TCF Expression Écrite: The 3 Writing Tasks
TCF Canada expression écrite task by task: what each asks, the word limits that can fail a paper, a model answer, and the mark you need for NCLC 7.
TCF expression écrite, the TCF Canada writing test, gives you 60 minutes for three tasks: a short message of 60 to 120 words, an article or letter of 120 to 150 words, and a text comparing two points of view of 120 to 180 words. It is marked out of 20, NCLC 7 starts at 10, and the TCF score chart has every level.
The word limits are not advice. They are part of the instructions, and missing them is one of the fastest ways to fail a task that was otherwise well written.
What are the three TCF Canada writing tasks?
The three tasks rise in difficulty, from describing to narrating to arguing. This is how France Éducation International defines them:
| Task | What you write | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Tâche 1 | A message to one or more people whose status is given in the instructions, to describe, narrate and/or explain | 60–120 |
| Tâche 2 | An article, letter, note or similar for several readers, reporting an experience or telling a story, with comments, opinions or arguments toward a goal | 120–150 |
| Tâche 3 | A text, for a newspaper, a website, a colleague or a manager, that compares two points of view on a social issue given in two documents, and gives your own opinion | 120–180 |
How is the writing test marked?
It is marked out of 20 by examiners, centrally at France Éducation International, and the mark is converted to an NCLC level by IRCC. According to France Éducation International, the markers look at whether you can:
- communicate a message clearly and give the information asked for;
- describe, narrate and explain;
- justify a choice, a position or a decision;
- link ideas coherently;
- compare two points of view, give your opinion and argue it;
- use vocabulary and structures suited to the task;
- reformulate.
Notice how much of that list is about the task rather than the grammar. Accurate French that does not do what the instructions asked will not score well.
What TCF Canada writing score do you need?
You need 10 out of 20 for NCLC 7, and 12 for NCLC 8. The full IRCC conversion for writing is:
| Mark out of 20 | NCLC |
|---|---|
| 4–5 | 4 |
| 6 | 5 |
| 7–9 | 6 |
| 10–11 | 7 |
| 12–13 | 8 |
| 14–15 | 9 |
| 16–20 | 10 and above |
Source: IRCC, TCF Canada equivalency chart.
Can you fail the writing test on word count?
Yes. France Éducation International warns that a writing paper can be marked "A1 non atteint" if any task is not written within the required number of words, if the writing is off-topic, if a task is left undone, or, on paper, if the handwriting is illegible.
Three habits follow from that:
- Count as you go. On paper, count one line and multiply by the number of lines to get a fast estimate, then count properly at the end.
- Aim for the middle of the range. For Tâche 1, around 90 words. For Tâche 2, around 135. For Tâche 3, around 150. That leaves room either side.
- Never skip a task. A short, on-topic Tâche 3 is worth far more than a blank one.
How long should you spend on each task?
A sensible split is about 15 minutes on Tâche 1, 20 on Tâche 2 and 25 on Tâche 3, which leaves nothing spare, so reread as you go rather than at the end. Tâche 3 needs the most time because you have to read two documents before you write a word. France Éducation International's own advice for this test is to manage your time so that all three tasks are completed.
How do you write Tâche 1?
Answer every point in the instructions, in the register the recipient calls for, and stop. Tâche 1 checks that you can produce a clear, practical message. The most common way to lose marks is to leave out one of the things the instructions asked for.
Read the instructions for three things: who you are writing to (a friend takes tu, a neighbour or a manager takes vous), why you are writing, and each piece of information you have been asked to include. Tick each one off.
Here is a practice prompt and a TCF writing sample that answers it.
Vous venez d'emménager dans un nouvel immeuble. Écrivez un message à vos voisins pour vous présenter et les inviter à un apéritif. (60 mots minimum, 120 mots maximum)
Bonjour à tous,
Je m'appelle Daniel et je viens d'emménager au troisième étage, dans l'appartement 12. Je suis arrivé de Toronto il y a deux semaines avec ma femme et notre fille de six ans.
Pour faire votre connaissance, nous organisons un petit apéritif samedi prochain, à partir de 17 heures, dans la cour de l'immeuble. Les enfants sont bien sûr les bienvenus !
Pouvez-vous nous dire avant jeudi si vous venez ? Vous pouvez glisser un mot sous notre porte.
À samedi, j'espère !
Daniel
That is about 85 words. It introduces the writer, gives the what, when and where of the invitation, asks for a reply and closes in the right register. Nothing in it is advanced French. It works because it does the whole task.
How do you write Tâche 2?
Tell the experience in the past, then say what you think of it and why. The instructions give you a goal, and the comment is where most of the marks for Tâche 2 sit, so do not spend all your words on the story.
A reliable shape is three short paragraphs:
- Context. What happened, where and when, in one or two sentences.
- The story. Two or three events, in order. This is where the choice between passé composé for events and imparfait for background matters. If that choice is still shaky, our guide to passé composé vs imparfait covers it.
- Your comment. What you thought, what you recommend, or what you want changed, depending on the goal in the instructions.
How do you write Tâche 3?
Summarise the two opposing positions in your own words, then give your opinion with at least two reasons. Tâche 3 is the only task that asks you to compare, and the markers are checking that you can reformulate the documents rather than copy them.
A structure that fits comfortably inside 180 words:
- Present the question in one sentence.
- Compare the documents. Around 50 to 60 words. Selon le premier document…, Le second, au contraire, estime que…, Tandis que l'un…, l'autre…
- Give your opinion. Around 80 to 100 words. Pour ma part…, Certes…, mais…, C'est pourquoi…
Two mistakes cost the most here. Copying whole phrases from the documents shows reading, not writing. And giving an opinion without a reason reads as an assertion, not an argument.
What grammar matters most for the writing test?
The grammar that carries the three tasks: agreement, past tenses for Tâche 2, and the connectors and conditional for Tâche 3. Agreement is the one to watch in writing: a feminine or plural ending is often silent in speech, so it never costs you anything aloud, and it is always visible on the page. Our map of French grammar in the order you need it shows where each of these sits by level.
How should you practise for TCF Canada expression écrite?
Write full tasks under time, and have them marked by someone who can see what you cannot. You can check your own word count. You cannot reliably check your own register, your own missing instruction point, or your own agreement errors.
One change makes this more pressing. From the sessions of 1 September 2026, France Éducation International has suspended re-marking requests for the writing and speaking parts, with the service expected back in autumn 2027. If your mark disappoints, there is no appeal route for now, only a resit after the 20-day wait.