TEF Canada writing topics to practise sections A and B
Thirteen practice topics in the format of the TEF Canada writing test: six news stories to finish for section A and seven statements to discuss in a letter to a newspaper for section B. They are original topics, not exam papers. Each one opens in the grader at the top of this page. The exam is in French, so the topics are too.
Updated October 23, 2026
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Fermer les supermarchés le dimanche
Vous avez lu dans un journal l’affirmation suivante : « Les supermarchés devraient fermer le dimanche pour que tout le monde puisse se reposer. » Écrivez une lettre au journal pour dire ce que vous en pensez (200 mots minimum). Développez au moins trois arguments pour défendre votre point de vue.
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0 words · Expected: 200 words minimumTimer 35:00
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How to read a TEF Canada topic
Section A: finish a news story
The headline and the start of the article give the place, the time and the starting point: your text has to continue them, not contradict them.
Write like a journalist: in the past, in several paragraphs, with precise facts (who, what, how) and an ending.
At least 80 words in 25 minutes, with no maximum.
Section B: the opinion letter
Find the statement in quotation marks and say in your first sentence whether you agree: CCI advises stating your position simply rather than with a long introduction.
At least three arguments, each developed with a detail or an example. CCI looks at coherence, links between sentences and the variety of vocabulary.
It is a letter to a newspaper: a greeting, a closing formula, a signature. At least 200 words in 35 minutes.
Section A: six news stories to finish
Instructions for each topic: « Voici le début d’un article de presse. Terminez cet article en ajoutant un texte de 80 mots minimum, en plusieurs paragraphes. »
A dog leads the firefighters
Daily life
Un chien guide les pompiers — Sherbrooke – Mercredi matin, un chien est resté plus d’une heure devant la caserne des pompiers en aboyant sans arrêt. Intrigués, deux pompiers ont décidé de le suivre…
Ideas
Where the dog leads the firefighters: a house, a building site, the riverbank?
Who they find, in what state, and what the rescue team does.
The ending: the dog’s owner, a witness’s words, a reward.
Un portefeuille retrouvé vingt ans plus tard — Lyon – Mardi, une habitante du quartier de la Croix-Rousse a reçu par la poste une enveloppe sans nom d’expéditeur. À l’intérieur, elle a découvert le portefeuille qu’elle avait perdu en 2006…
Ideas
What is in the wallet: papers, photos, money from the time.
Who sent it back and why now: a note slipped into the envelope?
The woman’s reaction, an investigation, a reunion.
Concert improvisé dans un ascenseur — Montréal – Samedi soir, une panne d’électricité a bloqué pendant deux heures l’ascenseur d’un immeuble du Plateau-Mont-Royal. À l’intérieur se trouvaient six voisins qui ne s’étaient jamais parlé…
Ideas
How the concert starts: an instrument, a song, a child.
The two hours in the lift: neighbours getting to know each other.
Getting out: the technicians, a party in the building, a new habit.
Nuit blanche à l’aéroport — Québec – Mardi soir, une tempête de neige a cloué au sol tous les avions de l’aéroport Jean-Lesage. Plus de trois cents passagers ont dû passer la nuit dans le terminal…
Ideas
How the passengers get organised: blankets, food, children.
What the airport staff and the airline do.
The morning: flights leave again, a passenger tells about the night.
Un livreur à vélo devient un héros — Bordeaux – Jeudi, en fin d’après-midi, un jeune livreur à vélo traversait le pont de pierre lorsqu’il a entendu des appels à l’aide venant des quais…
Ideas
What the courier sees on the quays: someone in the water, a child, an elderly person?
What he does, the other witnesses, the rescue team arriving.
Afterwards: news of the victim, the city’s reaction, the courier interviewed.
Le perroquet qui a sauvé une famille — Gatineau – Dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, une famille a été réveillée par les cris de son perroquet, Coco, qui répétait sans arrêt un mot qu’il n’avait jamais prononcé…
Ideas
The word Coco repeats and what the father finds when he gets up.
The evacuation, the firefighters, the damage.
Where the word comes from: a TV show, a child, a neighbour? An ending with a wink.
Instructions for each topic: « Vous avez lu dans un journal l’affirmation suivante : « … » Écrivez une lettre au journal pour dire ce que vous en pensez (200 mots minimum). Développez au moins trois arguments pour défendre votre point de vue. »
Closing supermarkets on Sundays
Consumption
« Les supermarchés devraient fermer le dimanche pour que tout le monde puisse se reposer. »
Ideas
For: rest for employees, family life, small shops.
Against: people who work during the week, Sunday jobs, tourism.
A middle way: shorter opening hours, Sunday work that is voluntary and better paid.
Two of these topics, the parrot (section A) and living in the countryside (section B), have answers written at B1, B2 and C1, with comments for each criterion: see
the TEF Canada writing samples. Write your own text first, then compare. The method for each section is on the
section A and section B pages.
FAQ
Where can I find official TEF Canada writing topics?
CCI Paris Île-de-France, which designs the TEF Canada, publishes a sample writing test and preparation advice on its website. The topics on this page are practice prompts we wrote in the same format.
Are these real exam topics?
No. They are original: not exam papers, and not “leaked” topics written down from memory. They follow the format CCI describes: continuing a news story for section A, a letter to a newspaper about a statement for section B.
How long do I have for each section?
25 minutes for section A (at least 80 words) and 35 minutes for section B (at least 200 words), 60 minutes in total. The grader’s timer uses the same durations.
How should I practise with a topic?
Pick a topic, start the timer, write without a dictionary, then send your text to the grader: you get your estimated NCLC level and your two most important corrections for free.