The TCF Canada Writing test consists of 3 compulsory tasks.
Total time: 60 minutes
Candidates must complete all three tasks and respect the required word range for each task.
The tasks must be completed in order, beginning with Task 1, followed by Task 2 and Task 3.
Type of activity: writing a message to describe, narrate and/or explain.
Required length: 60 to 120 words.
The situation, purpose and intended recipient are specified in the instructions. Candidates must include the requested information and use a register appropriate to the recipient and context.
The objective is not simply to produce grammatically correct sentences. The message must successfully accomplish the communication purpose given in the instructions.
Type of activity: writing an article, letter, note or similar text to report an experience or narrate an event.
Required length: 120 to 150 words.
Depending on the instructions, the response may also require comments, opinions, explanations or arguments.
Simply describing what happened is not always sufficient. Candidates must identify the exact communication objective and develop the response accordingly.
Type of activity: comparing two viewpoints on a social issue and then expressing a personal position.
Required length: 120 to 180 words.
Candidates are given two short documents presenting different information or viewpoints related to the same topic.
The response must demonstrate an understanding of the documents, present or compare the relevant viewpoints, and then develop a clear personal position.
The candidate should not simply copy sentences from the source documents. The information must be understood, selected and reformulated appropriately.
There is no separate official time limit for each individual task. The 60 minutes apply to the complete Writing test.
Candidates therefore need to manage their own time across all three tasks.
AFM recommends allocating time according to the length and complexity of each task while keeping a few minutes at the end for proofreading.
Any suggested division of the 60 minutes is a preparation strategy, not an official timing rule.
All three tasks must be completed.
The required word range for each task must be respected.
The tasks must be completed in the prescribed order.
The response must remain relevant to the topic and address the exact instructions.
Candidates should also ensure that their writing is clearly legible when the test format requires handwritten responses.
Ignoring a task, writing outside the required length, producing an off-topic response or failing to follow the instructions can seriously affect the result.
Candidates should become familiar with the official word-count principle used for the test.
During preparation, it is important to practise writing naturally within the required range rather than producing a very long response and trying to shorten it at the end.
With regular practice, candidates should develop an approximate sense of how much text corresponds to the required number of words.
Before you begin writing, identify four elements.
Who am I writing to?
What is the purpose of the text?
What information must be included?
What register and structure are appropriate?
Then organize the main ideas briefly before beginning the response.
Planning is useful, but it should remain short. Spending too much time preparing can reduce the time available for writing and proofreading.
One of the most important skills in the Writing test is reading the instructions accurately.
Before writing, identify the action required by the task.
You may need to describe, explain, narrate, inform, recommend, justify, compare or express an opinion.
A linguistically strong text can still be ineffective if it does not perform the task requested in the instructions.
Each response should have a clear progression.
Ideas should be logically connected and easy for the reader to follow.
Use linking expressions naturally and according to meaning. Adding many connectors mechanically does not automatically improve a text.
Paragraph organization should support the communication purpose of the task.
The objective is to create a coherent response rather than a collection of independent sentences.
The Writing test does not evaluate grammar in isolation.
Candidates need to demonstrate that they can select vocabulary and structures appropriate to the task, communicate information clearly, describe and explain ideas, justify choices or opinions, and organize their writing coherently.
In Task 3, candidates must also be able to work with different viewpoints and develop their own position.
Complex structures are useful only when they are controlled and natural. Accuracy and clarity are more important than unnecessary complexity.
Use vocabulary that is precise and appropriate to the topic.
Avoid repeating the same basic words when a natural alternative is available, but do not replace simple accurate vocabulary with complicated expressions that you cannot control.
Learning vocabulary by topic can be useful, but candidates should practise using new words in complete sentences and realistic writing tasks.
Grammar should support communication.
During preparation, pay particular attention to recurring errors involving verb forms, tense selection, agreements, articles, prepositions, pronouns and sentence structure.
The objective is not to eliminate every possible error before taking the test. The priority is to reduce repeated errors that affect clarity and demonstrate greater control of French structures.
The style of the response should match the situation.
A message to a friend should not necessarily use the same register as a formal message to an organization or professional contact.
Candidates should pay attention to appropriate greetings, forms of address, level of formality and closing expressions when they are relevant to the task.
Register should remain consistent throughout the response.
Task 3 requires more than simply giving a personal opinion.
First, identify the essential ideas presented in the two documents.
Determine where the viewpoints are similar, different or complementary.
Reformulate the relevant information rather than copying it.
Then present your own position and develop it with clear reasons and, when appropriate, examples.
The response should show a logical connection between the source material and the candidate’s personal argument.
Keep a small amount of time for a final review.
Check the response from several perspectives.
Did I answer the exact instructions?
Did I include all essential information?
Is the response within the required word range?
Are the ideas logically organized?
Are there obvious errors in verbs, agreements, spelling, articles, prepositions or sentence structure?
Proofreading should be targeted. Completely rewriting the response during the final minutes can create new errors and waste valuable time.
Do not memorize one complete text and force it onto an unrelated topic.
Do not ignore part of the instructions.
Do not write far beyond or below the required word range.
Do not use complicated structures only to appear advanced.
Do not copy large portions of the documents in Task 3.
Do not spend so much time on one task that you cannot complete the others.
Do not leave proofreading until there is no time remaining.
Successful preparation should develop both French proficiency and exam performance.
Candidates should practise each task separately before completing full timed Writing tests.
After each practice response, errors should be analyzed by category. For example, problems may come from misunderstanding the instructions, weak organization, insufficient vocabulary, recurring grammar errors, inappropriate register or poor time management.
The objective is not simply to write more texts. It is to identify weaknesses and improve them systematically.
Task 1 focuses on communicating information clearly in a message appropriate to a specific situation.
Task 2 focuses on reporting or narrating effectively while adding the explanation, opinion or argument required by the instructions.
Task 3 focuses on understanding and reformulating different viewpoints, comparing relevant ideas and developing a coherent personal position.
The AFM objective is not to make candidates memorize ready-made responses. It is to give them a flexible methodology that can be adapted to the actual topic they receive on test day.
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