TCF Canada keyboard and typing accents

France Éducation international (FEI) does not say which keyboard centres use for computer-based TCF Canada writing. Its handbook does not mention the keyboard, and its TCF Canada page sends you to the centre for the test format, paper or computer. The only way to know is to ask your centre, when you register, which keyboard layout it uses.

Until you have the answer, practise on the three most likely layouts. The combinations below are those of the standard Windows and macOS layouts. Microsoft’s interactive maps, in the sources, show every key.

Three questions for the centre before the exam

1. Is the writing test on paper or on computer?
2. On computer, which keyboard layout do you use, for example Canadian French, French AZERTY or US QWERTY?
3. Does the software show buttons for accents?

If you would rather write by hand, the handbook says computer-based writing may get its first correction from FIDELIA, an automated system. A candidate who does not want that has to ask to sit the test on paper. The pros and cons of each format are on paper or computer.

Typing accents by layout

Letter	AZERTY (France)	Canadian French	United States-International	Mac, ABC keyboard
é	2 key	é key	’ then e	⌥ e, then e
è	7 key	dead key ` then e	` then e	⌥ `, then e
ê	^ then e	dead key ^ then e	Shift 6 then e	⌥ i, then e
à	0 key	dead key ` then a	` then a	⌥ `, then a
ç	9 key	dead key ¸ then c	’ then c	⌥ c

On a Mac, ⌥ is the Option key.

A dead key shows nothing straight away. It waits for the next letter and puts the accent on it. On the Canadian French keyboard only é takes a single keystroke, and where the dead keys sit varies between versions. Find them on Microsoft’s map or on the physical keyboard before you start.

On a Mac you can also hold a letter down. Apple explains that a menu then opens with the accents available for that letter. On Windows, with a number pad, Alt + 0233 gives é, Alt + 0232 gives è, Alt + 0234 gives ê, Alt + 0224 gives à and Alt + 0231 gives ç.

The apostrophe trap on the international layout

On the United States-International layout the apostrophe is a dead key. If you type “l’été” in one go, you get “lété”, because the apostrophe combines with the e after it. For a real apostrophe before a vowel, type the apostrophe, then the space bar, then the letter. It is a common source of invisible mistakes late in a text, such as “cést” for “c’est” or “jái” for “j’ai”.

If a key fails during the test

1. Raise your hand and tell the invigilator at once, rather than typing on and hoping it passes.
2. Note the time and how many minutes you lost.
3. If the problem is not solved, report it to the centre the same day, as soon as the test ends. FEI asks for any difficulty to be reported that way, and a complaint about how the test ran must be made before results are published.

If your text starts overwriting the letters after the cursor instead of inserting, overwrite mode may be on. In many Windows programs the Insert key turns it on and off. Tell the invigilator anyway if that does not fix it.

Practise as on exam day

• Write your practice texts on the same layout as the centre, without autocorrect. The handbook mentions disabling autocorrect for adapted workstations, and we do not assume a spellchecker will be available on the others.
• Time yourself, because accents slow you down at first. The task 1 timer gives you 10 minutes.
• Reread the end of the text for missing apostrophes and accents. A missing accent now and then weighs little, but an accent you always forget is a systematic error, as the page on spelling mistakes explains.

On NCLC Prep, the text box turns off the browser’s spellcheck, so you see your real typing mistakes once the text is corrected.