THE GUIDE TO OFFICIAL FRENCH EXAMS: DELF/DALF – TEF – TCF

This article gathers all the information that you need to know about official French exams in Canada. There are 3 French language tests available in Canada that you could take for you to assess your French writing and speaking skills.

• Test d’évaluation du français (TEF)
• Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française (DELF) / Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française (DALF)
• Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF)

Most people get all these tests mixed up so here we gonna go deep on the basics about what you need to know about TEF, DELF/DALF, and TCF exams:

TEF EXAM

TEF French classes

What is the TEF exam?

Test d’évaluation du français or TEF is a general assessment examination that determines the level of knowledge and skills in French of both francophones and non-francophones.

The objective of this test is to evaluate your French skills from the scale of level 1 (most basic skills) to level 12 (complete fluency). According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), This scale consists of:

6 competency levels that are divided into three level groups:
• A (Basic User): A1 (Beginner) and A2 (Elementary)
• B (Independent User): B1 (Intermediate) and B2 (Upper-intermediate)
• C (Proficient User): C1 (Advanced) and C2 (Proficiency)

12 levels of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB/NCLC):
Click below to see what are you expected to know regarding Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing from each level.

STAGE 1 (BASIC):

Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4

STAGE 2 (INTERMEDIATE)

Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8

STAGE 3 (ADVANCED):

Level 9

Level 10
Level 11
Level 12

What do you need to know about TEF?

This benchmark test can be conducted either electronically or on paper depending on the testing center. There is no prior qualification required. Exam candidates need to be at least 16 years of age to register.

The exam has 5 parts:

3 written examinations consisting of:

– Reading Comprehension (60 minutes – 50 items – 300 points)
– Written Expression (60 minutes – 2 topics to complete – 450 points)
– Vocabulary and Structures (30 minutes – 40 items – 240 points)

2 oral examinations consisting of:

– Listening Comprehension (40 minutes – 60 items – 360 points)
– Oral Expression (15 minutes – 2 topics to complete – 450 points)

🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 If you are planning to immigrate to Canada, these are the mandatory examinations: 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦

• Compulsory Section for Immigration:

– Listening Comprehension
– Reading Comprehension
– Oral Expression
– Written Expression

• Compulsory Section for Canadian Nationality:

– Listening Comprehension
– Oral Expression

As per the official Government of Canada’s website, find below the test score equivalency chart:

tef test score equivalency chart

How can I prepare for my TEF exam?

Now that you have been briefed with what TEF is going to cover, you need to prepare for the exam. Here are some very helpful ways to prepare for the exam: PrepMyFuture online training combined with private classes to assist you in your preparation.

100% Self-study online platform Bootcamp

“PrepMyTEF  + French Transformation”

One year full Access $385

One-year full Access to 2 self-study online platforms:

1- “French Transformation Bootcamp covers all 6 levels to learn General French over 50 hours of self-study (+extra time for homework).

Inclusions:

– General French course ( Levels 1-6)
– 50 hours of video recordings
– Facebook private group to submit your homework
– Quizzes & Exams

2- “PrepMyTEF covers all 5 TEF exams in over 100 hours of self-study. It is the only official online platform affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce of Paris.

Inclusions:
– 2 official mock exams provided by the Chamber of Commerce of Paris.
– TEF activities and exercises
– Grammar and vocabulary recaps
– Explanations in both French and English

Preparation in actual exam conditions:
– Replicates the TEF exam conditions
– Audio recordings and scripts

Full performance analysis:
– Auto-corrected exercises
– Detailed explanations

Learn French in Vancouver has a partnership with PrepMyFuture

TEF preparation course with a private teacher
(Tips & Secrets) 

CA$ 65 per hour

We strongly advise combining your PreMyTEF online training with a package of online private classes to get assisted by a professional French teacher during your preparation.

Depending on your needs, your teacher can assist you on a daily or weekly basis.

You can start with a package of 5 or 10-hour private classes, your teacher will explain you the format of the exam, as well as give you extra tips on how to best prepare for it. Please note that we advise to select this option only if you already learnt French in the past. This class is to prepare for the exam specifically, not to learn French.

Check out different options here > Start from $65 per hour

Why should I take the TEF test?

There are several reasons why you should take the TEF test in Canada:

Main reasons:
• To immigrate to Canada (TEF Canada)
• To obtain Canadian citizenship (TEF Canada)
• To immigrate to Quebec (TEFAQ)

Knowing all the basics and specifics of the TEF test, you now must deal with the logistics of taking the real examination. Firstly, you need to decide which test center would you prefer. You can find the center nearest you in CCI Paris Ile-de France’s directory.

Where can I take the TEF assessment?

If your location is near Vancouver, you could prepare the TEF exam with Learn French in Vancouver, and take the TEF exam at:

Alliance Française de Vancouver
Address: 6161 Cambie Street
Code Postal (zip code): V5Z 3B2
Phone: + 1 604 327 0201
Email: [email protected]

DELF/DALF EXAM

DELF French classes

What is the DELF/DALF exam?

Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française or (DELF) / Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française or (DALF), are official lifelong diplomas awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the capabilities of candidates living outside France in the French language.

In this test, you are the one to choose which level are you going to take the examination in. Basically, DELF becomes DALF when you choose the C1 and C2 levels.

All in all, these are composed of 6 independent certificates that correlate to the 6 levels of language proficiency determined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR):

DELF – A (Basic user)

  • A1 (Beginner) – students can introduce themselves by talking about where they live, their relationships, and their hobbies, etc.
  • A2 (Elementary) – students can communicate about familiar subjects.

DELF – B (Independent user)

  • B1 (Intermediate) – enables students to interact easily using French on familiar topics with native speakers.
  • B2 (Upper intermediate) – students can now easily communicate on a whim. 🇫🇷 This is also the language proficiency level most French universities require undergraduate foreign students. 🇫🇷

DALF – C (Proficient user)

  • C1 (Advanced) – students can convey themselves with spontaneity fluently when it comes to social, professional, and academic scenarios.
  • C2 (Proficiency) – students have an effortless understanding of what they read or hear; they can express themselves as if they are native French speakers.

There are no prerequisites required to register, and the diploma you will earn is valid for life!

What you need to know about DELF / DALF?

After familiarizing the levels given by CEFR, we can now proceed to the detailed content of the DELF/DALF exams. There are collective and individual tests for each of these levels.

Here’s a simplified table of the specific content of each type of exam for each level: