Do TCF Canada topics repeat?
Checked November 2, 2026
France Éducation international (FEI) does not publish its exam topics, only sample topics, and does not say whether a topic can come back. The “recent topics” lists that circulate do not come from FEI. They can help you work on themes, but a memorised answer can be rated “A1 non atteint” (below A1) in writing and treated as fraud.
What FEI publishes and what it forbids
- Published. Sample listening and reading questions, a writing paper and a speaking paper valid for TCF Canada, on the Exemples d’épreuves du TCF page.
- Forbidden. FEI’s sample paper states that photocopying, photographing or reusing TCF topics is forbidden and leads to sanctions. The handbook lists photographing the papers or recording the audio as fraud, and copying test booklets exposes you to criminal and civil penalties.
A list of “topics from the December session” therefore rests, at best, on candidates’ memory. No one can check that it is accurate or complete, and FEI does not say whether its topics come back.
The kinds of topics, according to FEI
What FEI describes are formats, not topics.
| Section | What the task asks |
|---|---|
| Writing, task 1 | A message that describes, tells or explains, to one or more readers |
| Writing, task 2 | An article, letter or note that tells an experience and comments on it |
| Writing, task 3 | A text that compares two views on a social issue, then gives your own |
| Speaking, task 1 | An interview about you, your family, your work, your habits |
| Speaking, task 2 | Getting information in an everyday situation, with set roles |
| Speaking, task 3 | Defending a view on a question chosen by the examiner |
The risk is reciting
| Section | What FEI says |
|---|---|
| Writing | A memorised text can get the paper rated “A1 non atteint”, like a text that copies sentences from a prompt or document |
| Speaking | The examiner can interrupt you if they think you are reciting, to check your real ability |
| All | Reciting all or part of existing documents, memorised or copied, is listed as plagiarism, so fraud |
Coming in with a ready-made answer on “remote work” does not protect you. If the question is worded differently, the recited answer misses the topic, and if it fits too well, it sounds learned.
How to use them without risk
- Keep the themes, not the texts. An unverified list can still give you theme ideas (housing, work, environment, technology) to practise on.
- Prepare vocabulary and personal examples, not paragraphs. A real example always comes out in new words.
- Practise on topics you haven’t seen, timed. That is the only situation that resembles test day. Our practice topics follow the three-task writing format, and spoken answers are worked through for task 2 and task 3.
To check whether your writing holds up on a topic you’ve just discovered, write a task here. You get an estimated mark out of 20 with each error corrected.