Task 2 of the TCF Canada speaking test (expression orale, tâche 2) is a short role-play. The examiner becomes someone you'd meet in daily life: a receptionist, a landlord, a shop assistant. Your job is to get information by asking questions.
Many candidates find it the most stressful part of the speaking test, because you have to react in real time. The good news is that it's also the most predictable. The skills that score well can be learned in a few weeks.
How speaking task 2 works
- Preparation time
- 2 min
- Conversation with the examiner
- 3½ min
- Speaking tasks in total (about 12 min)
- 3
- Speaking score scale
- 0–20
The speaking test has three tasks:
- Task 1, guided interview (entretien dirigé): about 2 minutes, no preparation. You talk about yourself.
- Task 2, interaction (exercice en interaction): 5½ minutes including 2 minutes of preparation. You ask questions in a role-play.
- Task 3, expressing a point of view (expression d'un point de vue): about 4½ minutes, no preparation. You give and defend an opinion.
In task 2, you receive a short situation in French. You use the preparation time to plan your questions. Then the examiner starts the conversation in role. For more on the whole test, see the TCF Canada exam format, or take a full free TCF Canada practice test.
Try the real timing now: pick a scenario from the list below, start the timer, and plan your questions before the conversation phase begins.
TCF Canada practice timer
Exercice en interaction
2:00
Timings from France Éducation international. Task 2 includes 2 minutes of preparation.
Listen to an example prompt
Here is an original task 2 prompt from our practice bank, read aloud by our examiner voice. Listen first, then open the transcript.
Vous souhaitez inscrire votre enfant à des cours de natation. Vous téléphonez au centre sportif de votre quartier. Je suis l'employée du centre. Posez-moi des questions pour obtenir toutes les informations utiles.
When the preparation time ends, the examiner opens the role-play:
Centre sportif des Érables, bonjour ! Comment puis-je vous aider ?
What examiners are listening for
The task tests interaction. Examiners want to see that you can:
- open and close a conversation politely, in the right register (vous, not tu, with an employee),
- ask many different questions that cover the situation: dates, times, prices, conditions, documents, options,
- use a variety of question forms, not the same structure every time,
- react to the answers: ask for a detail, check you've understood, compare options,
- keep the conversation going for the whole time without long silences.
A candidate who asks five questions with "Est-ce que…" and then runs out of ideas after a minute will struggle to reach NCLC 7. A candidate who covers ten aspects of the situation, varies the grammar and reacts naturally is on the right track.
Your question toolkit
French has three main ways to ask a question. Use all three. For more ready-made phrases and practice prompts, see the free TCF and TEF speaking question bank.
| Form | Example | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Intonation | Les cours commencent en septembre ? | Quick checks, natural speech |
| Est-ce que | Est-ce que les cours sont donnés le samedi ? | Safe and clear, but don't overuse it |
| Inversion | Combien coûte l'inscription ? / Faut-il apporter un certificat ? | Polite, formal: shows range |
| Polite conditional | Pourriez-vous me dire… ? / Je voudrais savoir si… | Opening and indirect questions |
| Question words | Quand, où, combien, comment, quel(le)s, qui, pourquoi | Cover every aspect of the situation |
Useful phrases for reacting:
- D'accord, et est-ce qu'il y a des réductions pour les familles ? (follow-up)
- Si j'ai bien compris, les cours ont lieu le mercredi à 17 h ? (checking understanding)
- Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous répéter le prix ? (asking for repetition)
- C'est parfait, merci beaucoup pour ces renseignements. Bonne journée ! (closing)
A full model dialogue
Below is a model answer for the swimming-lessons prompt. It's written to show the range expected at around NCLC 7 or above: clear, polite and varied rather than complicated. The numbered highlights are explained underneath.
Employée : Centre sportif des Érables, bonjour ! Comment puis-je vous aider ?
Candidat : Bonjour madame, je vous appelle parce que je voudrais inscrire mon fils à des cours de natation.1 Pourriez-vous me donner quelques renseignements ?2
Employée : Bien sûr. Quel âge a votre fils ?
Candidat : Il a huit ans. Il sait un peu nager, mais il n'est pas encore très à l'aise. Quels cours proposez-vous pour son âge ?3
Employée : Nous avons des cours pour les 6–9 ans, le mercredi après l'école et le samedi matin.
Candidat : Le samedi matin, ce serait idéal. À quelle heure commence le cours, et combien de temps dure-t-il ?4
Employée : De 9 h à 9 h 45.
Candidat : Donc, si j'ai bien compris, c'est 45 minutes chaque samedi.5 Et combien coûte la session ?
Employée : 120 dollars pour dix semaines.
Candidat : Est-ce qu'il y a une réduction pour les familles ? J'ai aussi une fille de cinq ans qui pourrait être intéressée plus tard.
Employée : Oui, 10 % à partir du deuxième enfant.
Candidat : Très bien. Je voudrais aussi savoir s'il faut apporter un certificat médical6, ou un document particulier pour l'inscription ?
Employée : Non, seulement une pièce d'identité de l'enfant. Vous pouvez vous inscrire en ligne ou sur place.
Candidat : Parfait. Et les parents peuvent-ils rester pour regarder le cours ?
Employée : Oui, il y a une galerie pour les parents.
Candidat : Super. Dernière question : quand commence la prochaine session ?
Employée : Le 14 septembre.
Candidat : Merci beaucoup, c'est très clair. Je vais l'inscrire en ligne ce soir. Bonne journée, madame !7
Why it works
- 1A polite, complete opening that states the purpose of the call.
- 2Polite conditional (pourriez-vous) for the first question: a good register marker.
- 3Inversion with a question word shows grammatical range.
- 4Reacting to the answer and asking a follow-up instead of moving to a new list item.
- 5Checking understanding by reformulating: a key interaction skill.
- 6Indirect question (je voudrais savoir si…) adds variety.
- 7A natural closing that thanks the examiner and ends the role-play.
In about three and a half minutes, the candidate covered age group, schedule, duration, price, discounts, documents, registration method, parent access and start date. That breadth, plus varied question forms, is what task 2 rewards.
10 scenarios to practise
These are original prompts in the task 2 format. For each one, give yourself 2 minutes to prepare and 3½ minutes to speak. Record yourself.
- Renting an apartment. You call about an apartment ad. Ask about rent, charges, the neighbourhood, transport and the move-in date.
- Joining a gym. Ask about membership options, opening hours, classes, cancellation and trial sessions.
- Enrolling in a French course. Ask about levels, timetable, price, placement tests and certificates.
- Volunteering. You want to volunteer at a food bank. Ask about tasks, schedules, training and requirements.
- Booking a holiday. You call a travel agency about a week in Quebec City. Ask about accommodation, activities, prices and cancellation.
- A new neighbour. You've just moved in. Ask your neighbour about the area: shops, schools, parking, rubbish collection and local activities.
- Buying a used car. You call a private seller. Ask about the car's age, mileage, condition, price and a test drive.
- Daycare for your child. Ask about places available, hours, meals, staff and fees.
- Hiring a moving company. Ask about availability, prices, insurance, packing and what's included.
- A community event. You call the city hall about a summer festival. Ask about dates, the programme, tickets, access and volunteering.
Want prompts dealt to you with the clock already running? Our speaking cards game draws a task 2 scenario, runs the preparation and speaking times, and ends with a short self-check (did you ask eight different questions, react to the answers, thank the examiner?).
Common mistakes that cost points
- Using tu with the examiner. Unless the prompt says you're talking to a friend, stay with vous.
- Asking only yes/no questions. Open questions (comment, pourquoi, quels…) lead to richer exchanges.
- Not listening to the answer. Reacting to what the examiner says is part of the score. Don't recite a list.
- Stopping too early. If you run out of questions, ask about details: payment methods, parking, what to bring, what happens if you're late.
- Forgetting to close. A short thank-you and goodbye ends the role-play cleanly.
Practise with feedback
Reading model answers helps, but speaking is a physical skill. Practise out loud, under time pressure, as often as you can. Our TCF Canada speaking practice lets you record answers to tasks 1, 2 and 3 and get AI feedback on each one. For the bigger picture, check where speaking sits in your overall level with the NCLC 7 guide, or try the full mock test. Your speaking score is out of 20; the NCLC score converter shows what it means for Express Entry (10/20 is NCLC 7).
Taking the TEF Canada instead? Its speaking test has two role-plays (asking for information, then convincing someone), and the test owner publishes no separate preparation time. See our TEF Canada speaking examples and the TEF Canada speaking practice. Practising writing too? Our TCF Canada writing task 3 examples follow the same format.