TCF Canada speaking test, tasks 1, 2, 3 and how to answer

The TCF Canada speaking test (expression orale) is a 12-minute conversation with an examiner in the same room. Two of those minutes are preparation time. There are three tasks. A 2-minute directed interview, a 5 min 30 role-play (2 minutes of preparation plus 3 min 30 of dialogue) and a 4 min 30 task in which you give and defend a point of view. It is the only one of the four tests that is never taken on a computer.

Task	What happens	Time	Preparation
1. Directed interview	You talk with the examiner, who is a stranger to you	2 min	None
2. Interaction	You get information in an everyday situation	3 min 30 of dialogue	2 min
3. Point of view	The examiner picks a question and you answer it spontaneously, continuously and convincingly	4 min 30	None

Task 1, directed interview (2 minutes)

There is no preparation. The examiner is someone you have not met, and FEI assesses, among other things, how well you can talk about yourself and your family and work life. The examiner wants an ordinary, natural exchange.

One-word answers leave nothing to assess. Answer the question, then add a detail or a reason, so that each reply runs to two or three sentences. If you miss a question, ask the examiner to repeat it. People do that in real conversations too.

An invented example, not an exam topic.

Examiner. « Vous pouvez vous présenter ? »

Candidate. « Je m’appelle Karim, j’ai 31 ans et je suis technicien en électricité à Casablanca. Je prépare un projet d’installation au Canada avec ma femme. »

Examiner. « Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans votre travail ? »

Candidate. « Je m’occupe de la maintenance des installations dans une usine. Je vérifie les équipements et je dépanne quand il y a une panne, donc je dois souvent réagir vite. »

Examiner. « Et qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire de votre temps libre ? »

Candidate. « Surtout le football, avec des amis, le week-end. J’aime aussi cuisiner. En ce moment, j’essaie de faire des plats que je ne connaissais pas. »

Every answer states a fact and follows it with something extra. That extra gives the examiner enough language to judge your vocabulary and ease without having to keep prompting you.

Task 2, role-play (5 min 30)

The instructions tell you who you are and who you are talking to, so both statuses are known before you start. You prepare for 2 minutes, then hold a dialogue of about 3 min 30. You are looking for information, so you do most of the asking.

Use the 2 minutes of preparation like this.

1. Decide on the register from the statuses given. Vous or tu, formal or relaxed.
2. Jot down 5 or 6 things you need to find out, one keyword line each. Full sentences take too long to write and tempt you to read them out.
3. Think of how you will open (a greeting and why you are calling or visiting) and how you will close (thanks, a quick recap).

Once the dialogue starts, repeat back what you were told before moving to the next question (« Donc, si je comprends bien, le cours commence le 5 ? »). Respond to what the other person actually says instead of marching through your list. The examiner is assessing interaction, not how well you read your notes.

An invented situation. You want to enrol your 10-year-old daughter in a swimming camp during the holidays. You phone the manager of the municipal pool. You ask questions so you can decide.

Questions you could ask, in French.

• « Quelles sont les dates des stages et à quelle heure ça commence ? »
• « Est-ce que mon enfant doit déjà savoir nager ? Y a-t-il un test de niveau ? »
• « Combien d’enfants y a-t-il par groupe ? »
• « Quel est le tarif, et est-ce qu’on peut payer en plusieurs fois ? »
• « Qu’est-ce qu’il faut apporter le premier jour ? »
• « Si ma fille est malade, est-ce que je peux me faire rembourser ou changer de semaine ? »

All of these are open and concrete, so each one gets a real answer you can pick up and follow. FEI lists, among its criteria, the ability to ask questions suited to the situation (« poser des questions adaptées à la situation »).

Task 3, point of view (4 min 30)

The examiner chooses a question, and you speak on it spontaneously, continuously and convincingly. The examiner may cut in to ask for more detail. 4 min 30 is a long time to fill, and without a plan it is easy to circle back over the same point.

A plan that works. State your position in the first sentence and say you have two reasons. Develop each reason with a concrete example, then name the strongest objection and answer it. Finish with a single sentence returning to your position.

An invented question. « Faut-il interdire les voitures dans les centres-villes ? »

An outline to adapt, not to recite.

• Position. « Je pense qu’il faut les limiter fortement, mais pas les interdire totalement. »
• Reason 1 is air quality and noise. Example, a street you know, before and after a pedestrian redesign.
• Reason 2 is the space gained for pedestrians, shops and bikes. Use a personal example from your commute.
• Objection. Older or disabled people, deliveries. Answer with exceptions and good public transport.
• Close. Back to your position in one sentence.

Don’t memorize a speech. A recited text could be rated « A1 non atteint », and FEI says it can even be treated as fraud. If the examiner suspects recitation, they may interrupt with questions. It is safer to learn linking words (d’abord, de plus, en revanche, c’est pourquoi) and ways of giving an opinion, then build each answer as you go.

What the examiner marks

The criteria fall into three groups.

• Linguistic. Range and control of vocabulary, grammar, ease, pronunciation, fluency.
• Pragmatic. Interaction, structure, coherence and cohesion, development of the topic.
• Sociolinguistic. How well you suit the situation (register, tone).

Your performance is marked twice. The examiner at the centre marks it, and a second corrector then listens to the recording without seeing the first mark. You get a mark out of 20 and the matching level. For NCLC 7 you need at least 10/20 in speaking, which is the 10–11 band in IRCC’s table and B2 in FEI’s grid. The full score chart has every band.

Practising on your own

Pick a task 3 question and record yourself on your phone for 4 min 30. Played back, the recording shows the hesitations, repeated phrases and sentences that never find an ending. Record again, working on one weakness each time. For task 2, act out the scene with a friend or relative who takes the other role and gives answers you can’t predict.

NCLC Prep does not score speaking. For a writing text it gives a practice estimate out of 20 with the matching NCLC range, which is not an official score.

The speaking test sits within the whole exam, covered in the TCF Canada exam format.