Guide TCF Canada
TCF Canada speaking: getting from 9 to 10 out of 20 (NCLC 6 → NCLC 7)
In TCF Canada speaking, 9/20 gives NCLC 6 and 10/20 gives NCLC 7, the level required in every skill for Express Entry's Federal Skilled Worker program. That point is the line between B1 and B2: you do not get it by talking more, but by arguing, being precise and reacting better.
Key facts
- In France Éducation international's chart, 6 to 9 out of 20 = B1 and 10 to 13 out of 20 = B2. For IRCC, 7 to 9 = NCLC 6 and 10 to 11 = NCLC 7. So the missing point is the step from B1 to B2 in the raters' eyes.
- Scoring: two raters, working separately, give each task a CEFR level (from “below A1” to C2); the levels are combined into a score out of 20. The exact combination rule and the detailed grid are not published.
Official sources: FEI — scores and CEFR levels · IRCC — language test results (Express Entry) · TCF candidate handbook (version Q, Sept. 2026)
Practise now
No sign-up. An NCLC estimate as a range, never an official result.
B1 and B2 in practice
According to the CEFR global scale (Council of Europe), a B1 user can deal with most situations, produce simple connected speech on familiar topics, describe an experience and briefly give reasons for an opinion. A B2 user can interact with enough fluency and spontaneity to talk with native speakers without strain on either side, express themselves clearly and in detail on a wide range of subjects, and explain a viewpoint, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
Official source: Council of Europe — CEFR global scale
Task by task: what moves you from B1 to B2
| Task | What you often hear at 9/20 | What sounds like B2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Interview | Correct but short answers; a recited introduction | Answer + detail + reason; builds on the follow-up |
| 2 · Interaction | A list of questions read out in a row | Varied questions, reactions, follow-ups on the answer just given |
| 3 · Point of view | Opinion repeated, vague examples, loses the thread when interrupted | Nuanced position, precise examples, a concession, returns to the plan after the interruption |
This is our reading of the published criteria and the CEFR; the raters' detailed grid is not public.
A worked example (Task 3)
Topic: “La dématérialisation des démarches, à la banque comme dans les services publics, simplifie-t-elle vraiment la vie de tout le monde ?” (Task 3, an original topic from our bank). Both answers below were written for this page to show the difference; no official rater has marked them.
Oui, je pense que c'est plus simple. Par exemple, moi, je paie mes factures sur mon téléphone, c'est rapide. Avant, il fallait aller à la banque, attendre, c'était long. Maintenant c'est facile. Mais pour les personnes âgées, c'est difficile, parce qu'elles n'ont pas d'ordinateur. Donc c'est bien, mais pas pour tout le monde. Aussi, c'est bon pour l'environnement, il y a moins de papier. Voilà, je pense que c'est plus simple.
À mon avis, ça simplifie la vie de beaucoup de gens, mais pas de tout le monde, et c'est justement là que se trouve le problème. D'un côté, le gain de temps est réel : l'an dernier, j'ai renouvelé mon permis de conduire en ligne un dimanche soir, en dix minutes, alors qu'avant il fallait prendre une demi-journée de congé. Pour quelqu'un qui habite en région, loin de tout bureau, c'est encore plus vrai. D'un autre côté, on oublie souvent les personnes qui ne sont pas à l'aise avec le numérique. Ma voisine, qui a quatre-vingts ans, a dû demander à son petit-fils de faire ses démarches à sa place : elle a perdu une partie de son autonomie. Alors je dirais que c'est un progrès, à condition de garder une vraie personne au bout du fil ou au guichet.
The examiner cuts in: « Mais dans quelques années, tout le monde saura utiliser ces outils, non ? »
Oui, peut-être. Les jeunes savent utiliser. Donc ce n'est pas un problème.
C'est possible pour l'ordinateur, mais les outils changent tout le temps. Ma mère savait très bien utiliser son ancien site bancaire ; quand la banque l'a remplacé par une application, elle a été perdue pendant des semaines. Donc je pense que le besoin d'aide ne va pas disparaître, il va changer de forme.
What changes
- The position is nuanced from the first sentence (“many people, but not everyone”) instead of a “yes” repeated at the start and the end.
- A precise example: what, when, how long, compared with before. “Je paie mes factures, c'est rapide” stays general.
- Varied logical links: d'un côté / d'un autre côté, alors que, à condition de. The B1 answer chains “mais”, “donc”, “aussi”.
- More precise vocabulary: renouveler, démarches, autonomie, guichet, instead of “c'est facile”, “c'est difficile”.
- Faced with the interruption, the B2 answer concedes, then brings in a new fact and draws a conclusion. The B1 answer gives in and stops.
How to train for that point
- Stop memorising answers. The examiner can interrupt a candidate who is reciting; prepare ideas and personal examples for the big themes.
- Record yourself and listen for one thing at a time: your connectors, then your examples, then your past tenses.
- Practise being interrupted. That is when a B1 performance collapses. Our examiner interrupts Task 3 and follows up in Tasks 1 and 2, and the report shows the key moment in each exchange.
- TEF Canada has the same step: NCLC 6 = 271–309 and NCLC 7 = 310–348 in the speaking “ancien score”. See sections A and B.
Official sources: TCF candidate handbook (version Q, Sept. 2026) · IRCC — language test results (Express Entry)
FAQ
What NCLC is 9/20 in TCF Canada speaking?
NCLC 6. You need 10 or 11 out of 20 for NCLC 7.
Official source: IRCC — language test results (Express Entry)
Can I ask for my speaking test to be re-marked?
For TCF sessions from 1 September 2026, re-marking of speaking and writing is suspended; FEI expects to bring it back in autumn 2027.
Official source: France Éducation international — TCF Canada
When can I retake TCF Canada?
There must be at least 20 days between two sittings.
Official source: France Éducation international — TCF Canada
Can your AI tell me whether I will get 10?
No, and nobody can say for sure. Our examiner gives an estimate as an NCLC range and shows where points are won or lost; it is not an official result.
Read next
TCF TEF Study is independent: neither France Éducation international nor CCI Paris Île-de-France has reviewed this content. Facts come from the official pages cited; check them before you register, as the test owners can change them. Updated 22 October 2026.