TCF Canada results, delay, validity, retakes and re-marking

TCF Canada results arrive within 15 working days from the moment France Éducation international (FEI) receives the session material, and the attestation is valid for 2 years from the date results are issued. You can retake as often as you like, with at least 20 days between two sittings. For sessions from 1 September 2026, FEI has suspended re-marking of writing and speaking for about one year.

From exam day to attestation

Step	What happens	Timing
Exam day	You show a valid photo ID. Any problem with how the test ran is reported to the centre right after the test.	Same day
Marking	Writing is marked twice, independently, by trained correctors. Speaking is rated by the examiner and by a second corrector from the recording.	Done by FEI
Account email	When the centre validates the session, you get an email from noreply@france-education-international.fr to create your TCF-Candidat account (birth date, birth country, first letters of your surname).	After the session is validated
Results	Published in your TCF-Candidat space and sent to the centre.	Within 15 working days from FEI’s receipt of the session material
Attestation	Secure PDF with a QR code. The issue date is printed on it.	Valid 2 years from that date

FEI’s manual also quotes a shorter delay of 10 working days, but only for computer sessions made up of multiple-choice tests. TCF Canada always includes writing and speaking, so plan on 15 working days. Those days are counted from when FEI has the material, not from your exam date, so add the time your centre needs to send it. The short version is on how long results take.

How long results are valid

The attestation is valid for 2 years from the date the results are issued, and that date is on the document.

For Express Entry, IRCC asks for more than “valid on the day you apply”. Your results must be less than 2 years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and again when you submit your permanent residence application. If they have expired by the time you apply, IRCC refuses the application. So a result that was fine when you created your profile can still fail you if the invitation comes late. TCF Canada for Express Entry explains how the test fits into the process, and validity has the short answer.

If your results will expire before you apply

Work backwards from the date on your attestation.

1. Add 2 years to the issue date. FEI’s validity runs from that date. IRCC wants results less than 2 years old but does not say which date it counts from, so treat this date as your limit at both stages and keep a margin.
2. Estimate when you could realistically submit your application. IRCC does not publish future invitation scores or dates, so keep a margin here too.
3. If your results would be too old by then, book a new sitting early. You need 20 days between two sittings, then up to 15 working days for results, and your centre may have few sessions or be sold out.
4. Keep your old attestation until the new one is in your hands.

The aim is one attestation that is still in date on both days that matter, the profile and the application.

Retaking TCF Canada

There is no limit on the number of sittings. The only rule is a gap of 20 days between two sittings of TCF Canada.

• A sitting is the full set of 4 mandatory tests, so a retake means sitting all four again.
• Book the new date with the centre. Each centre sets its own dates, so the gap is a minimum, and a session may not exist on day 21.
• FEI does not return annotated copies, comments on what to improve, or the number of right answers. You see only the score or mark for each skill and the level. If writing was your weak point, you will have to find the cause yourself, for example by checking the word counts and the three tasks against the writing guide.

Before a retake, NCLC Prep can give a practice estimate out of 20 for a writing text, with the matching NCLC range. It is not the official score (try it). More on retaking and on registering.

Re-marking

For sessions from 1 September 2026, FEI has suspended re-marking (recorrection) of the speaking and writing tests for about one year, and plans to resume it in autumn 2027. If you sit TCF Canada now, assume you cannot ask for your writing or speaking to be marked again, and treat the sitting as final. The short answer is on Can I ask for re-marking?.

Marking itself has several safeguards. Writing is marked twice, independently and without knowing the other mark, and a third marking happens if the two differ widely. Since October 2024, one of the two corrections can be done by an automated process called FIDELIA. The other is always human, and FEI says results are never based on automated processing alone (details).

Complaints

Complaints about how the test ran are separate from re-marking.

• Tell the centre about any problem on the day, right after the test.
• A complaint about how the test ran must be made before results are published.
• FEI accepts none after the attestation is issued.

If something went wrong during your session, such as noise in the room, a faulty recording or a late start, tell the centre at once. Waiting for the result to decide whether it matters is too late.

For costs, see how much TCF Canada costs.