Can I use a memorised template on TCF Canada?
Checked November 1, 2026
No. According to the handbook of France Éducation international (FEI), a written paper could be marked “A1 non atteint” if you wrote a text learned by heart, and so could the speaking test if you recite. FEI treats recitation as possible fraud, and the examiner may interrupt you to check. You can prepare a plan, linking words and vocabulary instead.
What the handbook says
- In writing, the paper could be marked “A1 non atteint” if you wrote a text learned by heart, or if you copy one or more sentences from the instructions or a document.
- In speaking, the test could be marked “A1 non atteint” if you recite one or more texts learned by heart. FEI writes that recitation does not show your real level and can be treated as fraud.
- The examiner may interrupt you with questions when they suspect recitation, to check your real speaking skills.
- FEI lists plagiarism as fraud, that is reproducing or reciting all or part of existing documents, memorised or copied. Candidates commit to no fraud, “including by reciting a text learned by heart”.
For fraud, FEI can cancel results and ban you from the test for several years.
A template versus a method
Topics change, so a ready-made text rarely fits the task. It misses what was asked, which is another reason for “A1 non atteint”, being off topic.
| Risky | Useful |
|---|---|
| One opening paragraph for every topic | A three-part plan you fill with the day’s topic |
| A memorised “model answer” for task 3 | A list of linking words (d’abord, en revanche, par conséquent) |
| A spoken self-introduction recited in one block | Sentences about yourself you can say several ways |
| Copying a sentence from the task 3 documents | Rephrasing the idea in your own words |
FEI sets no threshold. Short phrases such as « d’abord », « à mon avis » or « en conclusion » fit any text. The risk is a whole paragraph reused from one topic to the next.
Annotated model answers online, ours included, are for seeing a structure, not for learning by heart. To practise writing a fresh text on an unseen topic, write a task here. You get every mistake fixed and an estimated mark. The most common mistakes are in the mistakes that cost NCLC 7.