Two French tests satisfy Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and they share almost nothing structurally: different owners, different clocks and two numbering systems that look alike and are not. This page leads with the part that decides your application - the IRCC tables that turn either test's scores into NCLC levels, ability by ability - then walks TEF Canada paper by paper, and is explicit about what could not be sourced for TCF Canada. If you want the arithmetic done for you, the free NCLC calculator reproduces IRCC's tables; if you want structured practice against the format, the Myndaq TEF and TCF Canada course drills all four abilities.
The short version
- TEF Canada is run by Le français des affaires: Reading 40 questions in 1 hour, Listening 40 questions in 40 minutes, Written Expression 2 sections in 1 hour, Oral Expression 2 sections in 15 minutes. All four must fall on the same day.
- TCF Canada is run by France Éducation international and is reported on the same four abilities. Its item counts and timings are France Éducation international's to publish, and its site was unreachable on our verification date, so this page states none of them.
- The scales differ. TEF reports each test on a 0 to 699 scale. On IRCC's TCF table, listening and reading are numbers running up to 699 while writing and speaking are marks out of 20.
- Neither test has a pass mark. IRCC's equivalency table converts each ability to an NCLC level, and your programme sets the level you need.
TEF Canada, section by section
Le français des affaires publishes the immigration package as four tests taken in one sitting. Its instruction is blunt: "All tests must be taken on the same day for your certificate to be recognized by the Canadian authorities."
- Compréhension écrite (reading) - 40 multiple-choice questions, 4 options each, 1 hour.
- Compréhension orale (listening) - 40 multiple-choice questions, 40 minutes. The questions run in sequence and you cannot go back.
- Expression écrite (writing) - 1 hour, split into two timed sections.
- Expression orale (speaking) - 15 minutes, split into two sections, with an interlocutor.
The two writing sections
The hour is not yours to divide. Le français des affaires allocates it:
- Section A, 25 minutes - write the continuation of an article, 80 words minimum.
- Section B, 35 minutes - express and justify a point of view, 200 words minimum.
The word counts are floors, not targets, and Section B gets ten minutes more because it carries the argued position. Practising a single 60-minute essay is the wrong rehearsal.
The two speaking sections
- Section A, 5 minutes - obtaining information. You are the one asking.
- Section B, 10 minutes - expressing an argument to convince.
Section A inverts the usual oral-exam instinct: the candidate who waits to be interviewed has already lost the task.
How the multiple-choice tests are marked
The provider's rule for both comprehension tests is "Correct answer = +1 point / Wrong answer / No answer = 0 points". Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so leaving a box empty is strictly worse than choosing. The raw count is then converted to the calibrated score printed on your certificate.
The shorter citizenship pairing
For a citizenship application, Le français des affaires lists only two TEF Canada tests: listening and oral expression. Its page states that CLB level 4 is required for those two. Which evidence a citizenship applicant actually has to file is IRCC's decision, not the test provider's, so check the current citizenship page before you book a two-test sitting.
TCF Canada: what this page will and will not tell you
TCF Canada is the version of the Test de connaissance du français built for Canadian procedures, and IRCC accepts it alongside TEF Canada. Like TEF Canada it is reported on four abilities - listening, reading, writing and speaking - because IRCC's equivalency table carries a column for each.
Beyond that, this page stops. France Éducation international publishes TCF Canada's item counts, timings and total sitting length, and its site refused our requests on the verification date with an automated-traffic block. Repeating numbers from preparation sites that cannot be traced back to the test owner is how wrong figures spread, so none are printed here. Ask your approved centre for the structure of the session in writing, or read it on france-education-international.fr yourself.
One caution does survive that gap. The TCF exists in several versions built for different procedures, and only the one named for Canada answers a Canadian immigration application. Confirm by name which version your centre has booked, rather than assuming the centre knows which procedure you are in.
Two score scales that look alike
This is where candidates lose points they actually earned.
TEF Canada. The certificate shows a score for each test "on a scale ranging from 0 to 699 points", alongside the CEFR level, the CLB level and an "Old score equivalence" column. No paper certificate is issued; the results arrive as a link to an online digital safe.
TCF Canada. IRCC's own table reads the two comprehension tests as numbers running up to 699, and writing and speaking as marks out of 20 - two different units on one certificate. The exact floor of the comprehension scale is France Éducation international's to publish, and we could not reach it to confirm one.
So a "14" is meaningless on its own. On a TCF certificate it is a production mark equal to NCLC 9; on a TEF certificate no ability is ever reported as 14. Always carry the ability name with the number.
From your score to an NCLC level
IRCC publishes one equivalency table per test. Each ability converts independently, so your usable level is the lowest of the four, not an average.
TEF Canada to NCLC
Each line reads speaking, listening, reading, then writing.
- NCLC 10 - 393-450 · 316-360 · 263-300 · 393-450
- NCLC 9 - 371-392 · 298-315 · 248-262 · 371-392
- NCLC 8 - 349-370 · 280-297 · 233-247 · 349-370
- NCLC 7 - 310-348 · 249-279 · 207-232 · 310-348
- NCLC 6 - 271-309 · 217-248 · 181-206 · 271-309
- NCLC 5 - 226-270 · 181-216 · 151-180 · 226-270
- NCLC 4 - 181-225 · 145-180 · 121-150 · 181-225
Notice how uneven the bands are across abilities. NCLC 7 needs 310 in speaking but only 207 in reading. These are not the "Score / 699" figures printed on your certificate: they are the values in the "Équivalence ancien score" column, whose ceiling differs from one ability to the next. That is exactly why transposing a column is such an expensive mistake.
TCF Canada to NCLC
Same order: speaking, listening, reading, writing.
- NCLC 10+ - 16-20 · 549-699 · 549-699 · 16-20
- NCLC 9 - 14-15 · 523-548 · 524-548 · 14-15
- NCLC 8 - 12-13 · 503-522 · 499-523 · 12-13
- NCLC 7 - 10-11 · 458-502 · 453-498 · 10-11
- NCLC 6 - 7-9 · 398-457 · 406-452 · 7-9
- NCLC 5 - 6 · 369-397 · 375-405 · 6
- NCLC 4 - 4-5 · 331-368 · 342-374 · 4-5
Two details worth pinning. NCLC 5 in speaking or writing is a single value, 6, so one mark decides between NCLC 4 and NCLC 5. And listening and reading do not share cut-offs: 500 is NCLC 7 in listening and NCLC 8 in reading.
The column trap on a TEF certificate
IRCC's instruction for TEF Canada is to enter the values from the Équivalence ancien score (previous score equivalency) column, and only those. The certificate's Score / 699 column is not what the Express Entry form expects, and Le français des affaires repeats the same instruction on its results page. Entering the wrong column produces the wrong NCLC on your profile.
IRCC also flags TEF Canada tests taken between 11 December 2023 and 6 May 2024, when scoring was temporarily modified: affected candidates were notified and told to update their profile with corrected scores.
The level your programme actually asks for
There is no pass mark. There is a threshold that belongs to the programme, and IRCC's minimums are per ability:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program - NCLC 7 in all four abilities for the first official language; NCLC 5 in all four for the second official language.
- Canadian Experience Class - NCLC 7 for TEER 0 or 1 jobs, NCLC 5 for TEER 2 or 3 jobs.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program - NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, NCLC 4 in reading and writing.
Meeting the minimum makes you eligible; it does not rank you. Points climb with the level, which is why the gap between NCLC 7 and NCLC 9 is where most preparation time is best spent.
Quick answers
How long is the TEF Canada exam?
The four immigration tests are 1 hour reading, 40 minutes listening, 1 hour writing and 15 minutes speaking, and they must all be taken on the same day.
How long is the TCF Canada exam?
France Éducation international publishes the timings, and its pages were unreachable when this article was verified, so no figure is stated here. Ask your approved centre, or read them on france-education-international.fr.
Is there a penalty for a wrong answer?
No. On TEF Canada's multiple-choice tests a correct answer scores +1 and a wrong or blank answer scores 0, so an unanswered question can never beat a guess.
Do TEF and TCF use the same score scale?
No. TEF reports every test on a 0 to 699 scale. On IRCC's TCF table, listening and reading are numbers running up to 699 while writing and speaking are marks out of 20, so the same figure means different things on the two certificates.
What is the minimum score to pass?
Neither test publishes one. Each ability is converted to an NCLC level, and your immigration programme sets the level required - NCLC 7 in all four abilities for the Federal Skilled Worker Program as a first official language.
Which TEF column do I type into Express Entry?
The "Équivalence ancien score" column, not the "Score / 699" column. Both IRCC and Le français des affaires say so explicitly.
