The TEF Canada writing test (expression écrite) gives you 60 minutes for two texts: in Section A you continue a news story in at least 80 words (25 minutes), and in Section B you defend your opinion on a statement in at least 200 words (35 minutes). Both are typed on a computer.
This guide explains what each section asks for, then shows annotated model answers we wrote at different levels, so you can see what separates an NCLC 5 text from an NCLC 7+ one. Everything below is original: no official subjects are reproduced.
How TEF Canada writing works
- Total, in two timed sections
- 60 min
- Section A: continue a news article
- 25 min
- Section B: argue a point of view
- 35 min
- Minimum words (A / B), no maximum
- 80 / 200
- On a computer. The listening, reading and writing tests are taken on computer. A virtual keyboard lets you type French accents. Paper writing is only an accommodation for candidates who can't use a computer.
- Each section is timed separately. When the 25 minutes of Section A end, you move on. Unused time doesn't carry over to Section B.
- Minimums, not ranges. Unlike the TCF Canada, which has a minimum and a maximum for each task, the TEF Canada only sets minimums.
- Two markers. Your writing is assessed by two independent markers.
For the full four-test structure, see the TEF Canada exam format.
Section A: continue a news story (fait divers)
The prompt is the start of a short newspaper fait divers: an unusual local event. Your job is to finish the article in at least 80 words, in several paragraphs.
Le français des affaires gives one key piece of advice for this section: don't copy or summarise the beginning; bring new information. The reader already knows how the story starts. They want to know what happened next, who was involved and how it ended.
A simple structure that works
- What happened next (the action, in the passé composé with the imparfait for background).
- Witnesses and details: a quote, a name, an age, a time. This is what makes it sound like a newspaper.
- The outcome and what follows: the consequences, a reaction from the authorities, a lesson.
Useful connectors: au même moment, aussitôt, quelques minutes plus tard, grâce à, selon les témoins, d'après la police, finalement, quant à…
Our practice prompt
Model at around NCLC 5
This answer completes the task: it's above 80 words, it continues the story and it uses paragraphs. But the sentences are short, the vocabulary repeats, and it reads like a list of actions rather than an article.
Une jeune femme passait à vélo. Elle a vu le garçon dans l'eau. Elle a laissé son vélo et elle a sauté dans le canal. L'eau était très froide. Elle a nagé vers le garçon et elle a pris le garçon dans ses bras. Les gens ont appelé les pompiers.
Les pompiers sont arrivés après dix minutes. Ils ont aidé la jeune femme et le garçon à sortir de l'eau. Le garçon allait bien. Sa mère était très contente. Elle a remercié la jeune femme. La jeune femme s'appelle Léa, elle a 22 ans. Elle est étudiante.
Model at NCLC 7 and above
The same story, but now it reads like journalism: varied sentence structure, a quote, an attribution, and a final paragraph that adds a consequence.
Au même moment1, Léa Tremblay, une étudiante de 22 ans qui rentrait de l'université à vélo, a entendu les cris de la mère. Sans hésiter2, elle a abandonné son vélo sur la piste cyclable et a plongé dans l'eau glacée. « Je n'ai pas réfléchi, j'ai simplement vu sa tête disparaître », a-t-elle confié3 à notre journaliste.
Grâce à4 son sang-froid, la jeune femme a réussi à attraper l'enfant et à le maintenir hors de l'eau jusqu'à l'arrivée des pompiers, alertés par des passants. Selon les secouristes5, le garçon, légèrement en hypothermie, a été transporté à l'hôpital par précaution. Il devrait pouvoir rentrer chez lui dès ce soir.
Cet incident relance le débat6 sur la sécurité le long du canal, où aucune barrière ne protège les promeneurs. La mairie d'arrondissement a promis d'étudier la question lors de son prochain conseil. Quant à Léa, elle sera honorée la semaine prochaine pour son courage.
Why it works
- 1A time connector picks up the story without repeating the prompt.
- 2An adverbial phrase replaces a second short sentence.
- 3A direct quote with inversion (a-t-elle confié): typical newspaper style.
- 4A cause connector links two events in one sentence.
- 5Attributing information to a source sounds like a real article.
- 6The last paragraph adds new information (consequences), as Le français des affaires recommends.
| Feature | About NCLC 5 | NCLC 7+ |
|---|---|---|
| Sentences | Short, one action each | Varied: relative clauses, participles, quotes |
| Repetition | "le garçon" four times | Pronouns and synonyms (l'enfant, le) |
| Connectors | et, après | au même moment, grâce à, quant à |
| Article style | A story told to a friend | Quote, source, consequences |
| New information | Rescue only | Rescue, hospital, public debate, award |
Section B: argue a point of view
The prompt is a statement taken from a newspaper. You write to the newspaper to say what you think, in at least 200 words, with at least three arguments. Le français des affaires notes that the letter format isn't compulsory: what matters is the argument.
A template you can reuse
- Introduction (2–3 sentences): restate the statement in your own words and give your position clearly.
- Argument 1 + an example.
- Argument 2 + an example.
- Argument 3 + an example.
- Concession and refutation: admit one point from the other side, then explain why your view still holds.
- Conclusion: restate your position and look ahead.
If you use the letter format, open with Madame, Monsieur, and close with a standard formula. These take seconds and make the text feel complete.
Model at NCLC 7 to 9
Madame, Monsieur,
Je réagis à l'opinion publiée dans votre journal1 selon laquelle les villes devraient interdire les voitures dans leur centre-ville. Je partage entièrement ce point de vue2, et je souhaiterais expliquer pourquoi.
Tout d'abord3, une telle mesure améliorerait la santé des habitants. Moins de voitures, c'est moins de pollution de l'air et moins de bruit. Les enfants qui vont à l'école à pied ou à vélo respireraient un air plus sain et seraient plus en sécurité.
Ensuite, contrairement à ce que pensent certains commerçants, un centre-ville sans voitures peut dynamiser l'économie locale. En effet4, les piétons s'arrêtent plus volontiers devant les vitrines, s'assoient en terrasse et reviennent plus souvent. Plusieurs rues piétonnes de ma ville, autrefois désertes, sont aujourd'hui animées du matin au soir.
Enfin, cette décision encouragerait chacun à repenser ses habitudes. Si les transports en commun étaient plus fréquents et moins chers, beaucoup de conducteurs laisseraient volontiers leur voiture au garage.
Certes5, il faudrait prévoir des exceptions pour les personnes à mobilité réduite, les livraisons et les services d'urgence. Néanmoins6, ces difficultés ne justifient pas l'immobilisme.
En conclusion7, interdire les voitures dans les centres-villes me semble une décision courageuse et nécessaire. J'espère que nos élus auront l'audace de la prendre.
Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.
Why it works
- 1The opening names the opinion you're responding to, without copying the prompt word for word.
- 2The position is clear from the second sentence.
- 3Signposting (Tout d'abord, Ensuite, Enfin) makes the three arguments easy to follow.
- 4Each argument is justified (En effet) and supported by a concrete example.
- 5A concession (Certes) shows you've considered the other side.
- 6Néanmoins turns the concession back into support for your view.
- 7The conclusion restates the position and ends with a call to act.
What an NCLC 5 version usually looks like
A weaker Section B often states an opinion (Je suis d'accord parce que c'est bien pour l'environnement), then repeats the same idea three times in different words. It reaches 200 words, but it has one argument, not three, no examples and no concession. If you recognise that pattern in your own writing, plan your three arguments on scrap paper first. Make sure they're genuinely different: health, economy and habits, for example, not "pollution", "air quality" and "the environment".
What markers reward (and where candidates lose points)
Le français des affaires doesn't publish its full marking grid, so the points below are our advice, based on the task instructions and on what separates the model answers above.
What helps:
- Doing exactly what the instructions ask: new information in A, three real arguments in B.
- Clear paragraphs. Section A explicitly asks for several.
- Varied structures: relative pronouns (qui, que, où, dont), the conditional for hypotheses, the subjunctive after il faut que and bien que.
- Precise vocabulary instead of chose, bien, faire everywhere.
What costs points:
- Copying or paraphrasing the prompt to fill space.
- Going under the minimum word count.
- Unfinished texts: stopping mid-argument because time ran out.
- Accent and agreement errors that you'd have caught with two minutes of checking.
Varied structures only score if the verb forms are right. A conditional for a hypothesis (cela permettrait) or a subjunctive after il faut que (il faut que les villes prennent) shows range, but a wrong ending costs you the accuracy you were trying to show. Drill the forms until they are reflexes.
For ready-made openings, opinion phrases and linking words, see our free French writing phrases for the TCF and TEF.
Typing French accents fast on the test keyboard
The test runs on a computer with a virtual keyboard for accents. Clicking every é slows you down, so practise before test day:
- Write your practice answers on a computer, not by hand. Typing speed in French is a skill of its own.
- Learn the common accented words so you're never hesitating: été, déjà, très, où, à, ça, français, première, dernière, problème.
- Leave two minutes per section to reread for accents and agreements. That's when most easy points are won back.
Knowing where the accents go matters as much as typing them: a (has) and à (to), ou (or) and où (where) are different words, and a missing accent reads as a spelling mistake. This game knocks the accents off common words and asks you to put them back, with look-alikes like ou and où shown in a sentence.
Try it here. The accent bar works like a virtual keyboard, and the counter shows when you pass the minimum.
Section B (our prompt) : « Le télétravail devrait devenir la norme pour tous les emplois de bureau. » Donnez votre opinion avec au moins trois arguments.
0 wordsMinimum: 200 words (no maximum)
200 more to reach the minimum
Counting rule: we count words separated by spaces, so "l'homme" counts as one word. Counts on the exam may differ slightly; aim for the middle of the range.
TEF vs TCF writing: the main differences
| TEF Canada | TCF Canada | |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks | 2 sections | 3 tasks |
| Time | 25 min + 35 min, each timed | 60 min for all three, no per-task timing |
| Word counts | Minimums only: 80 and 200 | Ranges: 60–120, 120–150, 120–180 |
| Long argument | Section B: 200+ words, 3 arguments | Task 3: compare two documents, then give your view |
| Score for Express Entry | Ancien score out of 450 | Out of 20 |
If you're still choosing a test, the TCF Canada's equivalent is task 3: see our TCF Canada writing task 3 examples and the TCF Canada writing practice page. The skills transfer: argument structure, connectors and examples matter in both tests.
Practise and check your level
- Write one Section A and one Section B under time limits each week. Use the prompts above, or any short local news story for Section A.
- Get feedback. You can practise TEF writing with AI scoring, which checks your text against the official task and word minimums. Then convert your estimate with the TEF Canada NCLC score converter.
- Don't neglect speaking. Section B of the speaking test uses the same skill, defending a point of view, out loud: see our TEF Canada speaking examples.
For listening, reading and full mock tests, start from the TEF Canada practice hub.