This page walks through TCF Canada end to end: who needs it, what each of the four sections asks of you, how the scoring works, the rules around registering and retaking, and exactly how much French is worth in Canadian immigration. Each section links to a deeper page if you want to go further.
Who needs TCF Canada
There are several versions of the TCF, and the wrong one won't be accepted. TCF Canada is the one IRCC and Quebec use for immigration and citizenship.
Express Entry
Federal skilled worker programs use it as proof of French. Your four scores are used separately, and strong French earns a substantial bonus on top — the exact figures are in the immigration section below.
Quebec immigration
Quebec's skilled worker programs and the PEQ accept TCF Canada as proof of French. Quebec uses its own conversion table, which does not match the federal NCLC scale — don't apply one to the other.
Canadian citizenship
Citizenship applicants aged 18 to 54 must prove they can speak and listen in English or French, and TCF Canada is one of the accepted ways. The level required is lower than for Express Entry.
Provincial Nominee Programs
Several provincial programs accept TCF Canada results, and some run streams aimed specifically at French-speaking applicants. Requirements differ by province — check the list published by the one you're targeting.
What TCF Canada is
TCF Canada is written and administered by France Éducation international. It is the version of the TCF built specifically for Canadian immigration and citizenship, and it assesses all four skills in one sitting — listening, reading, speaking and writing. That is the main thing separating it from the other TCF versions.
The test runs at authorised centres worldwide. The four sections form a single unit: you sit them together, and you cannot retake just one of them.
Exam structure: four sections, 2 hours 47 minutes
Listening and reading are multiple-choice sections taken on a computer; speaking and writing are marked by an examiner. The four run back to back, about 2 hours 47 minutes in total.
Listening (Compréhension orale — CO)
39 multiple-choice questions, 35 minutes. Items climb steadily from simple everyday exchanges to lectures and debates. Each recording plays once and once only — the part most people find hardest to adjust to on a first attempt.
Reading (Compréhension écrite — CE)
39 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes. The texts range widely: notices, adverts, emails, news, reviews, and on to long academic or literary passages. The time pressure comes mostly from the longer texts near the end.
Speaking (Expression orale — EO)
3 tasks, 12 minutes including 2 minutes of preparation, conducted face to face with an examiner. Task 1 is a guided interview, Task 2 asks you to obtain information by questioning the examiner, and Task 3 asks you to argue a position on a topic.
- Tache 1 (2 minutes): entretien dirigé — the examiner asks about your personal situation
- Tache 2 (3.5 minutes): situational interaction — you ask the examiner questions to get information or solve a problem
- Tache 3 (4.5 minutes): expression d'un point de vue — express your opinion on a topic and discuss it with the examiner
Writing (Expression écrite — EE)
3 tasks, 60 minutes. Task 1 is a short message or email (60–120 words), Task 2 an article or letter around a given situation (120–150 words), and Task 3 a comparative analysis drawing on two source texts (120–180 words).
How the scoring works
The four sections do not share one scale. Listening and reading are each scored from 0 to 699; speaking and writing are each marked out of 20. All four are then converted to a CEFR level, running from “below A1” up to C2.
Your certificate shows four separate results. There is no total and no average. Programs generally require every ability to clear the bar, so your weakest section decides whether you qualify — while CRS points are calculated per ability and then added up. Fixing a weak section and pushing a strong one higher are different jobs; which comes first depends on where you're stuck.
CEFR, NCLC and CLB
NCLC is the French counterpart of the CLB scale, numbered identically — NCLC 7 is CLB 7. Your CEFR level converts to NCLC through IRCC's official table. The threshold most Express Entry candidates aim for is NCLC 7 across all four abilities. For the exact score bands behind each level, see the score chart.
TCF Canada Score Chart (CLB / NCLC) →
Registering, retaking, and how long results last
You can only register through a test centre authorised by France Éducation international. Registration, fees and available dates are set by each centre and vary a great deal between cities — always go by what your chosen centre publishes.
- Create an account: on the TCF Canada official website
- Find a test center: locate authorized centers in your city (mainland China, Canada, France, etc. all have centers)
- Book your exam: through the test center; fees vary by region (usually around 300-400 CAD)
- Take the exam: listening and reading are computer-based; speaking is face-to-face or video with an examiner; writing can be handwritten or typed depending on the center
- Get results: usually within 4 weeks, viewable online
30 days between attempts
There is no cap on how many times you can sit the exam, but you must wait 30 days between attempts. Build that into your planning — when your application has a deadline, this rule is what determines how many attempts you actually have left.
When results arrive
Turnaround is set by the centre and differs from place to place. Ask when you register, then work your application timeline backwards from that.
How long results stay valid
IRCC accepts language results less than two years old. What matters is that they are still valid on the day you submit — not the day you received them. If your paperwork takes a while to assemble, that distinction can cost you the application.
Seats
In busy cities, seats often fill the moment they open. HiTCF's seat monitor watches the centres and emails you as soon as one frees up.
What French is worth in Canadian immigration
French is one of the highest-return investments available in Canadian immigration. On top of the points the language itself earns, Express Entry sets aside a separate bonus for French.
CRS bonus: 25 or 50 points
Reach NCLC 7 or above in all four French abilities and you earn additional points: 25 if your English is CLB 4 or below (or you didn't take an English test), and 50 if your English is CLB 5 or above across all four abilities. These sit on top of your core language points — so the bilingual candidate takes the most.
French-language category draws
Express Entry runs category-based rounds aimed specifically at French-speaking candidates, with the same NCLC 7 threshold across all four abilities. They are issued as their own rounds, so you aren't competing against the entire pool on one cut-off.
How to prepare for each section
The four sections fail you in different ways, so they shouldn't be practised the same way. Here's what matters in each — follow the link for the full treatment.
Listening
The recording plays once, so what you're really training isn't catching every word — it's landing on the thing the question asks for, first time. Working the same passage repeatedly against a transcript beats churning through new items.
TCF Listening Preparation Guide →
Reading
39 questions in 60 minutes: time is the real opponent. Text length swings from a few lines of notice to a full review, so learn to recognise the question type and locate the information first, then work on speed.
TCF Reading Preparation Guide →
Speaking
Each task has a fixed shape, and the phrasing for Task 2's questions and Task 3's argument can be prepared in advance. What stalls people in the room is usually not missing vocabulary but having no structure to fall back on.
TCF Speaking Preparation Guide →
Writing
Marking weighs task completion, structure and linguistic accuracy, and you need all three. Falling short of the word count costs you directly; going well over earns you nothing.
TCF Writing Preparation Guide →
Frequently asked questions
How is TCF Canada different from the regular TCF?
The general TCF (tout public) assesses French proficiency broadly. TCF Canada is the version built for Canadian immigration and citizenship, covering all four skills in one sitting. Only TCF Canada results can be used in an IRCC application.
How soon can I retake it?
You must wait 30 days between attempts. There is no limit on the total number of attempts.
Can I sit the sections separately?
No. The four sections form a single indivisible exam and must be taken together. Improving one of them means sitting the whole thing again.
How long are results valid?
IRCC accepts results less than two years old, and they must still be valid on the day you submit your application.
Is the speaking test with a real examiner or an AI?
TCF Canada speaking is conducted face to face with an examiner. It runs 12 minutes, including 2 minutes of preparation.
What score does Express Entry require?
The usual target is NCLC 7 across all four abilities. For the TCF Canada score bands behind that, see the score chart.
Start practicing
HiTCF offers 7,800+ TCF Canada practice questions with sentence-level audio replay, AI speaking and writing feedback, and detailed analytics to track your progress toward CLB 7+.