FR FR DONATE DONATE

Difference between TEF and TCF Canada

Community

Difference between TEF and TCF

Every week, we welcome a group of people that are interested in presenting an official French language proficiency test for immigration purposes. As an official testing centre for TEF and TCF, we often get asked, what is the difference between the TEF and TCF?  

In this post we will be explaining that difference, and since we already spoke about the TEF, we will be covering the TCF in more detail. There are different types of TCF exams, depending on the immigration purposes; however, since we apply the TCF-Canada, we will be discussing the test for Canadian citizenship.

What is the TCF ? 

The TCF (Test de Connaissance du Français) is a French language proficiency test that meets the standards of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). TCF-Canada results are accepted for the purposes of economic immigration or for obtaining Canadian citizenship.

It is an exam that has been developed by France Education International, an institution that is under the supervision of the Ministry of National Education and Youth in France.

 TCF-Canada test parts

The TCF-Canada consists of four mandatory parts. It evaluates general French language proficiency in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking, and writing divided in:

  • Listening comprehension: 39 multiple choice questions.
  • Reading comprehension: 39 multiple choice questions for the reading comprehension with only one correct answer possible.
  • Oral expression: 3 speaking tasks, organized according to a progressively increasing level of difficulty.
  • Written expression: 3 writing tasks, also with a progressively increasing level of difficulty.

The level of difficulty of the tasks correspond to the benchmarks specified by the European Framework for Language Learning, Teaching and Evaluation as well as the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB).





What is the difference between the TEF and TCF?

The first difference is the institutions that create and organize the test:

  • The TEF is organized by the Chambre de Commerce Internationale de Paris, whose purpose is to promote and help develop the economical aspects of the francophone community in the world.
  • The TCF is organized by the institution France Éducation International, the same group that creates and develops the DELF and DALF, and that is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education in France.

They evaluate almost the same competencies, except that the TEF for Canadian citizenship exam considers oral comprehension and oral expression as well.

In comparison, there are more questions in the TEF examen, but less subjects to discuss and write about during the oral and written comprehension, versus the TCF Canada.
Overall, they are both recognized for immigration purposes and evaluate the same type of competencies and its difficulty is subjective to the level of preparation of the candidate.
When it comes to choosing which exam to take, it might be a question of the type of immigration process that is being done and the availability of spots on test application sessions.

Thinking of taking the TCF or TEF test? Prepare yourself online with PREPmyfuture!

Need extra preparation? Consider one of our French classes to improve your French and help you pass your TEF Canada exam. 

Want to present your TCF Canada exam in Vancouver? Register today for one of our upcoming tests!

Share It Share It