TCF Canada writing test: the three tasks, the word counts and the criteria

The writing test gives you 60 minutes for three tasks, each with a word limit to respect. Here is what each task asks, what is scored, the common mistakes and how to improve. To see a full correction, open the scored example.

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The three tasks

The test has three exercises, to be done in 60 minutes in all (France Éducation international). Each task has its own word range:

Message: 60 to 120 words. A message that describes, tells or explains something to one or more people.
Article, letter or note: 120 to 150 words. An article, letter or note to several readers: an account of an experience, with your comments and arguments.
Comparing two points of view: 120 to 180 words. You compare two points of view on a social issue, given in two documents, then give your own opinion.

The hour is shared between the three tasks. To practise one task at a time, allow about 15, 20 and 25 minutes; that is our rule of thumb, not an official rule.

The word count matters: according to France Éducation international, a paper can be rated "A1 not reached" if a task is missing, off topic or not done within the required number of words. Count your words before you hand in.

What is scored

France Éducation international lists linguistic criteria (range of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, spelling, how elaborate the sentences are), pragmatic ones (coherence, cohesion, development of ideas) and sociolinguistic ones (fit to the communication situation) (how the tests are assessed). The detailed grid is not public. Our practice groups them into five criteria, each given a CEFR level:

Task completion and fit to the situation
Coherence, cohesion and development
Vocabulary range and control
Grammar and sentence building
Spelling

Common mistakes

Writing too little or too much: leaving the word range, especially in task 1 where 120 words is a ceiling.
Ignoring the reader. A message to a neighbour, a letter to a manager and an article need different tones and phrases: reread the prompt to see who is reading.
Missing part of the prompt. Tick off each piece of information asked for before you write, and again after.
In task 3, summarising only one of the two documents or forgetting your own opinion. Both points of view, then yours.
Only simple sentences, with no links. Vary them with relative and subordinate clauses, and link paragraphs (d'une part, en revanche, en conclusion).
Leaving the spelling to chance. Agreements (gender, number, past participles) and accents are spelling errors that add up. Keep three minutes to proofread.

How to practise

Write by hand or on a keyboard with a timer and a word counter, then mark your own paper against the five criteria. Do not rewrite everything: pick one point, for example linking words, and redo the task with only that goal.

Keep a notebook of useful phrases per situation (asking, suggesting, apologising, arguing, concluding) and reuse them. Read short letters and articles in French, then retell them in your own words.

Our AI examiner marks each task on the five criteria, gives a score out of 20 with its CEFR and NCLC levels, and rewrites two or three of your sentences to show what would raise the score. Scores are an AI estimate, not an official result. A guide point: 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.