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TCF Canada Speaking · task 2

TCF Canada speaking task 2: annotated example 2 (CV workshop at a job centre)

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 price to check it, and reacting naturally to an uncertain answer.

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The card

Vous cherchez un emploi à Sherbrooke et vous voulez améliorer votre curriculum vitæ. Vous téléphonez au Centre d'emploi Les Passerelles. Vous posez des questions à l'employé(e) de l'accueil pour vous informer sur l'atelier consacré au CV (dates, horaire, prix, inscription…).

Translation: You are looking for a job in Sherbrooke and want to improve your résumé. You phone the Les Passerelles employment centre. You ask the receptionist questions to find out about the résumé workshop (dates, schedule, price, registration…).

Points noted during the 2-minute preparation

  1. Greet, introduce myself: job hunting, want a better CV
  2. Workshop dates and schedule
  3. Exact location, price, conditions for free entry
  4. Check the price by rephrasing it
  5. How to register, deadline
  6. What to bring, individual follow-up after the workshop
  7. Parking or bus, then thank them

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.

399 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. Je cherche du travail à Sherbrooke et j'ai vu que vous offriez un atelier sur le CV. J'aimerais savoir quand il aura lieu, s'il vous plaît.

Hello, ma'am. I'm looking for work in Sherbrooke and I saw that you offer a CV workshop. I'd like to know when it will take place, please.

Complete opening: greeting, one-sentence context, then a polite indirect question ("J'aimerais savoir quand…"), with no inversion after "savoir".

Examiner: Bonjour ! Oui, c'est l'atelier « Mon CV, mon meilleur atout ». Il se donne en deux soirées, les mardis 4 et 11 novembre. Ça commence à 18 h 30 et ça finit à 20 h 30.

Hello! Yes, that's the workshop "My CV, my best asset." It runs over two evenings, Tuesday November 4 and 11. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m.

Candidate: Le soir, c'est parfait, puisque je travaille la journée. Et ça se passe où, exactement ? Est-ce qu'il y a des frais ?

Evenings are perfect, since I work during the day. And where exactly does it take place? Are there any fees?

Personal reaction with a reason ("puisque"), then two different forms: a question word at the end (spoken style) and "est-ce que".

Examiner: Ici même, dans la salle Érable, au deuxième. Pour le prix, c'est 25 dollars, et ça inclut les deux soirées. Par contre, si vous êtes déjà membre chez nous, vous n'avez rien à payer.

Right here, in the Érable room, on the second floor. As for the price, it's 25 dollars, and that covers both evenings. However, if you're already a member here, you don't pay anything.

"Par contre" introduces a contrast; "si" introduces the condition for free attendance, which is worth a follow-up question.

Candidate: D'accord, donc si je comprends bien, c'est vingt-cinq dollars au total, pas par séance ? Et devenir membre du centre, ça coûte quelque chose ?

Okay, so if I understand correctly, it's twenty-five dollars in total, not per session? And does becoming a member of the centre cost anything?

Rephrasing to check a figure ("si je comprends bien"), then a direct follow-up on the condition just heard: active listening.

Examiner: C'est bien ça, 25 dollars pour l'ensemble. Et s'inscrire au centre ne coûte rien : vous devez seulement montrer une pièce d'identité.

That's right, 25 dollars for the whole thing. And signing up with the centre costs nothing: you just have to show a piece of ID.

Candidate: Ah, intéressant, je vais sûrement faire ça. Alors, comment puis-je m'inscrire à l'atelier ? Faut-il passer en personne ?

Oh, interesting, I'll probably do that. So, how can I register for the workshop? Do I have to come in person?

A reaction showing interest, the connector "alors", then two formal inversions ("puis-je", "faut-il") that suit the vous register.

Examiner: Pas forcément. Je peux vous inscrire maintenant : il me faut votre nom, votre numéro et votre courriel. Vous recevrez une confirmation par courriel en moins de 24 heures. Sinon, vous passez à l'accueil. Dans les deux cas, c'est avant le vendredi 31 octobre, et on accepte douze personnes au maximum.

Not necessarily. I can register you now: I need your name, your number and your email. You'll get an email confirmation within 24 hours. Otherwise, you can come to the front desk. Either way, it's before Friday, October 31, and we take twelve people at most.

A dense answer: catch the deadline and the participant limit, two urgency signals worth picking up on.

Candidate: Douze places seulement ? Je ne vais pas tarder, alors. Et le soir de l'atelier, qu'est-ce que je devrais apporter ?

Only twelve spots? I won't wait too long, then. And on the evening of the workshop, what should I bring?

Echoing a detail just heard (rising intonation), a logical consequence, then a "qu'est-ce que" question with a polite conditional.

Examiner: Votre CV actuel, sur papier ou sur une clé USB, ainsi qu'une offre d'emploi qui vous attire.

Your current CV, on paper or on a USB key, as well as a job posting that appeals to you.

Candidate: Très bien. Pourriez-vous me dire s'il existe un suivi plus personnalisé après l'atelier ?

Very good. Could you tell me whether there's more personalized follow-up after the workshop?

A polite request in the conditional followed by an indirect "si" question: a formal phrasing, ideal for raising a new topic.

Examiner: Oui. Une fois l'atelier terminé, vous pouvez prendre rendez-vous seul à seul avec une de nos conseillères pour une demi-heure. C'est 15 dollars.

Yes. Once the workshop is over, you can book a one-on-one appointment with one of our advisors for half an hour. It's 15 dollars.

Candidate: Ce serait très utile. Et est-ce qu'elle pourrait aussi jeter un coup d'œil à ma lettre de motivation ?

That would be very useful. And could she also take a look at my cover letter?

A follow-up question that digs into the previous answer; the idiom "jeter un coup d'œil" enriches the vocabulary.

Examiner: Ça, honnêtement, je ne saurais pas vous dire. Il faudrait poser la question directement à la conseillère.

Honestly, I couldn't tell you that. You'd need to ask the advisor directly.

"Je ne saurais pas vous dire": she doesn't know. Don't push; accept it and move on.

Candidate: Pas de souci, je lui demanderai. Une dernière chose : il y a du stationnement près du centre ?

No problem, I'll ask her. One last thing: is there parking near the centre?

Calmly accepting the "I don't know", future tense for the next step, then an intonation question introduced by "une dernière chose".

Examiner: Oui, vous pouvez vous garer gratuitement derrière l'édifice. Et en autobus, la ligne 7 vous dépose juste devant la porte.

Yes, you can park for free behind the building. And by bus, route 7 drops you right in front of the door.

Candidate: Parfait, merci beaucoup, vous avez été très claire. Je passerai à l'accueil avec ma pièce d'identité pour m'inscrire au centre et à l'atelier. Bonne fin de journée !

Perfect, thank you very much, you've been very clear. I'll come to the front desk with my ID to sign up for the centre and the workshop. Have a good rest of the day!

A polite close: specific thanks, an action plan that sums up the information received, and a farewell.

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. Quand est-ce que l'atelier commence, s'il vous plaît ?
    → J'aimerais savoir quand il aura lieu, s'il vous plaît

    The indirect question in the conditional is more polite and varied; the future "aura lieu" shows control of syntax.

  2. c'est 25 dollars pour les deux ou c'est pour une seule ?
    → si je comprends bien, c'est vingt-cinq dollars au total, pas par séance

    Restating what you understood instead of asking again shows you listened and checks the figure clearly.

  3. est-ce qu'elle peut aussi regarder ma lettre de motivation
    → est-ce qu'elle pourrait aussi jeter un coup d'œil à ma lettre de motivation

    The conditional softens the request, and the idiom "jeter un coup d'œil" makes the language more natural and richer.

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-2