TEF Canada speaking practice: sections A and B

TEF speaking format

You speak face to face with an examiner for 15 minutes in total. The test is recorded so that at least two markers can rate it. For IRCC, you must take all four TEF Canada tests on the same day.

Section A: getting information

You phone the person who placed the ad, played by the examiner. You are expected to ask about ten relevant questions, using vous and polite, formal French.

You only get a moment to read the ad, so look straight away for what it does not say: exact price, dates, times, place, conditions, what is included and how to sign up. Introduce yourself, say why you are calling, vary the way you ask and finish by thanking the examiner.

Section B: persuading a friend

Now the examiner plays a friend or relative, so you switch to tu. You present the ad and try to convince them, and they resist with objections about price, time, interest or risk.

Tailor your arguments to the person: their tastes, budget and situation. When they object, acknowledge the point, answer it with an argument or a solution, then keep things moving with a question.

Ten minutes is a long time, so have five or six different arguments in mind before you start, or you will end up going around in circles.

Common mistakes

Most lost points come from the task rather than the grammar: too few questions in section A, not enough persuasion in section B.

• Section A: asking only four or five questions, or asking about things the ad already says.
• Section A: forgetting vous and the polite formulas of a formal call.
• Section B: ignoring the examiner’s objections and repeating the same argument more loudly.
• Section B: staying with vous, or sounding too formal, with a friend.
• Reading the ad out word for word instead of presenting it in your own words.
• Leaving long silences: if you run out of ideas, ask a question (« Qu’est-ce qui te fait hésiter ? »).

How it is scored, and the TEF score for CLB 7

The markers check whether you complete the task (getting information in formal French in A, presenting and defending ideas in informal French in B) and rate your language: vocabulary, sentence structure and pronunciation.

For Express Entry, IRCC uses the “Équivalence ancien score” column on your results, not the score out of 699. You need at least 310 in speaking for NCLC 7, the French equivalent of CLB 7; check IRCC’s latest table before you fill in your profile.

TEF speaking topics to practise

SpeakDuo wrote these ads in the style of the exam; they are not real exam topics. For each one, do section A (call to ask for details), then section B (convince a friend).

• A pottery studio offers evening classes for adults, with materials included.
• A charity is looking for volunteers for an outdoor music festival this summer.
• A hiking club is organizing a weekend in a mountain hut with a guide.
• A moving company is hiring part-time drivers.
• A community garden is renting plots to local residents for the season.
• A cooking school offers a three-day workshop on world cuisine.

TEF speaking practice plan

Practise out loud with a timer, and mix solo work with real conversations.

• Every day: one ad and a 5-minute section A. Count your questions and aim for at least ten.
• Every other day: a 10-minute section B with the AI examiner.
• Every week: one or two live sessions on SpeakDuo, to argue with real people who never react the way you expect.
• Before the exam: two full 15-minute mocks in real conditions.

Useful French phrases for sections A and B

Use vous and polite forms in section A, and tu and everyday French in section B. The phrases stay in French because that is what you will say on the day.

Sample dialogue: section B

Ad: a cross-country ski school offers five Sunday-morning lessons for beginners, with equipment rental included. You try to convince a friend, played by the examiner, to sign up with you. A = candidate, B = examiner.

1. Candidate: Salut Julie ! Tu as deux minutes ? J’ai trouvé une annonce qui devrait te plaire : une école de ski de fond propose cinq cours pour débutants, le dimanche matin.
2. Examiner: Du ski de fond ? En plein hiver, par moins vingt ? Non merci, je déteste le froid.
3. Candidate: Je sais, mais justement : quand on bouge, on n’a plus froid. Et ici, l’hiver dure cinq mois, alors autant en profiter au lieu de rester à la maison.
4. Examiner: Peut-être, mais le matériel coûte une fortune.
5. Candidate: C’est ça qui est bien : la location des skis et des bâtons est comprise. Tu n’as rien à acheter, à part peut-être de bonnes chaussettes !
6. Examiner: Et les cours, ils coûtent combien ?
7. Candidate: Cent vingt dollars pour les cinq, donc vingt-quatre dollars le cours. C’est moins cher qu’une séance avec un coach sportif.
8. Examiner: Le dimanche matin, c’est mon seul jour pour dormir…
9. Candidate: Je te comprends. Mais les cours commencent à dix heures, pas à l’aube. Et après, on pourrait aller bruncher ensemble : ça nous ferait une belle routine.
10. Examiner: Hmm. Et si je tombe tout le temps ? Je ne suis pas très sportive.
11. Candidate: Le cours est fait pour les débutants, tout le monde tombe au début. Et le ski de fond, c’est beaucoup moins impressionnant que le ski alpin : pas besoin de descendre des pentes raides.
12. Examiner: Tu as réponse à tout, toi !
13. Candidate: Parce que j’ai vraiment envie d’y aller avec toi ! Et tu m’as dit que tu voulais rencontrer du monde : c’est l’occasion idéale.
14. Examiner: Bon, d’accord, mais seulement le premier cours. Si je n’aime pas, j’arrête.
15. Candidate: Marché conclu ! Je nous inscris ce soir et je passe te chercher dimanche à neuf heures et demie.