Glossary
The words of the test, in plain terms.
CLB, CEFR, sitting, combination: the terms you will meet while preparing for TCF Canada and your file, explained in a sentence or two.
- Accredited centre
- An institution authorized to run TCF Canada. You register with it: it sets its session dates, its procedure and its fee.
- CEFR
- Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It describes six levels, from A1 to C2. Questions in both comprehension tests follow that progression, from easiest to hardest.
- CLB
- Canadian Language Benchmarks, the scale used for English in immigration programs. Its French counterpart is called NCLC. Each TCF Canada test is converted separately into a level.
- Combination
- On TCF Canada Ready, a set bringing together one prompt of every task of an expression test, as on test day. Prompts are always presented by combination.
- Convocation
- The document sent by your centre, giving the date, times and place of the tests. It stays on your table during the test.
- Express Entry
- The system Canada uses to manage permanent residence applications for several economic immigration programs. Language results are expressed in CLB levels.
- France Éducation international
- The French public body that designs TCF Canada, centralizes its marking and issues results certificates.
- IRCC
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Canadian department in charge of immigration. It publishes the table that converts TCF Canada scores into CLB levels.
- Listening
- A test of 39 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes. Every recording is played only once. Scored out of 699 points.
- MCQ
- Multiple-choice question. In both comprehension tests each question offers four answers, only one of which is correct.
- NCLC
- Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, the French-language name of the Canadian benchmarks. It is the scale applied to your TCF Canada results.
- Reading
- A test of 39 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, on documents of rising difficulty. Scored out of 699 points.
- Results certificate
- The document issued by France Éducation international after the test. It shows your results in the four tests, is secured by a QR code and remains valid for two years from the date results are issued.
- Session
- For a centre, a test date. On TCF Canada Ready, a monthly session groups the expression prompts of the same month.
- Set
- On TCF Canada Ready, a group of 39 comprehension questions, from A1 to C2, in test order.
- Sitting
- Taking the test at a session. A 20-day wait is required between two sittings of TCF Canada.
- Speaking
- A 12-minute individual test facing an examiner, in three tasks: guided interview, interaction exercise and expressing a point of view. Scored out of 20.
- Task
- An exercise within an expression test. Writing and speaking have three tasks each.
- TCF Canada
- Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada. It is intended for people who need to certify their level of French for economic immigration or Canadian citizenship.
- Test day
- The day of your test. On TCF Canada Ready, the whole study plan is built backwards from that date.
- Writing
- A test of three tasks in 60 minutes: a message of 60 to 120 words, a text of 120 to 150 words and a comparison of two viewpoints of 120 to 180 words. Scored out of 20.
Official source: France Éducation international and IRCC. Checked on October 11, 2026.
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