Free TCF Canada writing correction: what really exists

Your options at a glance

None of these is enough on its own. A combination that works without spending anything: correct yourself with a checklist, have someone read your texts regularly, and check your estimated level from time to time.

What TCF Canada Coach checks for free

If you are looking for a free TCF writing checker, here is exactly what the TCF Canada Coach preview does. You write or paste your text, pick the exam and the prompt (or paste your own instructions), and the preview usually appears in under a minute, with no sign-up. It works for all five writing tasks: TCF Canada tasks 1, 2 and 3 and TEF Canada Sections A and B. It contains:

• the word count, using the official TCF rule, with a warning if you are outside the limits;
• an off-topic warning if the text does not answer the prompt;
• your estimated level: NCLC and CEFR, with an estimated score out of 20 for the TCF or, for the TEF, the matching score bands (out of 699 and on the old scale);
• your 2 most important corrections, with their explanation.

The preview also tells you how many more corrections the full report contains.

The full report is paid, as a one-time payment with no subscription:

• 10 corrections: US$9.90
• 40 corrections: US$24.90
• 30-day pass: US$29.90 (unlimited corrections for 30 days, fair use of 20 a day)

Full refund within 7 days, once per customer (see the refund policy). All the details are on the pricing page.

The level shown is an estimate based on the published criteria: only France Éducation international and CCI Paris Île-de-France issue official results. We assess one task at a time, while the TCF Canada writing score covers all three tasks together.

Free official resources

The two bodies that design the exams publish free material in the official format on their websites. It does not correct your text, but it gives you the instructions and criteria you need to correct yourself.

TCF Canada: France Éducation international

• the Exemples d’épreuves du TCF page (sample tests), with writing sample papers in PDF (TCF Canada, TCF Québec and TCF tout public): the format of the three tasks, the two-part structure of task 3 and the official word-count rule;
• the Évaluation des épreuves du TCF page, which describes the marking criteria;
• the Comprendre mes résultats au TCF page, with the TCF level grids (how scores map to CEFR levels);
• the practice it recommends on its TCF Canada page: exercises for the mandatory TCF tests on TV5Monde, and listening practice with RFI’s « Le français facile ».

TEF Canada: CCI Paris Île-de-France

• the TEF Canada page, which presents the test format;
• sample tests in PDF, for writing and for speaking;
• a preparation article on Section B argumentation (published 23 June 2020), explaining what graders value;
• the official TEF score to NCLC correspondence table (PDF);
• the Se préparer au TEF Canada page, with sample tests for all four skills, interactive practice tutorials and video workshops.

To convert your scores, see also our NCLC chart. These documents are the best reference for the format; what they cannot do is comment on your own text. That is where the next options come in.

A study partner or language exchange

Swapping texts with someone preparing the same exam, or with a French speaker in a language exchange (you help them with your language, they help you with French), costs nothing and keeps you writing regularly. To make it work:

• Work on the same prompt, in the official format and against the clock, so you compare like with like.
• Correct with the same checklist, the one below, rather than by instinct.
• Ask them to underline, not rewrite. A text rewritten in someone else’s style teaches you little; an underlined mistake makes you look for the fix.
• Ask precise questions: “Is every point of the prompt covered?”, “Does the register stay the same from start to finish?”, “Which sentence is least clear?”

The limit: a French speaker quickly spots what does not sound natural, but may not know the exam criteria or the word-count rule, and cannot always explain a rule. A partner at your level may miss mistakes, or correct things that were right. Check doubtful corrections in a reference grammar.

Online study groups

On forums and social networks, groups of TCF and TEF candidates swap texts and comments. The upside: quick answers, and plenty of them. The downside: quality varies a lot, because corrections usually come from other candidates, and opinions sometimes contradict each other.

• post the prompt with your text and your word count: without the instructions, nobody can judge whether the task is done;
• compare several answers and keep only the corrections you can justify with a rule;
• never post personal information (full name, application number, contact details);
• be wary of lists of prompts presented as real exam questions: they are not official documents. Practise on the official format instead, for example with our original prompts.

A teacher or prep course

A teacher of French as a foreign language who knows the TCF or TEF does what no free option really does: finds the cause of your mistakes, explains the rules and builds a study plan. Language schools and some test centres also run preparation courses. This is usually paid, and prices vary a lot by country and format: compare before you commit.

To keep costs down, a few targeted sessions can be enough: bring texts you have already self-corrected and the list of mistakes that keep coming back, so class time goes to what you cannot fix alone. Depending on where you live, community organisations or libraries sometimes run free conversation or writing workshops: ask locally.

A 10-point self-correction checklist

This checklist follows the published criteria. For the TCF: linguistic criteria (vocabulary, grammar, spelling, how elaborate the sentences are), pragmatic criteria (coherence, cohesion, development of the topic) and sociolinguistic criteria (fit to the situation). For the TEF: the quality and effectiveness of the text, then the range and control of written French. Proofread in several passes, one or two points at a time: nobody sees everything in a single reading.

Start with the word limits, which come before everything else:

In TCF task 3, the official sample test splits the text into two parts: presenting both opinions (40–60 words), then your position (80–120 words).

1. Word count. Count with the official TCF rule: a word is “any group of signs between two spaces”; « c’est-à-dire » counts as 1 word, « un bon sujet » as 3. In the TCF, a task outside the limits can get the whole paper rated “A1 not reached”. Word limits: minimum and maximum (TCF), minimum only (TEF)
2. Every point of the prompt. Underline what the instructions ask for (recipient, purpose, information, opinion) and tick each item in your text. In the TCF, an off-topic text can also get the paper rated “A1 not reached”. Giving the information requested (TCF) · fit to the situation (TEF)
3. Recipient and register. « Tu » or « vous », kept to the end; a suitable greeting and sign-off; the right text type (message, article, letter). Fit to the situation (TCF and TEF)
4. A visible plan. One paragraph per idea; two distinct parts in TCF task 3; at least three arguments in TEF Section B; several paragraphs in Section A. Coherence (TCF) · overall structure (TEF)
5. Linking and referring words. Does each linking word express a real link? Do pronouns and synonyms avoid repetition? Our list of French linking words covers uses and traps. Cohesion (TCF) · structure and clarity (TEF)
6. Development. Is each idea explained, illustrated with an example or nuanced? A bare claim counts for little. Development of the topic (TCF) · developing, nuancing, specifying (TEF)
7. Vocabulary. Precise words rather than « chose », « faire » or « bien »; no expression used three times; vocabulary that fits the topic. Vocabulary range (TCF) · vocabulary (TEF)
8. Sentence building. A few well-controlled complex sentences (relative clause, cause, purpose, concession) rather than a string of short ones, or sentences too long to control. How elaborate the sentences are (TCF) · syntax (TEF)
9. Grammar. Agreement (gender, number, past participle), past tenses in a story (passé composé and imparfait), the subjunctive after « bien que », « pour que », « il faut que »; « si » + imperfect, never « si » + conditional. Grammatical accuracy (TCF) · syntax, tenses and moods (TEF)
10. Spelling and punctuation. Accents, homophones (a / à, ou / où, ces / ses, et / est), capitals, one idea per sentence and a full stop at the end. Spelling (TCF and TEF)

Use the same checklist from one text to the next and note where you find the most mistakes: those are your revision priorities. On exam day, keep a few minutes for points 1, 2 and 9.

Getting the most out of the free preview

1. Write on your own first, against the clock. No translator, no spell-checker: the preview then measures your level, not a tool’s. The grader has a built-in timer set to the time for each task (suggested for the TCF, official for the TEF).
2. Run the checklist before you submit. Fix what you can fix yourself, so the preview’s 2 corrections go to what you could not see.
3. Treat the 2 corrections as your priorities. They are the most important ones in the text. Note the rule, then look for the same mistake elsewhere in your text.
4. Fix, then resubmit. Once those mistakes are corrected, you can submit the new version (it counts as a new preview): the preview will then highlight the most important mistakes that remain.
5. Vary the tasks. In TCF Canada, the writing score covers all three tasks together: practise each one, not only the shortest. Our practice prompts cover all three TCF tasks and both TEF sections.
6. Keep a mistake log and watch the trend. A single estimate can vary; compare your estimated level and the mistakes that keep coming back over several texts instead.

The full report becomes useful when you want every mistake explained, a score for each criterion and a model answer on your own prompt, for example as the exam gets close. It is not essential to make progress: the preview, the checklist and a study partner already cover a lot. For the full format of each test, see the 3 TCF Canada writing tasks and scoring and TEF Canada writing.

Try the free preview

Write on this prompt (or paste your own): free preview with your estimated NCLC level and your 2 most important corrections.

TCF Canada TEF Canada

Task Task 1 · MessageTask 2 · Article or letterTask 3 · Compare two points of view

Journée de nettoyage

Vous avez participé à une journée de nettoyage d’un parc avec une association de votre ville. Vous écrivez un article pour le blog de l’association : vous racontez cette journée et vous donnez votre opinion pour encourager d’autres habitants à participer à la prochaine édition. (120 mots minimum, 150 mots maximum)

Another prompt · I have my own prompt

Your text (in French)

0 words · Expected: 120–150 words Timer 20:00 Start

Correct my text

Free preview: estimated level and the first 2 corrections. Full report with a pack or a pass.

Free correction FAQ