A 12-week TCF Canada study plan, from B1 towards NCLC 7

12 weeks, about an hour a day, six days a week. Weeks 1 to 4 build the basics, weeks 5 to 8 work each task type, weeks 9 to 12 are mock exams in real conditions. It spreads the 8-week table in our preparation guide over three months, week by week.

This plan is our own suggestion, not an official FEI calendar. It is for a candidate who already gets by in French, around B1, and aims for NCLC 7 in all four skills. NCLC 7 means 458 in listening, 453 in reading and 10 out of 20 in writing and speaking (score chart).

If you have less time, the 8-week table gives the priorities in a shorter form. If writing is your only weak skill, the 4-week writing plan goes deeper on that one test. Whether 12 weeks is enough for you depends on your gap, see how long preparation takes.

The daily routine

We assume about an hour a day, six days a week. Every day has the same base, and the weekly focus decides where the extra effort goes.

• 15 minutes of listening, real French audio played once, then replayed with a transcript.
• 15 minutes of reading, a mix of short ads, letters and opinion pieces.
• One production, a timed writing task or a recorded speaking task, on alternate days.
• Five minutes of review of your mistake log, the list of errors you keep making.

Weeks 1 to 4, foundations

Week 1, the diagnostic. Do one timed practice in each skill, 39 questions in 35 minutes for listening and 60 minutes for reading, one full writing test and the three speaking tasks recorded. Note where each skill stands against NCLC 7. Book an exam date now if centres near you sell out, results take up to 15 working days after FEI receives the session material.

Week 2, the weakest skill. Double its share of the routine. Start the mistake log with the five errors you saw most often in week 1.

Week 3, grammar that costs marks. Agreement, past tenses, relative pronouns and the subjunctive after the usual expressions (il faut que, bien que). Use them in every writing task this week.

Week 4, task 1 in both tests. Writing task 1 (a 60 to 120 word message) and speaking task 1 (2 minutes of interview). Short, frequent, timed.

Checkpoint. A second timed listening and reading set. Compare with week 1 and adjust the weekly split.

Weeks 5 to 8, the tasks

Week 5, writing task 2 and speaking task 2. The article or letter (120 to 150 words) and the role-play where you ask the questions. Prepare in 2 minutes, then talk for 3 min 30.

Week 6, task 3 structure. One plan for both tests, a position, two arguments with examples, an objection and a conclusion. Write two task 3 texts and record two spoken task 3 answers.

Week 7, vocabulary and linking words. One theme per day, reused in a task (vocabulary by theme, linking words).

Week 8, reading and listening speed. Full 39-question sets against the clock. Practise moving on from a hard question instead of losing minutes on it (time per part).

Checkpoint. A full writing test in 60 minutes and a full speaking test with a timer. Get the writing marked and compare it with week 1.

Weeks 9 to 12, exam conditions

Week 9, the weakest task. Whatever scored lowest at the checkpoint gets most of the week.

Week 10, first mock exam. All four tests in the real order, timed, in one sitting. The next days go to the errors it showed.

Week 11, second mock exam. Same conditions, with a speaking partner if you can find one, so that task 2 gets answers you can’t predict.

Week 12, light and steady. Short daily practice, the mistake log, no new material. Check your ID and convocation and rest the day before.

If the checkpoints go badly

If a skill is still far from NCLC 7 at week 8, push the exam back rather than sitting it to see. Two sittings must be at least 20 days apart, and each one is paid again at your centre’s price.

Writing is the skill hardest to judge on your own. Start with the week 1 writing task and get an estimated mark out of 20, so you know your gap before week 2.