French test: free level check or official exam?

A French test, or French language test, can mean two very different things: a free level check that estimates where you are, or an official exam that gives you a certificate an institution or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can accept. This page explains the difference, names the official exams and who issues them, and says which ones IRCC accepts. For the levels these exams report, read French levels explained. For immigration, see the French test for Canada PR. For the official practice material, see the TCF Canada practice test and TEF Canada sample test pages. Every exam is listed in French exams: the full list, and free practice beyond the exams is in Learn French for free.

What is the difference between a placement check and an official exam?

A French language test, also called a French proficiency test, comes in two kinds, and only one of them produces a certificate. A placement check, also called a positioning or level check, estimates your level so a school or app can put you in the right course. An official exam is issued by an exam body, is sat at an approved centre, and gives you a result document that other institutions can ask for.

The France Éducation international (FEI) hub page draws the same line. It lists its diplomas and tests (DILF, DELF, DALF and TCF) as certifications, and describes a positioning test separately, as a tool for language centres, training bodies and companies to place learners on a scale [1]. Many schools and apps also offer their own placement checks. Their results are not certificates, and no institution is required to accept them. IRCC accepts results only from the approved tests it names [2].

Which official French exams exist, and who issues them?

The official French exams in this guide come from two organisations. The Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) is issued by CCI Paris Ile-de-France, and the exam body’s page says it has issued the TEF since 1998 [3]. The Test de connaissance du français (TCF), the DILF, the DELF and the DALF come from France Éducation international, a public operator under the French Ministry of National Education [1].

Two differences are worth knowing. The TEF and TCF are tests that report a level; the DELF and DALF are diplomas, each one tied to a single CEFR level [7][8]. FEI’s pages say the DELF and the DALF are valid for life and the TCF Canada results document is valid for 2 years [4][7][8]. The TEF’s exam body says its certification is valid for two years from the date of the test [3].

Which French proficiency exams does IRCC accept?

IRCC accepts two French tests for Express Entry: TEF Canada and TCF Canada [2]. Its language test page names TEF Canada as administered by CCI Paris Ile-de-France and links TCF Canada to the site of France Éducation international [2]. Your results must be less than 2 years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence [2].

The other exams in the table are real certifications, but they are not on that IRCC page [2]. That includes the general TCF, TCF Québec, TEFAQ, the DELF and the DALF. Whether another Canadian program or institution accepts one of them is that program’s rule, so read its own page. The DELF and DALF for Canadian immigration page covers the diplomas, and the French test for Canada PR page covers each program.

Where can you practise before an official French assessment?

Both exam bodies publish their own practice material. The exam body for TEF Canada lists example papers for each of the four sections on its preparation page [9], and FEI publishes examples of TCF papers on its own site [10]. We describe them on separate pages so this one stays short: see the TEF Canada sample test and the TCF Canada practice test. Practice material is practice, not a result.

When is a free French level check enough?

A free French level test or level assessment is enough when nobody else has to see the result. As general guidance, these are the cases where a placement check does the job:

• Choosing the starting level of a course or an app.
• Setting a rough study goal before you look at an official exam.
• Seeing which skill (listening, reading, speaking, writing) is weakest, to plan study time.
• Deciding whether to look at an official exam at all.

A placement check cannot show that you meet a requirement, because the party that sets the requirement names the results it accepts [2].

When do you need a certified French level assessment?

You need a certified result when an institution, a ministry or IRCC asks for one. General guidance:

• A Canadian immigration application. IRCC accepts TEF Canada and TCF Canada for Express Entry [2]. Other programs have their own rules, so read the program’s page.
• A Québec application. Québec sets its own list of accepted exams [5]. The TEFAQ guide and the TCF Québec guide cover the two Québec versions.
• A school, university or employer that names an exam or diploma. Ask the institution which results it accepts, since the exam bodies list their own recognised uses and no one page covers every institution [3][6][7].
• A diploma that lasts. If you want a credential tied to one CEFR level, the DELF and DALF are issued as diplomas for single levels [7][8].

When you are not sure whether a placement check will do, ask the party that will read your result what it accepts.

Common mistakes

• Treating a placement result as a certificate. It is an estimate. IRCC accepts only the approved tests it names [2].
• Booking the general TCF or TEF for Express Entry. IRCC’s Express Entry page names TEF Canada and TCF Canada [2].
• Reading a CEFR level as an NCLC level. IRCC uses NCLC levels read from TEF Canada or TCF Canada results [2].
• Letting a result expire. Express Entry results must be less than 2 years old at profile and at application [2].
• Relying on a comparison table, including this one. Compare the exam bodies’ and IRCC’s page dates with the date at the top of this page.

Sources