TEF Canada: the 2025 format, scoring, and how to prepare
The TEF Canada (Test d’évaluation de français) is one of two French tests IRCC accepts as proof of French for economic immigration and citizenship. Its listening and reading sections changed inSeptember 2025, so a lot of advice online is now out of date. This guide gives you the current format, the scoring, the NCLC conversion, and a strategy for each section — all in original study material.
What changed in September 2025. The listening section dropped from 60 to40 questions and reading from 50 to 40 (the section times did not change). Prep sites also report that the "micro-trottoir" street-interview items now offer 3 answer choices instead of 4 and can be played twice — but the official pages have not yet been updated to confirm that detail, so treat it as likely-but-unconfirmed. Writing and speaking were unchanged.
Who runs it and why it matters
The TEF Canada is administered by CCI Paris Île-de-France. Like the TCF Canada, it is accepted by IRCC, and most Express Entry candidates aim for NCLC 7 to earn French-language points. Unlike some exams, TEF Canada section scores are not compensated across sections — a strong reading score cannot rescue a weak listening one, so you must reach your target level in each skill independently. Results are valid for two years.
The four sections in detail
| Section | Format | Time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compréhension orale Listening | 40 questions | 40 min | 0–699 |
| Compréhension écrite Reading | 40 questions | 60 min | 0–699 |
| Expression écrite Writing | 2 sections | 60 min | 0–699 |
| Expression orale Speaking | 2 sections | 15 min | 0–699 |
Compréhension orale — listening (40 questions, 40 minutes, scored 0–699)
Forty multiple-choice questions built on short audio documents that get progressively harder. The section includes the well-known micro-trottoir items, where the same question is put to several people interviewed in the street and you must identify each person's point of view. As in every serious listening exam, the audio is tightly timed — read the options first, listen for the single deciding detail, and never let one hard item cost you the next two.
Compréhension écrite — reading (40 questions, 60 minutes, scored 0–699)
Forty multiple-choice questions across everyday, administrative, and professional documents, plus sentence-completion and rapid-reading items. The distractors are close, so anchor every answer to a specific line in the text. With 60 minutes for 40 questions you have room to be careful — but not to re-read everything, so learn to scan for the keyword in the question and read intensively only around it.
Expression écrite — writing (2 sections, 60 minutes, scored 0–699)
- Section A (≥80 words, ~25 min): write the continuation of a factual news story (a fait divers). Keep the neutral, informative journalistic register and answer the who/what/where/when the story implies.
- Section B (≥200 words, ~35 min): write a letter that expresses and justifies a point of view, developing real arguments with examples.
Writing is where strong candidates separate themselves. Plan two or three arguments before you write Section B, connect them with proper cohesive devices, and leave two minutes to check agreements and verb endings. TestDayTwin's practice returns an estimated level and criterion feedback so you can see whether task coverage, coherence, vocabulary, or grammar is your limiting factor.
Expression orale — speaking (2 sections, ~15 minutes, scored 0–699)
- Section A (~5 min): obtain information by asking questions in a role-play — for example, calling to enquire about an apartment or a course. The examiner plays the other role; your job is to ask, not to answer.
- Section B (~10 min): present and defend an opinion persuasively — you are trying to convince someone of a product, idea, or position.
Section A trips up candidates who forget that asking clear questions is the skill being tested; prepare question forms until they are automatic. Section B rewards structure and momentum. Our speaking practice tracks your pace, pauses, and French filler words (euh, ben, alors, donc, en fait) so you can smooth out the hesitations that cost fluency marks.
How TEF Canada is scored
Since December 2023 every skill is reported on the same 0–699 scale, mapped to CEFR (A1–C2) and NCLC (1–12) — your attestation states the NCLC level for each skill directly. (Older attestations used per-section scales; if you tested before December 2023, check the date-matched tables on canada.ca.) There is no negative marking on the multiple-choice sections, so never leave an answer blank. Remember that scores are not averaged across sections for immigration: your lowest skill sets your usable level.
TEF Canada → NCLC conversion (IRCC)
Official IRCC equivalency ranges for TEF Canada tests taken on or after 10 December 2023. NCLC 7 — the common Express Entry target — is highlighted.
| NCLC | Listening / 699 | Reading / 699 | Writing / 699 | Speaking / 699 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 546–699 | 546–699 | 558–699 | 556–699 |
| 9 | 503–545 | 503–545 | 512–557 | 518–555 |
| 8 | 462–502 | 462–502 | 472–511 | 494–517 |
| 7 ★ | 434–461 | 434–461 | 428–471 | 456–493 |
| 6 | 393–433 | 393–433 | 379–427 | 422–455 |
| 5 | 352–392 | 352–392 | 330–378 | 387–421 |
| 4 | 306–351 | 306–351 | 268–329 | 328–386 |
IRCC language test equivalency charts (canada.ca), TEF Canada taken after Dec 10, 2023. Verified live 2026-07-05 against two IRCC pages. Always confirm against the live IRCC chart before relying on it for an application.
A simple study plan
- Use the current format. Practise with 40/40 question counts, not the old 60/50 — old material over-trains you on volume you will not face.
- Level up your weakest skill. Because scores are not compensated, an hour on your lowest skill is worth more than another hour on your best.
- Master question forms for Speaking Section A. Being able to ask precise questions quickly is half the section.
- Write to the register. Section A is neutral journalism; Section B is a reasoned opinion letter. Matching the register is part of the mark.
Practise by section
Or sit the full-length mock test →
Compréhension orale · Listening
40 questions · 40 min · 40 multiple-choice questions from short audio documents, progressive difficulty.
Compréhension écrite · Reading
40 questions · 60 min · 40 multiple-choice questions on everyday, administrative and professional documents.
Expression écrite · Writing
2 sections · 60 min · Section A: continue a news story (≥80 words). Section B: an opinion letter (≥200 words).
Expression orale · Speaking
2 sections · 15 min · Section A: ask questions to obtain information. Section B: present and defend an opinion persuasively.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by CCI Paris Île-de-France. TEF is a trademark of its owner, used here for identification only. Scores on this site are practice estimates, not official results.