TEF Canada or TCF Canada?
Both count for Express Entry, in all four skills, and results are valid for two years. The formats differ, especially Writing and Speaking.
| TEF Canada | CCI Paris Île-de-France · Reading 60 min, Listening 40 min, Writing 60 min, Speaking 15 min |
|---|---|
| TCF Canada | France Éducation international · Listening 35 min, Reading 60 min, Writing 60 min, Speaking 12 min |
| Questions | TEF: 40 reading and 40 listening · TCF: 39 and 39 |
| Results valid | Less than 2 years old when you make your profile and when you apply |
Reading and listening
Both use four-option multiple-choice questions. TEF Canada has 40 reading questions in 60 minutes and 40 listening questions in 40 minutes, where each recording plays once and you cannot go back. TCF Canada has 39 listening questions in 35 minutes and 39 reading questions in 60 minutes, getting harder as you go.
Writing
TEF Canada has two sections in 60 minutes: continue a news story (80 words minimum) and express and justify a point of view (200 words minimum). TCF Canada has three tasks in 60 minutes: a message (60 to 120 words), an experience told with comments (120 to 150 words), and a text comparing the views of two documents and giving your own (120 to 180 words). The TCF writing copy can be marked as not reaching A1 if a task misses its word range.
Speaking
Both are face to face with an examiner. TEF Canada: 5 minutes to obtain information, then 10 minutes to convince someone. TCF Canada: 12 minutes, a guided interview, a role play after 2 minutes to prepare, then your opinion on a question.
Scores
TEF Canada reports each skill on a 0 to 699 scale, but Express Entry takes the "Équivalence ancien score" column. TCF Canada scores listening and reading on a scale up to 699 and writing and speaking out of 20. Our score charts convert both to NCLC.
Retakes
You can sit TCF Canada as often as you like, 20 days apart. For TCF sessions from 1 September 2026, requests to re-mark writing and speaking are suspended for about a year.
Next step
Questions people ask
Is TCF Canada easier than TEF Canada?
No official source compares their difficulty; IRCC accepts both and converts both to NCLC. Compare the formats with your strengths: TCF writing is three tasks with word ranges of 60 to 180 words, TEF writing is two sections of at least 80 and 200 words, and TEF listening is 40 questions in 40 minutes against TCF's 39 in 35.
Does IRCC accept both?
Yes. TEF Canada and TCF Canada are the two French tests accepted for Express Entry.
Which TEF score do I enter in my profile?
The "Équivalence ancien score" column of your results. IRCC says not to enter the "Score / 699" column.