Templates

TCF Canada Writing and Speaking Templates

How to structure each of the six Writing and Speaking tasks: what goes in each part, what to include and what to leave out, with model answers in French and quick drills to make it stick.

Writing templates Speaking templates

Writing templates

One template for each task: the message, the article and the comparison of two opinions. Each shows the plan with word budgets, what to include and leave out, and a model text with its word count.

A cartoon of a woman writing a party invitation at her kitchen table

Writing Task 160 to 120 words

A message

The 4-block message

Greeting and context, the main point, the practical details, then a closing that asks for a reply. Four short blocks answer every point in the instructions, which is what the raters check first.

Greeting and context
The main point
Practical details
Closing

A cartoon of a man writing a blog article about planting trees in a park

Writing Task 2120 to 150 words

An article or letter

The story-and-opinion article

Set the scene, tell what happened, zoom in on one moment, then give your opinion to the readers. Task 2 asks for an account with comments, so the last block is where the higher levels are won.

Set the scene
What happened
One strong moment
Opinion for the readers

A cartoon of a woman weighing two documents on a balance before giving her opinion

Writing Task 3120 to 180 words

Compare two opinions

The two-part comparison

First restate each document's view in your own words, then take a position, argue it, nuance it and conclude. The second part is the larger share, because that is where you show you can argue.

Document 1, rephrased
Document 2, rephrased
Your position
Argument and example
Nuance
Conclusion

Tu or vous? Decide before you write

Task 1 can be for a friend or for someone you don’t know. The four blocks don’t change, but the greeting, the sign-off and every verb do. Mixing them is one of the most common Task 1 mistakes.

The Task 1 message template

Writing to	Open	Sign off
A friend, a cousin, a close colleaguetu	Salut Karim, / Coucou Léa,	À bientôt ! / Bises,
A neighbour, a landlord, an organisationvous	Bonjour Madame Roy, / Madame, Monsieur,	Cordialement, / Bien à vous,

Speaking templates

The examiner leads Task 1 and Task 3, and you lead Task 2. Each template splits the time into stages with a budget, and each page has a pacing timer to practise against out loud.

A cartoon of a candidate waving hello to an examiner across a desk

Speaking Task 12 minutes

Guided interview

The 4-topic interview

Who you are, what you do, your life here, your plans. The examiner asks about you for two minutes; with four topics ready, every answer is full and you never run dry.

Who I am
What I do
My life here
My plans

A cartoon of a man on the phone asking a community centre about cooking classes

Speaking Task 23 min 30 of dialogue

Role-play

The question-led role-play

Open the call, ask the essential questions, then the detail ones, react to the answers and close. In Task 2 you ask the questions, and leading the conversation is what scores.

Open and explain
Essential questions
Detail questions
React and decide
Thank and close

A cartoon of a woman confidently giving her opinion while an examiner raises a hand to object

Speaking Task 34 min 30

Give and defend your opinion

The defended opinion

Your position, two arguments with examples, an answer to the examiner's objection, and a conclusion. A clear plan keeps you talking for four and a half minutes, and handling the push-back is where the higher levels are.

Your position
First argument
Second argument
Answer the push-back
Conclusion

Listening and Reading don’t need a template

They are multiple-choice questions, so their guides teach technique instead: how the questions get harder and how to manage the time.

Listening Reading

Frequently asked questions

Is it OK to use a template in the TCF Canada?

Yes, for the structure. What FEI penalises is a text or speech learned by heart, which can be rated “A1 non atteint”. Use the template to decide what goes in each part, then fill it with your own words about the subject you get.

Which TCF Canada tasks have a template?

All three Writing tasks (a message, an article or letter, a comparison of two opinions) and all three Speaking tasks (the guided interview, the role-play and the opinion). Listening and Reading are multiple choice, so they don’t need one.

Why are the model answers in French when the page is in English?

Because the exam is in French. The explanations follow your interface language, but the starters, the model texts and the sample lines stay in French so you practise exactly what you’ll write and say.

Are the templates free?

Yes. Every template and drill is free without an account. To try one on a real task and get an estimated mark, open the question bank: the template sits beside the task while you practise.