TCF Canada Writing
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.
120 to 180 words · 40 to 60 for the summary, 80 to 120 for your opinion · about 30 minutes
The two-part comparison: remember it as
When to use it: Task 3 every time: two short documents with opposing views on a social question. On the computer test it has two boxes, the summary and your opinion, and this template has a part for each.
Each part has one job and a word budget. Fill every blank from the subject in front of you: the raters reward an answer to this task, and a text learned by heart can be rated “A1 non atteint”.
Part 1 · The two views
Name the debate in a few words, then give the first document's view in your own words.
Starters, in French
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Earns:Thematic developmentRange of vocabulary
Give the opposing view, with a connector that shows the contrast.
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Earns:Coherence and cohesionRange of vocabulary
Part 2 · Your opinion
Say clearly where you stand, in the first sentence of part two.
Starters, in French
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Earns:Thematic developmentCoherence and cohesion
Give your strongest reason and back it with a concrete example.
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Earns:Thematic developmentSentence building
Grant a point to the other side, then show how your position handles it.
Starters, in French
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Earns:Coherence and cohesionSentence building
Close with one sentence that sums up your view.
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Earns:Coherence and cohesionThematic development
The test for every idea: does the subject ask for it? If not, it costs words you need for the parts that score.
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Here are ideas you might jot down for the subject below. Sort each one before you see the model text.
The task
Vous écrivez un texte pour le site d’un journal. Dans une première partie, vous présentez les deux points de vue (40 à 60 mots). Dans une seconde partie, vous donnez votre opinion sur le télétravail (80 à 120 mots).
Pour Sophie Martin, consultante, le télétravail a changé sa vie. Elle ne perd plus deux heures par jour dans les transports et elle a plus de temps pour sa famille. Selon elle, on travaille aussi mieux chez soi, parce qu’on est moins dérangé.
Marc Lefebvre, directeur d’une PME, est plus réservé. D’après lui, le télétravail isole les employés et rend le travail d’équipe plus difficile. Les nouveaux employés, en particulier, apprennent moins vite quand ils ne voient pas leurs collègues.
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The model text, with each paragraph labelled by the part of the template it fills.
Le télétravail divise. Pour Sophie Martin, consultante, il fait gagner du temps, puisqu’on évite les trajets, et il permet de mieux se concentrer, loin des interruptions du bureau.
En revanche, Marc Lefebvre, chef d’entreprise, estime qu’il isole les salariés et nuit au travail d’équipe, surtout pour les nouveaux venus.
Pour ma part, je pense que le télétravail est une bonne solution, à condition de ne pas en abuser.
D’abord, il améliore la qualité de vie. Quand je travaille chez moi deux jours par semaine, j’économise du temps et de l’argent, et je suis moins fatigué le soir.
Cependant, M. Lefebvre a raison sur un point : le contact humain reste essentiel. C’est pourquoi une formule hybride, avec quelques jours au bureau, me semble idéale, surtout pour accueillir les nouveaux.
En somme, le télétravail n’est ni un rêve ni un danger : tout dépend de la façon dont on l’organise.
Why it scores: The summary gives both views in new words with "en revanche" between them, and keeps the writer's opinion out. Part two opens with a clear position, backs it with a personal example, grants the other side a point and concludes in one line. That is 49 words, then 98.
Two quick rounds: rebuild the text in the right order, then spot the line that scores.
Tap the part that comes first.
1. Which scores higher?
2. Which scores higher?
3. Which scores higher?
4. Which scores higher?
Free to try
Open a task in the question bank. The template sits beside the subject and ticks off each paragraph against its word budget as you type, then you get an estimated mark out of 20 with feedback on every criterion.
Practise Writing Task 3120 to 180 in all. In FEI's sample subject, the summary of both views was 40 to 60 words and your opinion 80 to 120. That split comes from one sample, but it's a reliable guide, and the question bank uses it.
Yes, and most strong answers do. Say which side you lean to, give your own reason and example, then grant a point to the other side.
Keep the idea, change the words: swap verbs for nouns ("elle gagne du temps" becomes "un gain de temps"), use synonyms, and shorten. Write the summary without looking at the document, then check you didn't change the meaning.
