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TCF tout public and TCF Canada

The TCF (Test de connaissance du français) from France Éducation international measures your level of French from A1 to C2. The TCF tout public is used for study, work or personal plans; the TCF Canada is used for economic immigration and citizenship in Canada. This page explains how the two differ and offers free original practice sets.

Practise for the TCF

The papers at a glance

  • TCF tout public, compulsory papersListening (29 questions, 25 minutes), language structures (18 questions, 15 minutes), reading (29 questions, 45 minutes)
  • TCF tout publicWriting and speaking are optional
  • TCF CanadaListening (39 questions, 35 minutes) and reading (39 questions, 60 minutes), with no structures paper
  • TCF CanadaWriting and speaking are compulsory too; 167 minutes for all four papers
  • Writing and speaking3 writing tasks in 60 minutes and 3 speaking tasks in 12 minutes, the same in both versions
  • No pass markThe result gives a CEFR level
  • Each multiple-choice paper is scored from 100 to 699; writing and speaking are marked out of 20
  • Certificate valid for 2 years; you can resit after 20 days
  • Price set by each approved centre

TCF tout public or TCF Canada?

  • The TCF tout public is for people aged 16 or over whose first language is not French. It is recognised by French ministries, by Québec's immigration ministry, by universities and by employers. With the writing paper, it is the official test for the DAP, the pre-admission request for French universities.
  • The TCF Canada is for applications to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): economic immigration and Canadian citizenship. All four papers are compulsory.
  • Both versions use the same kinds of questions. The TCF Canada has more listening and reading questions, more time, and no language-structures paper.
  • For a French residence permit or French citizenship there is a separate version, the TCF IRN, explained in our guide to French for residence and citizenship.

The multiple-choice questions

Each question has four options and one correct answer. Difficulty rises from A1 to C2. In listening, you hear each recording once and the question comes after it. Questions are weighted by difficulty, and a wrong or blank answer scores nothing. On computer, the TCF tout public has 91 questions, a few of which are unscored trial items.

Writing and speaking

  • Writing task 1: a message that describes, tells or explains, 60 to 120 words.
  • Writing task 2: an article, letter or note for several readers, 120 to 150 words.
  • Writing task 3: compare two views from two short documents, then give your opinion, 120 to 180 words.
  • A text that is off topic, missing or outside the word count can be rated "A1 non atteint" (A1 not reached).
  • Speaking: a guided interview with no preparation, an interaction to get information (with preparation time), then giving your point of view.

Scores and levels

  • Listening and reading: B1 from 300 points, B2 from 400, C1 from 500, C2 from 600.
  • Writing and speaking, out of 20: B1 from 6, B2 from 10, C1 from 14, C2 from 18.
  • An overall level is given only if you take every paper in the same session.

TCF Canada: conversion to NCLC

  • IRCC converts TCF Canada results into NCLC levels (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, the French-language equivalent of the CLB) with an official table. A few thresholds:
  • NCLC 5: at least 369 in listening, 375 in reading, 6/20 in speaking and 6/20 in writing.
  • NCLC 7: at least 458 in listening, 453 in reading, 10/20 in speaking and 10/20 in writing.
  • NCLC 9: at least 523 in listening, 524 in reading, 14/20 in speaking and 14/20 in writing.
  • For Express Entry, IRCC requires results less than 2 years old. For Canadian citizenship, IRCC also accepts the TCF Canada at level B1 or higher; check the conditions on the IRCC website.

Results, validity and resits

Results arrive within 15 working days after France Éducation international receives the papers. The certificate is valid for 2 years. You can resit as often as you like, with 20 days between sessions. For sessions from 1 September 2026, requests to re-mark writing and speaking are suspended for about a year.

Registering and fees

You register directly with an approved centre, which sets the dates, the paper or computer format and the price. There is no national fee. For example, the Université de Sherbrooke charges $415 (Canadian dollars) for all four TCF Canada papers (price checked in October 2026).

How to prepare

Our sets follow the TCF tout public format: listening, language structures, reading, and writing and speaking tasks. They also suit the TCF Canada, which uses the same question types and the same tasks. FreeExamPath writes its own exercises and is not affiliated with France Éducation international. Our results are practice scores, not TCF scores or NCLC levels. Do the official examples published by France Éducation international too.

Official information

Questions about the TCF

How long is the TCF?

For the TCF tout public, the three compulsory papers take 25, 15 and 45 minutes; writing (60 minutes) and speaking (12 minutes) are optional. The TCF Canada takes 167 minutes, with all four papers compulsory.

What TCF score do I need?

There is no pass mark: the test shows your level. The score you need depends on your application. For example, IRCC's NCLC 7 needs at least 458 in listening, 453 in reading, 10/20 in speaking and 10/20 in writing.

How much does the TCF cost?

Each approved centre sets its own price. For example, the Université de Sherbrooke charges $415 (Canadian dollars) for the full TCF Canada.

Are these official exercises?

No. They are FreeExamPath's own exercises in the TCF tout public format, useful for the TCF Canada too. They do not give a TCF score. The official examples are on the France Éducation international website.

Official sources (9) · last checked 18 October 2026