Guide TEF Canada
TEF Canada speaking section A: getting information (5 min)
TEF Canada speaking section A lasts 5 minutes: based on an everyday ad, you phone to get information and ask the examiner, who plays the person on the line, about ten questions.
Key facts
- Length: 5 minutes. Material: an ad (job, service, leisure, housing…). Typical instruction: you call to find out more and ask about ten questions.
- The examiner prepares partial answers: they do not have every piece of information, like a real person on the phone.
- What the official sample says is assessed: asking questions, getting the other person to clarify, keeping up a formal exchange; and for both sections, reacting naturally, vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation.
- Whole test: 2 sections, 15 minutes, face to face with an examiner; everything is recorded on a tablet (Passeport app) for a second rater.
- Scoring: the examiner rates on the spot, then a second rater listens to the recording. The level is converted into a score; for IRCC, NCLC 7 = 310 to 348 (“ancien score”).
- Preparation time: the official pages we consulted do not state it for each section.
Official sources: Official TEF sample — speaking (PDF) · TEF 2026 centre manager handbook (PDF) · Le français des affaires — TEF Canada · TEF Canada — on test day · TEF Canada — results · IRCC — language test results (Express Entry)
Practise now
No sign-up. An NCLC estimate as a range, never an official result.
Where candidates get stuck
What comes up most often in the candidate accounts we have read.
- Ten questions, but which ones? Candidates use up the ad in five questions, then repeat themselves. You need to go beyond what is written: conditions, exceptions, deadlines, documents.
- The “I don't know” answer. The examiner does not have every detail. You have to bounce back: ask who can answer, or put it another way.
- Formal “vous”. It is a call to a stranger: vous, polite phrases, conditional (“Pourriez-vous…”).
- Not listening to the answers. Information you are given should feed your next question.
Official sources: Official TEF sample — speaking (PDF) · TEF 2026 centre manager handbook (PDF)
How to practise
- Open the call: “Bonjour, je vous appelle au sujet de votre annonce…”. Close it: thank them, sum up what you will do next.
- Prepare question families: price and payment, dates and times, place and access, conditions, documents, and “what if…?”.
- Practise with our examiner: she answers the phone, does not know everything and counts your useful questions.
Original practice topics
83 topics written for this site, with pointers and, for writing, two model answers.
FAQ
How long is TEF Canada speaking section A?
5 minutes. The whole speaking test (sections A and B) lasts 15 minutes.
Official sources: Official TEF sample — speaking (PDF) · Le français des affaires — TEF Canada
Do I really have to ask ten questions?
The official sample instruction asks for “about ten” questions. What matters is the quality of the exchange: varied questions, follow-ups and a formal register.
Official source: Official TEF sample — speaking (PDF)
What if the examiner does not know the answer?
That is by design: the examiner has partial answers. React as you would in real life: ask who can help, or move on to another question.
Official source: TEF 2026 centre manager handbook (PDF)
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.