MapleSpeakTCF Canada format#
| Part | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 39 multiple-choice questions; each recording plays once | 35 min |
| Reading | 39 multiple-choice questions | 60 min |
| Writing | 3 tasks: a message (60–120 words), an article or letter (120–150), a text comparing two views and giving yours (120–180) | 60 min |
| Speaking | 3 tasks face to face with an examiner: a guided interview (2 min), an interaction where you ask the questions (2 min prep + 3 min 30), defending a point of view (4 min 30) | 12 min |
Writing over or under the word limits, reciting a memorised answer or copying the prompt can get a task scored “A1 non atteint”. More detail in French: speaking and writing (with a word counter).
TCF Canada score chart (NCLC)#
| NCLC | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 and above | 549–699 | 549–699 | 16–20 | 16–20 |
| 9 | 523–548 | 524–548 | 14–15 | 14–15 |
| 8 | 503–522 | 499–523 | 12–13 | 12–13 |
| 7 | 458–502 | 453–498 | 10–11 | 10–11 |
| 6 | 398–457 | 406–452 | 7–9 | 7–9 |
| 5 | 369–397 | 375–405 | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | 331–368 | 342–374 | 4–5 | 4–5 |
Listening and reading are scored 100 to 699; writing and speaking out of 20. The same chart for TEF Canada is on our TEF Canada page.
What NCLC 7 is worth in Express Entry#
- French at NCLC 7 or more in all four skills adds a bonus of 50 points if your English is CLB 5 or more in all four skills, or 25 otherwise.
- As a second official language, NCLC 7 or 8 adds 3 points per skill and NCLC 9 or more 6 per skill (up to 24).
- It makes you eligible for French-language proficiency draws, whose cut-offs ranged from 382 to 420 over the last 12 months.
See your own total with our CRS calculator and the latest draws.
Fees, results and retakes#
- Fees are set by each centre: CAD 392 at Concordia University (Montréal), CAD 400 at Alliance française d’Edmonton, MAD 2,900 at the Institut français du Maroc (summer 2026), INR 26,000 at Alliance française de Delhi.
- Results: in your TCF-Candidat account within 15 working days of France Éducation international receiving the session material.
- Validity: 2 years. Retakes: unlimited, at least 20 days apart.
- Re-marking of speaking and writing is suspended from the 1 September 2026 sessions until autumn 2027.
TCF or TEF?#
IRCC accepts both on equal terms. TCF has three shorter speaking tasks and three writing tasks with strict word ranges; TEF has two longer speaking sections (including persuading an examiner who disagrees) and two writing sections with minimum word counts only, all on the same day. Our French comparison: TCF ou TEF.
Questions
How long is the TCF Canada exam?
2 hours 47 minutes: 35 minutes of listening, 60 of reading, 60 of writing and 12 of speaking.
What TCF Canada score is NCLC 7?
458 in listening, 453 in reading and 10 out of 20 in writing and speaking.
How much does TCF Canada cost?
Each centre sets its fee: CAD 392 at Concordia University in Montréal and CAD 400 at Alliance française d’Edmonton in October 2026.
How soon can I retake TCF Canada?
After at least 20 days, as many times as you like, and you retake all four parts.
Sources
TCF Canada: France Éducation international and its candidate manual (September 2026). TEF Canada: CCI Paris Île-de-France. NCLC equivalents and CRS points: canada.ca, language test results and CRS criteria. Fees: Concordia University, Alliance française d’Edmonton, Institut français du Maroc. Checked October 11, 2026.