: plan first, in a few lines, then write, and keep the last minutes to reread verbs and agreements. In our view, a clean and well-built text is a better use of the time than extra length.
Marking and the NCLC you need
The CCI states that TEF writing is marked by two examiners; the result is a score that IRCC reads on its writing chart, where NCLC 7 starts at 428. The TCF gives a mark out of 20, and IRCC places NCLC 7 at 10. The sources we rely on contain no marking grid a candidate could apply alone, which is why our checklist is labelled as our own. If writing is your weakest skill, it alone decides eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker program and the French-language category, both of which ask NCLC 7 in every skill.
A writing routine (our suggestion)
Write one timed task several times a week, alternating the two TEF sections or the three TCF tasks. After each text, tick the checklist honestly, then rewrite the weakest paragraph without the timer. Keep a list of your recurring errors and check it before the next attempt. Before the exam, take the full writing time in one sitting at least once, so the hour does not surprise you. Your text is not stored by the site: paste it into a document of your own if you want to track progress. For the oral tasks, the speaking practice uses the same timer.