NCLC 7

NCLC 7 on the TCF Canada: the scores you need

NCLC 7 is the French-language level Canada's immigration system keeps asking for. Here is what it is, the score that reaches it in each of the four TCF Canada skills, and why candidates aim for it.

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What NCLC means

NCLC stands for Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, the French name of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses it to turn a test result into a single comparable level. Each of the four abilities (speaking, writing, listening and reading) gets its own level, so one test gives you four NCLC numbers, not one.

The TCF Canada is run by France Éducation international. Speaking and writing are marked out of 20, listening and reading out of 699. IRCC publishes the table that converts those scores into NCLC levels, and it is the table below (source: IRCC language testing page; test description: France Éducation international).

TCF Canada scores for each NCLC level

The row for NCLC 7 is in bold. The scores are the lowest ones that reach each level, so 10 out of 20 in speaking is NCLC 7, and 9 is NCLC 6.

NCLC levelSpeaking /20Writing /20Listening /699Reading /699
10+16–2016–20549–699549–699
914–1514–15523–548524–548
812–1312–13503–522499–523
710–1110–11458–502453–498
67–97–9398–457406–452
566369–397375–405
44–54–5331–368342–374

Below NCLC 4 has no level in the table.

Why NCLC 7 is the number to aim for

The French-language proficiency category of Express Entry invites candidates who have a minimum of NCLC 7 in all four language abilities (IRCC, category-based selection). Four abilities means your weakest skill sets the result: a 9 in listening does not make up for a 6 in writing.

NCLC 7 also counts in the Comprehensive Ranking System. IRCC's grid lists additional points for scoring NCLC 7 or higher on all four French abilities: 25 points if your English is at CLB 4 or lower (or you took no English test), and 50 points if you score CLB 5 or higher on all four English skills (IRCC, CRS grid).

Those rules are IRCC's and can change, so check the linked pages for the current round instructions before you plan around them. Language results are also valid for a limited time (two years from the issue of the results, according to IRCC and France Éducation international), so book the test close to the moment you apply.

What this means for your preparation

Because the lowest of the four levels counts, preparation is mostly about finding which skill is below 7 and fixing that one. Listening and reading are the easier ones to practise alone, since their answers are right or wrong and you can check them yourself. Speaking and writing are the ones where candidates most often stay at NCLC 6, because they need someone to listen to or read what you produce and say what to change.

Look at the table again: the step from NCLC 6 to NCLC 7 is only one to three points out of 20 in speaking and writing (a 9 is NCLC 6, a 10 is NCLC 7), while in listening and reading it is a gap of roughly 50 to 60 points on the 699 scale. In speaking and writing a single weak criterion, such as sentences that are all simple, or no linking words, can be the whole difference.

Our guides to the speaking test and the writing test describe the three tasks, the time and word limits, what examiners look at and the mistakes that cost points. When you are ready to practise, the first speaking task and the first writing task on this site are free, and each comes with a score out of 20, its CEFR and NCLC level, and the changes that would raise it most.

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Sources checked on 2026-10-10. Test rules change: confirm them with the official pages linked above before you book.