TCF Canada Speaking: Tasks, Timing and Scoring

The roles change with each task. In Task 1 the examiner leads. In Task 2 you lead: you are the one asking the questions. In Task 3 you speak mostly on your own, and the examiner may ask you to go further.

• Task 1 shows whether you can talk about familiar things with ease. Give developed answers rather than single sentences, but do not recite a memorized text — it is easy to recognize.
• Task 2 shows whether you can handle a real exchange: asking varied and relevant questions, reacting to the answers, and using a register that fits the situation, formal or informal.
• Task 3 shows whether you can build an argument: state a position, give reasons and examples, consider another view, and conclude.

The examiner assesses you during the interview. The interview is recorded and marked a second time at France Éducation international. The result is a score out of 20 and a CEFR level, based on your range and accuracy in French, how fluent and coherent you are, and how well what you say fits the situation.

• Answering in one sentence. Short answers give the examiner nothing to assess. Add a reason, an example or a detail.
• Running out of questions in Task 2. Use the two minutes of preparation to list the points to ask about: price, dates, place, conditions, what is included.
• Using the wrong register in Task 2. Decide at the start whether the situation calls for tu or vous, and keep to it.
• Giving an opinion with no structure in Task 3. A position, two or three arguments with examples, and a conclusion is enough — and far better than talking until you are stopped.
• Stopping when you cannot find a word. Rephrase and carry on. Being able to work around a gap is itself a sign of a good level.

1. Record yourself. Do each task with a timer, listen back, and note where you hesitate or repeat yourself.
2. Prepare your introduction, without scripting it. Know what you want to say about your work, studies and plans, but say it differently each time.
3. Practice asking questions. For Task 2, take everyday situations — renting a flat, joining a club, booking a trip — and produce ten different questions for each.
4. Practice arguing both sides. For Task 3, take a common topic and speak for two minutes in favor, then two minutes against.
5. Speak with someone. A teacher, a language partner or a conversation group gives you what recording cannot: the pressure of a real listener.

Speaking rests on the same foundation as the other skills. The vocabulary and structures you meet while practicing listening and reading are the ones you will need to produce here.