TCF Canada writing task 1, method and 2 model answers

Task 1 of the TCF Canada writing test (expression écrite) is a message of 60 to 120 words to one or more people whose status the instructions (consigne) give. You describe, narrate or explain something. To do it well, cover every point in the consigne, choose the right register (tu or vous) and stay inside the word range.

This is the shortest task, and the consigne tells you almost everything the text has to contain, so it is the place to collect safe points. For the test as a whole, see the writing test guide.

How to write the message in 5 steps

1. Split the consigne into parts. Look for the verbs, such as “vous présenter” (introduce yourself), “prévenir” (warn), “proposer” (suggest) or “demander” (ask). Each verb is a point your message has to cover. Note them in a few words on your draft sheet and do not write your text there. Writing your answer on the draft sheet is one of the cases that could lead to “A1 non atteint”, and on paper only what is in the booklet is marked.

2. Find out who the reader is. The consigne states their status, for example friend, neighbour, colleague, manager or customer service. That status sets your register.

3. Pick tu or vous and stay with it. Use tu for a friend, a close colleague or family. Use vous for a manager, a stranger, an administration or a neighbour you don’t know. FEI’s manual has a sociolinguistic criterion, which measures how well the text fits the situation, and a message that slips between tu and vous is easy to spot.

4. Use three parts. Open, cover each point of the consigne in one or two sentences, then close. A single body paragraph is enough. A line break after the greeting and another before the closing already gives a clean layout.

5. Count, then check. Aim for 80 to 110 words so that a miscount of a few words still leaves you in range. The counts on this page treat any group of letters or digits between spaces as a word, with the greeting and signature included. Then check agreement (past participles, adjectives) and tenses. A task without the required number of words is one of the cases that could lead to “A1 non atteint”.

Model 1, a message to a friend (tu)

Consigne. Vous venez de passer une semaine à Québec avec un groupe d’amis. Écrivez un message à votre amie Inès, qui n’a pas pu venir, pour lui raconter ce que vous avez fait, lui dire ce que vous avez préféré et lui proposer de repartir ensemble l’été prochain. (60 mots minimum, 120 mots maximum)

In English, you spent a week in Québec City with friends. You write to Inès, who couldn’t come, to tell her what you did and liked best and to suggest going back together next summer.

Salut Inès,

Je suis rentrée de Québec hier et tu m’as beaucoup manqué ! Nous avons visité le Vieux-Québec, marché le long du fleuve et goûté une tarte au sucre dans un petit café près du château Frontenac. Ce que j’ai préféré, c’est la balade à vélo sur l’île d’Orléans. Les paysages étaient magnifiques et il faisait beau. Le seul point négatif, c’est le prix des restaurants, vraiment trop élevé. L’été prochain, on pourrait y retourner toutes les deux, si tu es libre en juillet. Dis-moi vite ce que tu en penses !

À bientôt, Nadia

94 words, greeting and signature included.

• The consigne has three points and the message takes them in order. They are the trip (visits, bike ride, pie), the favourite moment (“Ce que j’ai préféré, c’est…”) and the summer suggestion.
• The register is consistent. The tu runs from “tu m’as manqué” to “Dis-moi”, and “Salut” and “À bientôt” suit friends.
• Place names like château Frontenac and île d’Orléans add detail without needing difficult vocabulary.
• Three tenses appear. The passé composé covers events, the imparfait the scenery and the conditionnel the suggestion. That gives variety without much risk.

Model 2, a message to a manager (vous)

Consigne. Vous travaillez dans un magasin à Gatineau. Vous ne pourrez pas venir lundi prochain. Écrivez un message à votre directrice, Mme Tremblay, pour l’en informer, expliquer pourquoi et proposer une façon de rattraper votre absence. (60 mots minimum, 120 mots maximum)

In English, you work in a shop in Gatineau and can’t come in next Monday. You write to your manager, Mme Tremblay, to say so, give the reason and offer a way to make up the absence.

Madame Tremblay,

Je vous écris pour vous informer que je ne pourrai pas travailler lundi prochain. Mon fils a de la fièvre depuis hier soir et le médecin veut le voir lundi matin à la clinique. Je suis désolé de vous prévenir si tard. Pour ne pas pénaliser l’équipe, je peux remplacer Jules samedi, de 9 h à 17 h, ou terminer l’inventaire mardi après la fermeture. Dites-moi quelle solution vous convient le mieux. Je vous enverrai le certificat médical dès mardi.

Je vous remercie de votre compréhension et vous prie d’agréer, Madame, mes salutations distinguées.

Karim Benali

98 words, greeting and signature included.

• Each of the three points (the news, the reason, the offer) gets its own sentence, so the manager gets the message in about ten seconds.
• The offer is concrete, either Saturday from 9 to 5 or the stocktake on Tuesday. Something like “je rattraperai plus tard” would leave that point uncovered.
• The register is that of work, with “Madame Tremblay”, “vous”, “Dites-moi quelle solution vous convient” and a full formal closing.
• The futur simple covers the absence and the certificate (“je ne pourrai pas”, “je vous enverrai”), and the présent covers the current situation (“a de la fièvre depuis hier soir”).

A weak answer

This one answers the same consigne as model 2.

Salut madame, lundi je peux pas venir parce que mon fils il est malade et je dois aller chez le docteur. Désolé. On se voit mardi. Bisous. Karim

It is 28 words, and it has three problems.

1. Too short. It has less than half of the 60 words required, and a task without the required number of words is one of the cases that could lead to “A1 non atteint”.
2. A missing point. The consigne asks for a way to make up the absence, and the text offers none.
3. Wrong register. “Salut madame” and “Bisous” do not suit a manager, and neither does written-out speech (“je peux pas”, “mon fils il est malade”). This falls under the sociolinguistic criterion.

The message is understandable, but it loses points in three ways at once. More examples are in writing mistakes that cost NCLC 7.

Useful phrases

	Tu	Vous
Opening	Salut Inès, / Coucou Léa, / Bonjour Marc,	Madame, / Madame Tremblay, / Bonjour Monsieur,
State the purpose	Je t’écris pour te dire que…	Je vous écris pour vous informer que…
Narrate	D’abord… puis… enfin…	Dans un premier temps… ensuite…
Ask	Est-ce que tu pourrais… ? Peux-tu… ?	Pourriez-vous… ? Auriez-vous la possibilité de… ?
Apologize	Désolé(e) de te prévenir si tard.	Je suis désolé(e) de vous prévenir si tard.
Suggest	Si tu veux, on pourrait…	Je peux… / Je vous propose de…
Close	Dis-moi vite ! / À bientôt,	Je vous remercie de votre réponse. / Cordialement,

Treat these as building blocks. Your text still has to be personal and answer the consigne, and a text learned by heart could be rated “A1 non atteint”.

Practice

Try the four task 1 prompts with a 10-minute timer and count your words afterwards. They are A note to your new neighbour, A meeting moved because of the snowstorm, Bus directions for a visiting friend and Describing your new shared flat.

Next come task 2 and task 3.