How is the TCF Canada speaking test scored?

Checked November 1, 2026

The examiner marks you once on the day. The interview is recorded and a second marker trained by France Éducation international (FEI) marks it separately, without seeing the first mark. Each gives a level to each of the 3 tasks, and a calculation rule over these 6 levels gives the mark out of 20. NCLC 7 needs 10 out of 20.

Two independent marks

The examiner, trained and certified by FEI, runs the interview, records it and gives a first level to each task. At the end they check in front of you that the recording worked.
A marker at FEI listens to the recording and marks it too, double-blind.
A calculation rule takes the 6 levels (3 tasks, 2 markers) and gives a mark out of 20 and a final level.
If the two marks are far apart, a third marking takes place.

FEI does not publish how much each task weighs. Task 1 lasts 2 minutes and task 3 lasts 4 min 30, but nothing says the longer one counts more.

The criteria

Linguistic, range and control of vocabulary, grammar, ease, pronunciation, fluency.
Pragmatic, interaction, structure, coherence, development of the topic.
Sociolinguistic, fit to the situation, for example register in the role play.

Reciting a text learned by heart could get the test marked “A1 non atteint”.

From mark to NCLC

Mark out of 20	CEFR level (FEI)	NCLC (IRCC)
18–20	C2	10 and above
16–17	C1	10 and above
14–15	C1	9
12–13	B2	8
10–11	B2	7
7–9	B1	6
6	B1	5
4–5	A2	4

What you won’t get

You get a single mark out of 20 for speaking, not one per task. Recordings are not commented and FEI gives no improvement tips. You only get the mark and the level. Re-marking of speaking is suspended for sessions from 1 September 2026, for about a year (details). A disappointing speaking mark cannot be reviewed, only a new sitting changes it.

Writing gets the same double marking, and it is the one productive skill you can get marked before the exam, here, as an estimate.