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Free tool · TCF Canada and TEF Canada
Pick a CEFR level (A1 to C2) or an NCLC level and see what it means on TCF Canada and TEF Canada, skill by skill, with the exact scores. There is no official one-to-one table, so we show the real overlap between the two official scales.
Have your test scores? Use the NCLC score converter
B2 spans NCLC 5–8 across the two tests
The span depends on the skill and the test: the two scales were cut at different scores. Check each skill below.
Scores as printed on the certificate (/699 for listening and reading, /20 for writing and speaking).
Listening · Compréhension orale
NCLC 6–7
B2 = 400–499 /699
Reading · Compréhension écrite
NCLC 5–8
B2 = 400–499 /699
Writing · Expression écrite
NCLC 7–8
B2 = 10–13 /20
Speaking · Expression orale
NCLC 7–8
B2 = 10–13 /20
The certificate prints CEFR from the “Score / 699” column. Express Entry uses the “Équivalence ancien score” column, shown as EE.
Listening · Compréhension orale
NCLC 6–8
B2 = 400–499 /699
EE column: 217–297
Reading · Compréhension écrite
NCLC 6–8
B2 = 400–499 /699
EE column: 181–247
Writing · Expression écrite
NCLC 6–8
B2 = 400–499 /699
EE column: 271–370
Speaking · Expression orale
NCLC 5–8
B2 = 400–499 /699
EE column: 226–370
Each row is a CEFR level, each column an NCLC level. A filled cell means some scores are both. Your choice is highlighted.
| CEFR / NCLC | Below 4 | NCLC 4 | NCLC 5 | NCLC 6 | NCLC 7 | NCLC 8 | NCLC 9 | NCLC 10+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | A1 and Below 4: scores 100 to 199 | A1 and NCLC 4: no shared scores | A1 and NCLC 5: no shared scores | A1 and NCLC 6: no shared scores | A1 and NCLC 7: no shared scores | A1 and NCLC 8: no shared scores | A1 and NCLC 9: no shared scores | A1 and NCLC 10+: no shared scores |
| A2 | A2 and Below 4: scores 200 to 299 | A2 and NCLC 4: no shared scores | A2 and NCLC 5: no shared scores | A2 and NCLC 6: no shared scores | A2 and NCLC 7: no shared scores | A2 and NCLC 8: no shared scores | A2 and NCLC 9: no shared scores | A2 and NCLC 10+: no shared scores |
| B1 | B1 and Below 4: scores 300 to 330 | B1 and NCLC 4: scores 331 to 368 | B1 and NCLC 5: scores 369 to 397 | B1 and NCLC 6: scores 398 to 399 | B1 and NCLC 7: no shared scores | B1 and NCLC 8: no shared scores | B1 and NCLC 9: no shared scores | B1 and NCLC 10+: no shared scores |
| B2 | B2 and Below 4: no shared scores | B2 and NCLC 4: no shared scores | B2 and NCLC 5: no shared scores | B2 and NCLC 6: scores 400 to 457 | B2 and NCLC 7: scores 458 to 499 | B2 and NCLC 8: no shared scores | B2 and NCLC 9: no shared scores | B2 and NCLC 10+: no shared scores |
| C1 | C1 and Below 4: no shared scores | C1 and NCLC 4: no shared scores | C1 and NCLC 5: no shared scores | C1 and NCLC 6: no shared scores | C1 and NCLC 7: scores 500 to 502 | C1 and NCLC 8: scores 503 to 522 | C1 and NCLC 9: scores 523 to 548 | C1 and NCLC 10+: scores 549 to 599 |
| C2 | C2 and Below 4: no shared scores | C2 and NCLC 4: no shared scores | C2 and NCLC 5: no shared scores | C2 and NCLC 6: no shared scores | C2 and NCLC 7: no shared scores | C2 and NCLC 8: no shared scores | C2 and NCLC 9: no shared scores | C2 and NCLC 10+: scores 600 to 699 |
Shared scoresYour choice
Last verified Oct 6, 2026Sources:IRCC language test equivalencies(opens in a new tab)TCF CEFR grid (France Éducation international)(opens in a new tab)TEF CEFR correspondence (Québec MIFI)(opens in a new tab)
Independent tool, not affiliated with IRCC. Confirm on canada.ca before you apply.
Read this first
The CEFR (A1 to C2, the European framework) and the NCLC (1 to 12, Canada's French benchmarks) are two different scales. IRCC publishes TCF Canada and TEF Canada score ranges for each NCLC level. The test owners publish score ranges for each CEFR level. Nobody publishes a direct CEFR to NCLC table.
So the honest answer to “is B2 NCLC 7?” is: sometimes. On TCF Canada listening, B2 starts at 400, but NCLC 7 starts at 458. A B2 listener can be NCLC 6 or NCLC 7. In writing and speaking, B2 (10 to 13 out of 20) is exactly NCLC 7 or 8.
This converter lines the two official tables up on the same score scale and shows every overlap. For immigration, the NCLC is what counts: IRCC reads your scores, not your CEFR label. Convert your real scores with the NCLC score converter.
Reference
The NCLC levels each CEFR level overlaps, per skill. TCF Canada uses its own scales; TEF Canada uses the certificate's /699 scale, where its CEFR level comes from.
| TCF Canada | TEF Canada | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEFR | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
| A1 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 |
| A2 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 – 4 | Below 4 – 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 | Below 4 – 4 | Below 4 |
| B1 | Below 4 – 6 | Below 4 – 5 | NCLC 5–6 | NCLC 5–6 | Below 4 – 6 | Below 4 – 6 | NCLC 4–6 | Below 4 – 5 |
| B2 | NCLC 6–7 | NCLC 5–8 | NCLC 7–8 | NCLC 7–8 | NCLC 6–8 | NCLC 6–8 | NCLC 6–8 | NCLC 5–8 |
| C1 | NCLC 7–10+ | NCLC 8–10+ | NCLC 9–10+ | NCLC 9–10+ | NCLC 8–10+ | NCLC 8–10+ | NCLC 8–10+ | NCLC 8–10+ |
| C2 | NCLC 10+ | NCLC 10+ | NCLC 10+ | NCLC 10+ | NCLC 10+ | NCLC 10+ | NCLC 10+ | NCLC 10+ |
“Below 4” means below NCLC 4: IRCC doesn't split NCLC 1 to 3. NCLC 10+ includes the TEF /699 table's NCLC 11 and 12. Computed from IRCC's equivalency tables, France Éducation international's TCF grid and Québec's TEF correspondence table.
By goal
Programs set NCLC levels. Here is what those levels look like in CEFR on TCF Canada, skill by skill.
NCLC 7 in all four skills
TCF Canada
NCLC 5 in listening and speaking
TCF Canada
NCLC 4 in listening and speaking (IRCC asks for B1 on TCF and TEF)
TCF Canada
FAQ
A CEFR label is a range. Take the free 10-question level check, then a full mock test, and get an NCLC level per skill.
Check my French level