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TCF Canada Speaking · task 2

TCF Canada speaking task 2: annotated example 1 (getting a foreign diploma recognised)

Updated 24 October 2026 · rules checked against the official sources cited

PDF version: all 9 speaking examples

TCF Canada speaking task 2 lasts 2 minutes of preparation, then 3 min 30 in which you ask the examiner questions while they play the role on the card. The topic is original, written for this site following the official format: it is not a past exam topic, and the example is not a recording. It targets an estimated NCLC around 9; it is not an official mark. FEI · Candidate handbook

Leading the exchange with varied questions, rephrasing a figure to check it, and moving on politely when the examiner doesn't know the answer.

Take this topic with the AI examiner Read the example

The card

Vous avez un diplôme obtenu à l'étranger et vous voulez travailler dans votre domaine à Gatineau. Vous assistez à une séance d'information au Centre Tremplin Pro. Vous posez des questions à la personne responsable du programme « Cap sur mon métier » pour connaître les services proposés (conditions, documents, prix, horaire…).

Translation: You have a degree obtained abroad and want to work in your field in Gatineau. You attend an information session at the Centre Tremplin Pro. You ask the person in charge of the « Cap sur mon métier » programme questions to find out about the services offered (eligibility, documents, price, schedule…).

Points noted during the 2-minute preparation

  1. Greet, introduce myself: foreign degree, want to work in Gatineau
  2. Program content: meetings? how many?
  3. Admission requirements
  4. Cost: program, translation → rephrase the figure
  5. Documents to bring, then evaluation processing time
  6. Schedule: open evenings? French workshop?
  7. How to sign up, thank her and say goodbye

The example, turn by turn

Written for this page. Do not memorise it: a recited answer may be interrupted, and the examiner’s answers change from one candidate to the next.

393 words, 7 turns with a question. The real task lasts 3 min 30: read the exchange aloud with the timer below to feel the pace.

Candidate: Bonjour madame, et merci pour la présentation. J'ai obtenu mon diplôme d'ingénieure à l'étranger, et j'aimerais exercer dans mon domaine ici, à Gatineau. Pourriez-vous m'expliquer en quoi consiste le programme « Cap sur mon métier » ?

Hello, and thank you for the presentation. I earned my engineering degree abroad, and I'd like to work in my field here in Gatineau. Could you explain what the "Cap sur mon métier" program involves?

Efficient opening: greeting, one-sentence context, then a polite conditional request ("Pourriez-vous…") containing an indirect question ("en quoi consiste").

Examiner: Avec plaisir. C'est un accompagnement personnalisé : vous rencontrez une conseillère en tête-à-tête, à six reprises en tout.

With pleasure. It's personalized support: you meet one-on-one with a counsellor, six times in all.

Candidate: Six rencontres en tête-à-tête, d'accord, c'est rassurant. Est-ce qu'il y a des conditions particulières pour être admise ?

Six one-on-one meetings, okay, that's reassuring. Are there any specific requirements to be admitted?

She echoes the information ("Six meetings") and reacts before moving on. An "est-ce que" question, simple and natural in speech.

Examiner: Il y en a deux. Vous devez être majeure, donc avoir dix-huit ans minimum, et résider dans la grande région de Gatineau.

There are two. You must be an adult, so at least eighteen, and live in the greater Gatineau area.

Candidate: Parfait, j'habite le secteur de Hull depuis six mois, donc ça me convient. Et combien coûte le programme ?

Perfect, I've been living in the Hull sector for six months, so that works for me. And how much does the program cost?

Personalized reaction: she links the requirement to her situation. Then a question-word question ("combien"), introduced by "Et" to keep things flowing.

Examiner: Rien du tout, il est entièrement gratuit. Par contre, si vos documents doivent être traduits, nous faisons affaire avec un traducteur partenaire, et là, c'est trente-cinq dollars la page.

Nothing at all, it's completely free. However, if your documents need to be translated, we work with a partner translator, and that costs thirty-five dollars a page.

Candidate: Si je comprends bien, le programme est gratuit, mais chaque page traduite coûte trente-cinq dollars, c'est ça ? Et quels documents devrais-je apporter au premier rendez-vous ?

If I understand correctly, the program is free, but each translated page costs thirty-five dollars, is that right? And which documents should I bring to the first appointment?

Rephrasing to check the figure ("Si je comprends bien… c'est ça?"), then a question with inversion ("devrais-je"), formal without sounding stiff.

Examiner: Exact. Prévoyez vos diplômes, vos relevés de notes et des certificats confirmant vos emplois. Avec ça, on vous aide à monter le dossier pour l'évaluation de vos diplômes.

Correct. Bring your degrees, your transcripts, and certificates of employment. With those, we help you put together the file to have your degrees evaluated.

Candidate: Justement, à propos de cette évaluation : je me demandais combien de temps l'organisme d'évaluation prend pour traiter un dossier.

Speaking of that evaluation: I was wondering how long the evaluation organization takes to process a file.

Follow-up question: "Justement" picks up on the word "evaluation". An indirect question ("je me demandais combien…"), very polite and typical of an advanced level.

Examiner: Ça, honnêtement, je ne pourrais pas vous le dire ; ça dépend de l'organisme, pas de nous. Par contre, chez nous, l'accompagnement s'étale en général sur une huitaine de semaines.

Honestly, I couldn't tell you that; it depends on the organization, not on us. On the other hand, with us, the support generally lasts around eight weeks.

Listening tip: the answer has two parts. "Je ne pourrais pas vous le dire" signals she doesn't know, then "Par contre" adds useful information to note.

Candidate: Je comprends, je me renseignerai directement auprès d'eux. Huit semaines environ, c'est tout à fait raisonnable. Côté horaire, l'accueil est ouvert le soir ? Je travaille le jour.

I understand, I'll ask them directly. About eight weeks, that's quite reasonable. As for hours, is the front desk open in the evening? I work during the day.

Graceful reaction to "I don't know": she finds a solution without pushing. Transition with "Côté horaire", then an intonation question justified by her situation.

Examiner: Du lundi au vendredi, on vous reçoit de neuf heures à dix-sept heures, sauf le jeudi, où on reste ouverts jusqu'à dix-neuf heures.

Monday to Friday, we're open from nine to five, except Thursday, when we stay open until seven.

Candidate: Le jeudi soir, ce serait idéal pour moi. Vous offrez aussi un atelier de français professionnel, je crois : à quel moment a-t-il lieu ?

Thursday evening would be ideal for me. I believe you also offer a professional French workshop: when does it take place?

Targeted reaction ("ce serait idéal") in the conditional. New topic introduced with "je crois", then a question-word question with inversion ("a-t-il lieu").

Examiner: Le mardi, de dix-huit à vingt heures. Si vous participez au programme, vous n'aurez rien à payer pour cet atelier. Comme l'accueil est alors fermé, il faut passer par l'entrée latérale.

On Tuesdays, from six to eight p.m. If you take part in the program, you won't have to pay anything for this workshop. Since the front desk is closed then, you have to use the side entrance.

Listening tip: the examiner adds details you didn't ask for (free, side entrance). Noting them lets you react precisely in the next turn.

Candidate: Merci, c'est noté : l'entrée latérale. Dernière question : comment est-ce que je peux m'inscrire ?

Thank you, noted: the side entrance. One last question: how can I sign up?

She shows she listened by repeating the detail. "Dernière question" signals the exchange is ending. Question word + "est-ce que".

Examiner: Il suffit de fixer un premier rendez-vous, soit en nous téléphonant, soit en passant directement à l'accueil.

You just need to set up a first appointment, either by calling us or by coming to the front desk.

Candidate: Très bien, je passerai à l'accueil jeudi soir, alors. Merci beaucoup pour toutes ces précisions, madame, et bonne fin de journée !

Very well, I'll come by the front desk Thursday evening, then. Thank you very much for all the details, and have a good rest of your day!

Strong close: she combines two pieces of information (front desk + Thursday evening) into a concrete plan, then thanks her while keeping the "vous" register.

One level up: 3 phrasings

First, what is often heard around NCLC 7; then, the phrasing used in the example. Look for the same kind of sentence in your own answers.

  1. Donc le programme est gratuit, mais la traduction, c'est trente-cinq dollars par page ?
    → Si je comprends bien, le programme est gratuit, mais chaque page traduite coûte trente-cinq dollars, c'est ça ?

    "Si je comprends bien… c'est ça?" clearly frames the check, and "chaque page traduite" makes the rate precise and unambiguous.

  2. Combien de temps l'organisme prend pour regarder mon dossier ?
    → je me demandais combien de temps l'organisme d'évaluation prend pour traiter un dossier

    The indirect question in the imperfect softens the request. "Traiter un dossier" is the correct administrative term, more precise than "regarder".

  3. Et pour les heures, est-ce que c'est ouvert le soir ?
    → Côté horaire, l'accueil est ouvert le soir ?

    "Côté horaire" is a concise, natural spoken transition. "L'accueil" names the service precisely instead of the vague "c'est".

Your turn: the same topic, timed

Start the timer and do the task aloud, without rereading the example. For a real exchange and feedback (estimated NCLC, mistakes one by one), take this topic with the AI examiner.

Press Start: a topic is drawn at random.

Preparation

2:00

On your own you get no answers: the drill checks you have enough questions to last 3 min 30.

Take this topic with the AI examiner Task 2 method

All annotated speaking examples

For writing too: 18 answers annotated sentence by sentence. Annotated writing examples

FAQ

How long is TCF Canada speaking task 2?

5 min 30 in total: 2 minutes of preparation, then 3 min 30 of interaction. You start and ask the questions; you may ask the examiner to repeat or clarify.

Official sources: Official speaking sample test · TCF candidate handbook (version Q, Sept. 2026)

Can I learn this dialogue by heart?

No. The examiner’s answers will differ, and anything that sounds memorised may be interrupted. Keep the method: set the scene, ask, react, follow up.

Official source: TCF candidate handbook (version Q, Sept. 2026)

What if the examiner does not know the answer?

React simply (“Ah, d’accord, je vérifierai”) and move on to another point. It shows you are listening and keeping control of the exchange.

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.

Original example by TCF TEF Study, written to the official format — not an exam topic. Levels: estimated NCLC, not an official mark. https://tcftefstudy.com/en/tcf-canada/expression-orale/tache-2/exemple-1