NCLC 5 French: TCF and TEF Scores, B1 Level and What It Unlocks

NCLC 5 is an intermediate French level, roughly B1. On the TCF Canada it starts at 369 in listening, 375 in reading and 6 out of 20 in writing and speaking. On the TEF Canada (the Express Entry column) it starts at 181, 151, 226 and 226.

It's the level that opens the first doors: the Mobilité francophone work permit, the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, the Canadian Experience Class for TEER 2 and 3 jobs, and a few CRS points. It isn't enough for the French bonus or the French-category Express Entry draws: those need NCLC 7 in all four skills. This guide shows the exact scores, what NCLC 5 gets you in 2026, and how far you are from the next level.

NCLC 5 TCF score: the official ranges

IRCC converts every TCF Canada result to an NCLC level with one table. Here it is, with the NCLC 5 row highlighted:

Two details matter at this level:

• Writing and speaking have a one-point band. NCLC 5 is exactly 6 out of 20. A 5 is NCLC 4, and a 7 is already NCLC 6. One point either way changes your level.
• Each skill counts on its own. There is no average. If a program asks for NCLC 5 in all four skills, a 5/20 in speaking means you don't meet it, however good your reading is.

To check your own results, type them into the converter below. It shows your level in each skill and the lowest one, which is what most programs look at.

NCLC 5 TEF score: which column to read

The TEF Canada certificate has two score columns. For Express Entry, IRCC uses the "Équivalence ancien score" (listening out of 360, reading out of 300, writing and speaking out of 450), never the "Score / 699" column. Here is that table with NCLC 5 highlighted:

Some programs outside Express Entry, including the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot and the post-graduation work permit, publish their TEF tables on the /699 scale for tests taken from 11 December 2023. Use the switch above the table to see that version. If you're not sure which column a program uses, our TEF Canada score chart explains both, and the NCLC score converter handles both.

Is NCLC 5 B1?

Roughly, yes. France Éducation international reports a CEFR level on every TCF certificate. Put next to IRCC's table:

• Listening: NCLC 5 (369–397) sits entirely in the B1 band (300–399).
• Reading: NCLC 5 (375–405) is B1, except the top few points (400–405), which the certificate already calls B2.
• Writing and speaking: 6 out of 20 is the bottom of the B1 band (6–9).

So a TCF Canada certificate at NCLC 5 will usually show B1. The TEF Canada "ancien" scores have no official CEFR mapping, so for the TEF just use the NCLC table.

What B1 means in practice: you can follow the main points of clear speech on familiar topics, deal with most everyday situations, write a simple connected text and give reasons for an opinion. You still hesitate and lose detail when people speak fast or the topic gets abstract. That's a real, usable level of French, and it's where many learners plateau.

What NCLC 5 unlocks in 2026

Pick your lowest speaking or listening level and your lowest reading or writing level. The checklist shows which official French minimums you meet.

Here is what each one means for an NCLC 5 candidate.

Mobilité francophone work permit (oral NCLC 5)

The Mobilité francophone work permit lets a Canadian employer outside Quebec hire a French-speaking worker without an LMIA. IRCC asks for NCLC 5 or higher in speaking and listening, and nothing in reading or writing. The job can be in any TEER category except primary agriculture jobs in TEER 4 or 5. For many candidates this is the most direct use of NCLC 5: a work permit now, Canadian experience next.

Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (NCLC 5 in all four)

The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) is a permanent residence pilot for French speakers who have a job offer from an employer in a participating community outside Quebec. IRCC requires NCLC 5 in all four abilities, with TCF Canada or TEF Canada results less than two years old. Our FCIP guide covers the communities and the steps.

Canadian Experience Class for TEER 2 and 3 jobs

If your Canadian work experience is in a TEER 2 or TEER 3 occupation, the Canadian Experience Class asks for NCLC 5 in all four abilities when French is your first official language. TEER 0 and 1 jobs need NCLC 7.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

For the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the French minimum is NCLC 5 in speaking and listening and NCLC 4 in reading and writing. NCLC 5 in all four covers it with room to spare.

Second official language points

If English is your first official language and you have NCLC 5 in all four French skills:

• In Express Entry's CRS, each French skill at NCLC 5 or 6 earns 1 point, so 4 points.
• In the Federal Skilled Worker 67-point eligibility grid, NCLC 5 or higher in all four skills of your second official language adds 4 selection points. Our FSW points calculator shows whether those 4 points get you over the line.

Provincial nominee streams and citizenship

Some provincial nominee streams set their French minimums below NCLC 7. Our French PNP streams tool lists the current ones, and the Manitoba PNP with French at NCLC 5 guide covers one example in detail.

For citizenship, IRCC asks adults aged 18 to 54 for B1 or higher in listening and speaking on the TCF or TEF. NCLC 5 on the TCF Canada meets that (369+ listening is B1, 6/20 speaking is B1). See our French test for citizenship guide.

For every program on one page, with English and French minimums side by side, use the Canada immigration language requirements checker.

What NCLC 5 doesn't get you

Here's the honest part. For Express Entry, most of the value of French starts at NCLC 7 in all four skills:

• French-language category draws need NCLC 7 in all four abilities. NCLC 5 doesn't put you in that pool.
• The French bonus (25 CRS points, or 50 with CLB 5+ in English) needs NCLC 7 in all four.
• Federal Skilled Worker eligibility needs NCLC 7 in all four if French is your first official language.
• Canadian Experience Class with a TEER 0 or 1 job needs NCLC 7.

See the difference for yourself. The calculator starts at NCLC 5 in every skill: move all four to NCLC 7.

Worked example: what two more levels are worth

An illustrative example, calculated with the CRS grid on canada.ca. Ana is 29, single, has a bachelor's degree, three years of skilled work outside Canada and CLB 9 in English.

• No French test: 429 CRS points.
• NCLC 5 in all four French skills: 433. French adds 4 second-language points.
• NCLC 6 in all four: still 433. NCLC 5 and 6 earn the same second-language points.
• NCLC 7 in all four: 491. That's 12 second-language points plus the 50-point bonus, and Ana can now enter French-category draws.

Moving from NCLC 5 to NCLC 7 is worth 58 points for Ana, and a second route to an invitation. To see the most valuable change for your own profile, try the CRS score improver.

How far is NCLC 5 from NCLC 7?

On the TCF Canada, the distance from the bottom of NCLC 5 to the bottom of NCLC 7 is:

In CEFR terms, that's the step from B1 to B2, and it's the hardest step for many adult learners. Writing and speaking need you to argue, compare and nuance, not just describe. Listening and reading jump to longer, faster, more abstract documents.

How long it takes depends on your hours. The planner below uses one language school's published estimate of course hours per CEFR level, so treat it as a rough guide. Try it with a target of NCLC 5, then switch to NCLC 7.

For a fuller plan, the French study plan builder turns your target and weekly hours into a week-by-week schedule, and our zero to NCLC 7 timeline explains where the hours go.

At B1, the errors that cap writing and speaking scores are usually basic ones: the wrong gender, a shaky verb form, words in the wrong order. They are also the easiest to fix in short daily doses. These three free French games target exactly those.

Should you stop at NCLC 5?

It depends on your route:

• Aiming for Mobilité francophone or the FCIP? NCLC 5 is your target. Aim a band higher in the skills where you're close to the line, so a bad day doesn't cost you the permit.
• Aiming for Express Entry? Treat NCLC 5 as a milestone, not the finish. The French category and the bonus both start at NCLC 7. Our guide to NCLC 7 on the TCF Canada (and on the TEF Canada) gives the exact targets.
• Already well above NCLC 7? Then NCLC 9 is worth a look: see NCLC 9 TCF and TEF scores.

Whichever applies, the French for Express Entry guide puts all the French routes in one place.

What to do next

1. Find your level in 10 questions

   Take the free French level test. It takes a few minutes and tells you roughly where you sit before you spend money on an exam.

2. Take a full timed mock test

   A free mock test in the TCF or TEF format gives you a score for each skill. Convert it with the NCLC score converter and note your weakest skill.

3. Check what your level unlocks

   Put your levels into the language requirements checker to see every program you meet today, and what NCLC 7 would add.

4. Train the weakest skill

   Speaking and writing usually move slowest. Practise them with the TCF Canada speaking practice or the TEF Canada practice test, and see our plans for scored feedback on every attempt.