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TEF Canada

TEF CANADA

The TEF Canada is an official French language proficiency test approved by IRCC for immigration, citizenship, and professional or academic purposes in Canada

At CCC College, we offer specialized TEF Canada exam preparation programs designed to take you from beginner to B2 proficiency efficiently. This page is your complete resource, covering everything you need to know about the TEF Canada test—all in one place

TEF CANADA Sessions

TEF Listening

40 minutes | 60 MCQs

Candidates must understand conversations between native speakers, public announcements (e.g., train stations), and professional interviews. Audio clips vary in speed and accent, reflecting Quebec and European French. Questions assess key details, main ideas, and contextual inferences. Scoring requires recognizing vocabulary, idioms, and cultural references in authentic scenarios.
CLB 7 Target: Score ≥249/699

TEF Reading

60 minutes | 50 MCQs

Tests comprehension of authentic French texts including news articles, emails, advertisements, and informational documents. Questions evaluate your ability to identify main ideas, specific details, and inferred meanings. Texts reflect real-life Canadian contexts with Quebec-specific references. Time management is crucial - passages increase in difficulty.
CLB 7 Target: Score ≥207/699

TEF Writing

60 minutes | 2 Tasks

Evaluates formal and informal French writing through: 1) A descriptive or narrative text (150+ words), and 2) An argumentative essay (200+ words). Tasks simulate real-life scenarios like complaint letters or opinion pieces. Grading focuses on coherence, grammar accuracy, vocabulary range, and cultural appropriateness for Canadian contexts.
CLB 7 Target: Score ≥310/699

TEF Speaking

15 minutes | 2 Tasks

Assesses real-world French communication through: 1) A role-play scenario (e.g., customer service interaction), and 2) A structured opinion defense on Canadian lifestyle topics. Examiners evaluate pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary precision, and cultural appropriateness. Quebec French variants are accepted.
CLB 7 Target: Score ≥310/699

TEF CANADA Structure

The TEF Canada is a standardized French exam for PR, designed to assess your language proficiency in four key areas: listening, reading, writing and speaking. All four sections muct be taken in a single exam session, with a total test duration of approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes.

Section

Duration

Number of Questions/Tasks

Format

Listening  

40 minutes

60 multiple-choice questions

Computer-based

Reading  

60 minutes

50 multiple-choice questions

Computer-based

Writing 

60 minutes

2 writing tasks

Computer-based

Speaking 

15 minutes

2 speaking tasks

Face-to-face with an examiner

How TEF Canada Scores Impact Express Entry & Immigration

For Express Entry :

  • CLB 5 in English + CLB 7 (TEF Canada B2) in French grants 50 additional CRS points.

  • Receive invitations with lower CRS scores and higher invitation quotas through special French-language draws

For Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs):

  • Scoring CLB 5 (TEF Canada B1) makes you eligible for Francophone-specific streams like Ontario’s French-Speaking Skilled Worker Program.

Learn French for Francophone Community Pilot:

With a score as low as CLB 5 in French (TEF Canada), you can apply through Francophone community Pilot programs—one of the most accessible pathways to Canadian permanent residence.

TEF CANADA Score Chart

CLB Level

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

10

263-277

393-415

316-333

393-415

9

248-262

371-392

298-315

371-392

8

233-247

349-370

280-297

349-370

7

207-232

310-348

249-279

310-348

6

181-206

271-309

217-248

271-309

5

151-180

226-270

181-216

226-270

4

121-150

181-225

145-180

181-225

TEF Canada Score

CEFR Level

CLB Level

Express Entry CRS Points

0 – 100

A1 Not Achieved

Below CLB 4

Not eligible for points

101 – 199

A1

CLB 4

6 points

200 – 299

A2

CLB 5

12 points

300 – 399

B1

CLB 7

25 points

400 – 499

B2

CLB 9+

50 points

500 – 599

C1

CLB 10+

Maximum points awarded

600 – 699

C2

CLB 10+

Maximum points awarded

 

TEF Canada Understanding French Proficiency Levels (A1 to B2)

A1 – Beginner Level

At A1 level, you can:

  • Understand and use familiar and everyday expressions and very simple statements that
  • are intended to meet concrete needs
  • Knowing how to introduce yourself or someone
  • Being able to ask and answer questions about a person
  • Communicate simply if the caller speaks slowly and clearly and is cooperative
A2 – Elementary Level

At A2 level, you can:

  • Understand single phrases and frequently used expressions in relation to areas of the
  • everyday environment (e.g. simple personal and family information, shopping, work)
  • Ability to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring only a simple and direct
  • exchange of information on familiar and routine subjects
  • Describe with simple means his training, his immediate environment and talk about
  • subjects that correspond to immediate needs
B1 – Low-Intermediate Level

At B1 level, you can:

  • Understand the essential points of a discussion when clear and standard language is used and if it is familiar things at work, school, leisure, etc.
  • Be autonomous in most situations encountered while traveling in an area where the target language is spoken
  • To be able to produce a simple and coherent discourse on familiar subjects and in its fields of interest
  • The ability to tell a story, an experience or a dream, describe a hope or a goal, and briefly explain the reasons or reasons for a project or idea
B2 – Upper-Intermediate Level

At B2 level, you can:

  • Understand the essential content of concrete or abstract subjects in a complex text, including technical discussion in its specialty
  • Communicating spontaneously and easily with a native speaker
  • Express a clear and detailed opinion on a wide range of topics, express an opinion on a topical issue and set out the advantages and disadvantages of different possibilities