The four sections
| Section | Format | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 39 multiple-choice questions, each recording played once | 35 min |
| Reading | 39 multiple-choice questions | 60 min |
| Writing | 3 tasks (60-120, 120-150 and 120-180 words) | 60 min |
| Speaking | 3 tasks with an examiner (2 min, 3 min 30 with 2 min prep, 4 min 30) | 12 min |
Total: 2 hours 47 minutes. You can retake it after 20 days. Results are valid for 2 years.
Writing tasks
- Task 1: a message to describe, narrate or explain (60-120 words).
- Task 2: an article, letter or note recounting an experience, with your opinions (120-150 words).
- Task 3: summarise two opposing documents in your own words (40-60 words), then give your position (80-120 words).
Missing the word count, going off topic or copying sentences from the documents can get the whole paper rated "A1 non atteint" (below A1).
Scoring and NCLC
Listening and reading are scored from 100 to 699, writing and speaking out of 20. IRCC converts each skill to an NCLC level:
| NCLC | Compréhension orale | Compréhension écrite | Expression orale | Expression écrite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 et + | 549 à 699 | 549 à 699 | 16 à 20 | 16 à 20 |
| 9 | 523 à 548 | 524 à 548 | 14 à 15 | 14 à 15 |
| 8 | 503 à 522 | 499 à 523 | 12 à 13 | 12 à 13 |
| 7 | 458 à 502 | 453 à 498 | 10 à 11 | 10 à 11 |
| 6 | 398 à 457 | 406 à 452 | 7 à 9 | 7 à 9 |
| 5 | 369 à 397 | 375 à 405 | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | 331 à 368 | 342 à 374 | 4 à 5 | 4 à 5 |
TCF Canada : compréhensions notées de 100 à 699, expressions notées sur 20. Source : IRCC et Manuel du candidat TCF.
For Express Entry, the key threshold is **NCLC 7**: 458 in listening, 453 in reading, 10/20 in speaking and writing.