TCF Canada Speaking (Expression orale, or EO) is 12 minutes face to face with an examiner, in three tasks: a 2-minute guided interview, a 5-minute-30 role-play where you ask the questions (including 2 minutes to prepare), and a 4-minute-30 task where you give and defend an opinion. It's recorded, marked by the examiner and again by FEI, and gives a mark out of 20 that IRCC converts to an NCLC level.
- 12 minutes, one-to-one with an examiner, always face to face.
- Task 2 is the only one with preparation time: 2 minutes.
- In Task 2, you ask the questions.
- Memorised speeches can be rated "A1 non atteint".
- NCLC 7 starts at 10 out of 20.
What are the three tasks?
| Task | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Guided interview | The examiner, someone you don't know, asks about you: your life, work, studies, interests. No preparation. | 2 min |
| 2. Interaction | An everyday situation where you need information, such as booking, enrolling or buying. The roles are set in the instructions, and you ask the examiner questions. | 5 min 30, including 2 min to prepare |
| 3. Point of view | The examiner picks a question, and you give your opinion and defend it. The examiner may interrupt with follow-up questions. No preparation. | 4 min 30 |
How should you handle Task 1?
Treat it as a real conversation with someone you've just met. Give full answers, not single words: say what you do, add a detail, explain why. Use vous with the examiner. Two minutes is short, so don't wait to be asked a follow-up.
How should you handle Task 2?
This is the task many candidates get wrong: you are the one who asks the questions. Use the 2 minutes to list what you need to know (price, dates, times, conditions, how to sign up) and the questions to ask. Then lead the conversation, react to the answers and ask follow-ups. You can use draft paper. Here are questions for an example situation written by Exam Hero:
Vous voulez vous inscrire à un cours de cuisine dans un centre communautaire. Vous appelez le centre pour obtenir des informations.
- Bonjour, je vous appelle au sujet de vos cours de cuisine. Est-ce qu’il reste des places pour la session d’automne ?
- Les cours ont lieu quel jour, et à quelle heure ?
- Combien coûte l’inscription, et est-ce que le matériel est compris ?
- Faut-il avoir un niveau particulier, ou les débutants sont-ils acceptés ?
- Comment est-ce que je peux m’inscrire : en ligne ou sur place ?
- Et si je dois annuler, est-ce que je suis remboursé ?
Vary the question forms (est-ce que, inversion, question words) and keep the polite register throughout.
How should you handle Task 3?
State your opinion clearly in your first sentence, give two or three reasons with examples, and finish with a short conclusion. When the examiner interrupts with a counter-argument, that's part of the task: acknowledge it, then defend or nuance your view. Spontaneous, organised speech scores better than a perfect but recited answer.
How is Speaking marked?
Each task is given a CEFR level by two raters, and FEI combines the levels into a mark out of 20 with a formula it doesn't publish. The published criteria are:
- Linguistic: range and control of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, ease, pronunciation, overall fluency.
- Pragmatic: interaction, structure, coherence and cohesion, thematic development.
- Sociolinguistic: fit to the situation.
| NCLC | Speaking mark |
|---|---|
| 10 and above | 16–20 |
| 9 | 14–15 |
| 8 | 12–13 |
| 7 | 10–11 |
| 6 | 7–9 |
| 5 | 6 |
| 4 | 4–5 |
Check IRCC's website for the current table. Canadian citizenship asks for NCLC 4 in speaking and listening.
What mistakes cost the most marks?
- Answering in Task 2 instead of asking. If the examiner does most of the talking, the task isn't done.
- Reciting prepared answers. It can be rated "A1 non atteint" and treated as fraud.
- Short answers in Task 1. Develop each answer with a detail or a reason.
- Giving up on your opinion in Task 3. Defend it, or nuance it, but keep a clear position.
Practise all three tasks with Exam Hero's live French examiner in the question bank, with an estimated mark out of 20 and feedback on each criterion. Exam Hero is an independent preparation platform, not affiliated with FEI or IRCC, and its marks are estimates.
