TCF Canada speaking test: the three tasks, the timing and the criteria

The speaking test is face to face with an examiner and lasts 12 minutes, preparation included. Here are the three tasks, what is scored, the mistakes that cost points and how to practise. To see what feedback looks like, open the scored example.

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The three tasks

The test has three exercises, recorded so that a second, independent examiner can mark them (France Éducation international).

Guided interview: 2 min, no preparation. The examiner asks about you: your background, your work, your plans.
Interaction: 2 min of preparation, then 3 min 30 s. You act out an everyday situation, and you ask the examiner the questions.
Giving your point of view: 4 min 30 s, no preparation. You give and defend your opinion on a topic, with no preparation. The examiner may interrupt to ask about your arguments.

These are the published timings, and an examiner may stop you if you run over. Do not fill the time with anything at all: finish your idea and let the examiner take over.

What examiners score

France Éducation international describes three families of criteria: linguistic (vocabulary, grammar, fluency, pronunciation), pragmatic (interaction, structure, coherence) and sociolinguistic (fit to the situation) (how the tests are assessed). Its detailed marking grid is not public. Our practice groups them into five criteria, each given a CEFR level:

Fit to the situation and task completion
Interaction, structure and coherence
Vocabulary range and control
Grammatical accuracy
Fluency

Pronunciation is on the official list, but our examiner works from a transcript of what you say and does not score it; the results page says so. Ask a person to listen to you for that point.

Common mistakes

Answering the guided interview in one short sentence. Give a reason or an example with every answer.
In the interaction task, answering instead of asking. You lead: prepare five or six open questions and restate the situation before you begin.
In the point-of-view task, stating an opinion with no argument. Aim for two arguments, each with an example, then a short conclusion.
Staying with simple sentences. A relative clause (qui, dont), a subordinate clause (parce que, bien que) or a comparison shows more range.
Stringing ideas together with no links. Words like d'abord, en revanche and c'est pourquoi help the examiner follow you.
Going silent when a word is missing. Say it another way: a roundabout phrase beats a pause.

How to practise

Practise out loud and against the clock: speaking is learned by speaking, not by reading. Record yourself, listen back, then repeat the same task changing one thing at a time, for example linking words first and vocabulary second.

Vary everyday topics: work, housing, study, health, transport, plans for settling in Canada. For task 2, play both roles with a friend. For task 3, time yourself on four and a half minutes and check that you have a plan: opinion, two arguments, conclusion.

Our AI examiner does this with you: it asks the questions aloud, follows up on what you say, then scores each criterion and lists the changes that would raise the score most. Scores are an AI estimate, not an official result. The target: 10 out of 20 corresponds to NCLC 7 (see the score table).

Try it on a real task

Your first speaking task and your first writing task are free, with full feedback. No card needed.