Prep for the French test for Canada
FR Sample essays (FR)

See how TCF Canada writing is marked. Every mark explained.

Read 9 marked sample essays at NCLC 5, 7 and 9. Check the word limits while you write, then turn your TCF or TEF scores into NCLC levels.

Convert my scores to NCLC

Free. No account.

Read the marked sample essays (in French)
  • The reason for every mark, under 4 headings built from FEI’s list of assessed skills
  • Word limits checked live, so your text stays inside them
  • NCLC levels from IRCC’s own table, for the TCF and the TEF
A woman with glasses and long braids sits at a table with a tablet and a laptop and smiles.

Estimated level of this essay

NCLC 5

AI estimate, not an official FEI mark

Task 3 · Sample essay A, written by AI132 words · 120–180

Moi, je suis d’accord avec Sophie mais un peuje suis plutôt d’accord avec Sophie, mais pas complètement. J’ai travaillé à la maison pendant la pandémie.Strength: a personal example backs your opinion.

Vocabulary

“Mais un peu” means nothing here. For partial agreement, say “plutôt d’accord”.

Free tools, built on the official rules

They run in your browser, with no account and no ads.

Know why every mark was given

9 sample essays for the 3 writing tasks, at NCLC 5, 7 and 9. Each mistake is struck through and corrected, with the reason in one line.

The comments sit under 4 headings built from the skills FEI says it assesses: task, coherence, vocabulary and grammar.

Read the marked sample essays (in French)
  • Grammar

    parce que elleparce qu’elle

    Before a vowel, “que” becomes “qu’”.

  • Vocabulary

    les employés sont seuls

    A more precise word exists for “alone at work”. Try to find it.

  • Grammar

    la meilleur solutionla meilleure solution

    “Meilleur” agrees with “solution”, which is feminine.

Stay inside the word limits

The counter shows the minimum and the maximum of each task while you type. Out of the limits, a text can be marked “A1 not reached”.

A second check finds sentences you copied from the task documents. FEI can mark a copied sentence “A1 not reached” too.

Try the writing checks (in French)

Task 3 · Compare two points of view

Aujourd’hui, beaucoup de personnes travaillent à la maison. Dans le premier document, Sophie dit que le télétravail est bon…

132 words · 120–180

  • Under 120: too short
  • 120–180: in range
  • Over 180: too long

No sentence copied from the documents

See how far each skill is from NCLC 7

Enter your TCF Canada or TEF Canada scores. You get your NCLC level for each skill, from IRCC’s own table, and the points still missing.

For the TEF, the calculator tells you which score column IRCC uses.

Open the NCLC calculator

TCF Canada scores

IRCC table

SkillScoreNCLCTo NCLC 7
Speaking128 Reached
Listening4707 Reached
Reading4306+23 points
Writing96+1 point
Line drawing: a smiling man raises a small fist in front of his laptop in a sunny kitchen, a plant with a pink flower beside him.

Practise one task in three steps

The same loop works for each of the 3 writing tasks.

  1. Read an essay at your target level

    Pick the essay at NCLC 5, 7 or 9. Read the marks before you write.

  2. Write the same task with the checks on

    The counter and the copied-sentence check run while you type. Your text stays in your browser.

  3. Compare and fix one thing

    Put your text next to the marked sample essay, mark by mark. Fix the mistakes it names first, then write the task again.

Where the facts come from

  • IRCC’s own table

    Every NCLC level comes from the table IRCC publishes for Express Entry. A script copies it; nobody types the numbers.

  • FEI’s rules

    Word limits, the “A1 not reached” cases and the list of assessed skills come from the pages of France Éducation international, which runs the TCF.

  • Samples written with AI

    AI writes each sample essay. A model from a second company then checks every mark. No examiner has seen them, so each level is an estimate.

    Read how we mark
TCF Canada scores for NCLC 6 to 9, from IRCC’s table
LevelSpeakingListeningReadingWriting
NCLC 914–15523–548524–54814–15
NCLC 812–13503–522499–52312–13
NCLC 710–11458–502453–49810–11
NCLC 67–9398–457406–4527–9

Every tool and guide

The TCF Canada is a French test, so most practice pages are in French.

Sources
  1. France Éducation international: TCF Canada (page in English)
  2. IRCC: Express Entry, language test results
  3. CCI Paris Ile-de-France: TEF Canada