What your TCF Canada results show
Your attestation gives one result per section. Compréhension orale (listening) and Compréhension écrite (reading) are scored from 100 to 699; below 100, it reads “A1 non atteint”. Expression écrite (writing) and Expression orale (speaking) are scored from 0 to 20. Each score matches a CEFR level from A1 to C2.
| CEFR level | Listening and reading | Writing and speaking |
|---|---|---|
| C2 | 600–699 | 18–20 |
| C1 | 500–599 | 14–17 |
| B2 | 400–499 | 10–13 |
| B1 | 300–399 | 6–9 |
| A2 | 200–299 | 2–5 |
| A1 | 100–199 | 1 |
| A1 non atteint | below 100 | 0 |
IRCC accepts these results for permanent residence and citizenship applications. For immigration, NCLC is what counts: IRCC converts each score with its equivalency table, skill by skill, and Express Entry works out language points from those levels.
For example, 480 in listening is CEFR B2 and NCLC 7. These two scales do not line up: in listening, CEFR B2 (400–499) spans NCLC 6 and 7. A CEFR level alone does not tell you which NCLC you reached, so look at each score. Our TCF Canada score chart shows every band.
TCF Canada result time and re-marking
We give no results timing and no review rule until we have checked both at source: ask your centre about both when you register.
Check with your test centre: results timing and review rules
Each approved centre sets its own dates, fees and rules, and they can change. Confirm them with your centre, and read the official TCF Canada information on the France Éducation international website.
Whatever that timing is, build it into your plan early, with a margin, especially if an Express Entry deadline is close. Our guide on how to book TCF Canada shows how to plan backwards.
Ask your centre too how results and attestation will reach you, so you know what to look out for. Official TCF Canada information is on France Éducation international’s website, france-education-international.fr.
How long TCF Canada results are valid: 2 years
TCF Canada results are valid for 2 years. That sets two limits: do not sit the exam too early, and do not let results expire halfway through an application.
- Before you create an Express Entry profile, check that results are still valid: they set NCLC levels and language points.
- While a profile waits for an invitation, keep an eye on dates, since waiting can last months. If validity is running out, plan a new sitting in time and follow IRCC’s instructions to update it.
- If you receive an invitation, check in IRCC’s instructions that results will still be valid when you apply for permanent residence.
For information only, not immigration advice: IRCC decides how these results can be used.
Your TCF certificate number for Express Entry
An Express Entry profile asks for the details of your test results, as printed on your attestation (results certificate). Copy only from that document, never from memory.
Before submitting a profile, run these checks:
- it is a TCF Canada attestation, since IRCC converts results from that version to NCLC;
- each detail is copied exactly as printed, without rounding or rewording;
- names match between attestation and profile; if it contains an error, contact your centre;
- originals are stored safely, with a digital copy.
Convert all four scores with our calculator below as well, to know which NCLC levels to expect.
If one section is below your target
Measure the exact gap first. If you aim for NCLC 7 and get 9 out of 20 in writing, you are at NCLC 6, 1 point short of 10, which NCLC 7 needs. In listening, 450 gives NCLC 6, 8 points short of 458.
Next, count what that gap costs. French bonus points (25 or 50) need NCLC 7 in all four skills, and French-language draws need NCLC 7 in every skill: one section below is enough to miss both. For information only, not immigration advice.
- 1
Work on that weak skill
Spend most weeks on that section: in writing, one task a day within its word range; in speaking, timed answers you record and play back; in listening or reading, full series. Our writing Task 2 guide shows one prompt answered at several levels.
- 2
Keep other skills sharp
All four sections are required, so a new attempt tests them all again and any score can move. Keep one short session a week in each.
- 3
Check before registering again
Book when two timed series in a row meet your target in that skill, reading each estimate by the lower end of its range. Our TCF Canada preparation plan organises those weeks.
- 4
Ask about a review
If a score seems wrong, ask your centre whether a review (réévaluation) is possible, how long it takes and what it costs. Weigh that against what a new attempt costs.
How to read “A1 non atteint”
“A1 non atteint” means “A1 not reached”: a score below A1, the lowest CEFR level. In listening and reading, it is given below 100; in writing and speaking, it matches 0 out of 20.
In IRCC’s table, such a result sits below NCLC 4, the lowest level, which starts at 331 in listening, 342 in reading and 4 out of 20 in writing and speaking.
If you see it on a section, go back to basics: rebuild that skill, take a full timed series and register again only once practice results are near your target. In writing and speaking, practise completing every task in full, within its time and, in writing, within its word range.
Convert your TCF Canada results to NCLC
Enter four scores from an attestation, or recent practice scores, to see each skill’s NCLC level from IRCC’s table. With practice scores, enter each range’s lower end: they are practice estimates, not official scores.
- NCLC 6 · 60 points to go
- NCLC 6 · 47 points to go
- NCLC 6 · 3 points to go
- NCLC 6 · 3 points to go
Still below NCLC 7 in compréhension orale, compréhension écrite, expression écrite, expression orale.
For information only, not immigration advice. Check IRCC’s official tools or a licensed representative.
To see what those levels add up to in Express Entry, use our French bonus points calculator; for French-language draw eligibility alone, use our draw eligibility check.