TCF listening test format: TCF Canada questions, time and scoring

The TCF listening test format for TCF Canada is 39 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes, and each recording is played once [1]. This page goes deeper on that one section: the question formats on the official examples, how IRCC reads the score and where to practise. It also has one short example we wrote ourselves.

The figures come from France Éducation international, which runs the test [1], and from IRCC for the score tables [3]. For all 4 sections side by side, read the TCF Canada format; for everything else about the test, start with the TCF Canada guide; and to turn a listening score into a level, use the TCF Canada score chart. For everyday listening outside the exam, see Learn French by podcast. For a number drill you can do on this site, see French listening practice.

What is the TCF listening format for TCF Canada?

The TCF Canada listening section, called “compréhension orale” in French, is 39 multiple-choice questions in 35 minutes [1]. It is one of the 4 mandatory sections of TCF Canada, and the questions are answered in a group, not one to one with an examiner [1].

What kinds of recordings are in the TCF Canada listening section?

The recordings range from everyday words and simple announcements to radio and television items and talks on concrete or abstract subjects, at normal speed [1]. The questions get harder as the section goes on [1]. The official page does not say how many recordings there are or how long each one runs, so this page does not guess.

What do TCF Canada listening questions look like?

The official examples page shows four formats, and it is a general TCF page, not specific to TCF Canada [2]. In our words:

• Spoken propositions and a picture. You hear 4 short spoken statements and pick the one that matches a picture [2].
• A spoken question with spoken answers. You hear a question, then 4 spoken answers, and choose one [2].
• A short dialogue, then a question. You hear a short conversation, then answer a question that has 4 written choices [2].
• A longer spoken presentation, then a question. The recording is longer, and the question comes after it [2].

On the examples page, the answers are marked by ticking a box on an answer sheet [2].

What does a TCF Canada listening question look like in practice?

Below is a short example of our own: one recording and one question with 4 choices, the number of choices the official page gives [1]. It follows the “short dialogue, then a question” shape [2].

The recording (you would hear this once):

— Allô, Marie ? C’est Hugo. Je suis à la gare, mais le train de 17 h 15 est annulé. — Ah non ! Tu peux prendre le suivant ? — Il est à 18 h 40. Je serai chez toi vers 20 heures. — D’accord. Je commence le repas à 19 h 30, alors. Appelle-moi si tu as du retard.

The question: Pourquoi Hugo téléphone-t-il à Marie ?

• A. Pour dire qu’il va arriver plus tard que prévu.
• B. Pour lui demander de préparer le repas.
• C. Pour annuler le dîner.
• D. Pour lui demander de venir le chercher à la gare.

The answer is A. Hugo’s train is cancelled, the next one is at 18 h 40, and he expects to arrive around 8 pm, so he is calling to say he will be late.

Why the other choices are wrong:

• B reuses the meal, but it is Marie who says she will start it, and nobody asks her to.
• C is never said. The dinner still happens, later.
• D repeats “gare”, but Hugo does not ask to be picked up.

In English, the call goes: Hugo says he is at the station but the 5:15 pm train is cancelled; the next is at 6:40 pm and he will reach her place around 8; Marie says she will start dinner at 7:30 and asks him to call if he is late.

In our example, the wrong choices borrow words you hear (“gare”, “repas”), while the right choice matches what the speaker means. Listen for the point of the call, not for matching words.

How does IRCC score TCF Canada listening?

IRCC converts the TCF Canada listening score to an NCLC level on its own, separately from the other 3 abilities [3]. In IRCC’s TCF Canada tables, listening runs from 331 to 699, and NCLC 7 in listening is 458 to 502 [3]. Reading has its own column in the same tables, where NCLC 7 starts at 453, so a listening score cannot be read against the reading column [3].

The rows for NCLC 4 to 10 are in the TCF Canada score chart, which copies IRCC’s table. The page you are reading does not say how many correct answers give a given score; France Éducation international’s pages do not set that out in what we could open, so do not convert a practice count into a level.

Where can you find TCF listening practice?

The official examples page of France Éducation international has 7 interactive listening examples, with a button to check each answer [2]. It is the closest thing to the real formats, and it is open to read at https://www.france-education-international.fr/test/exemples-epreuves-tcf. The official TCF Canada page also points to two practice sites: RFI “Le français facile” for listening, and TV5MONDE for the mandatory sections [1].

Two habits follow from the format [1]:

• Listen once, then answer. Each recording plays once and the question comes after it [1]. In practice, do not replay before you choose. Replay afterwards to hear what you missed.
• Expect the difficulty to rise. The questions get harder as you go [1], so practise a full set of 39 in 35 minutes, not only the easy ones.

Common mistakes

• Expecting to replay a recording. Each recording plays once [1].
• Practising the wrong section. The examples page includes a grammar and vocabulary section that is not part of TCF Canada [1][2].
• Reading a listening score against the reading row. NCLC 7 is 458 in listening and 453 in reading in IRCC’s table [3].
• Turning a practice count into a level. IRCC’s tables convert scores, not counts of correct answers [3], and the exam body does not publish the table that turns a count into a score.
• Treating our example as an official question. It was written for this page to show the shape of a question. Use the official examples for the real style [2].
• Relying on a guide for exam facts, including this one. France Éducation international and IRCC update their pages. Compare their content with the date at the top of this page.

Sources