TEF Canada
2025-03-25 2025-04-02 15:12TEF 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