Section A: continue a news article
25 minutes · at least 80 words
You read the beginning of a short news story and write what happens next, as a journalist would: facts, events, past tenses and several paragraphs.
Free TEF Canada writing grader
Find out your NCLC level for TEF Canada writing in 2 minutes
Write or paste your answer to a Section A or Section B task. You get an estimated NCLC level, a score for each criterion, the three fixes that will raise your score the most, and a corrected version of your text.
No sign-up · 2 free gradings · feedback in English or French · not an official TEF result
Le premier matin, les commerçants de la rue principale était étaient très en colère. […] Mais l'après-midi, la situation changeait a changé. Des familles sont venus venues à pied et à vélo […] Il veut écouter tout le monde avant de décider si la mesure sera gardé maintenue après l'été.
Allez7's corrected version of an answer to our practice task “A village closes its centre to cars”. Struck-through words were wrong; the corrections are in red.
Grade your answer
This is an AI-assisted estimate, calibrated against texts marked by human examiners. It is not an official TEF result.
Want to see what NCLC 7 looks like first? Read our annotated sample answers.How Allez7 grades your text
Allez7 is an AI-assisted grader. An AI model reads your text, but most of the grading is plain code: the rules are fixed, so every text is held to the same standard.
Done by our code, not by AI
- The criteria and the grid
- The four TEF writing criteria (task completion, coherence, vocabulary, grammar), each scored on a fixed grid aligned with the CEFR levels the TEF uses.
- Calibration
- We test the grader on texts marked by human examiners and correct its bias, so its scores line up with theirs.
- Your NCLC level
- Code turns the criterion scores into an NCLC level, using the TEF's own alignment between CEFR and NCLC levels. The AI never chooses your level.
- Length and TEF rules
- Code counts your words, leaves out words copied from the task, and lowers the task score when the text is more than 10% under the minimum. An off-topic text, the wrong kind of text or fewer than three arguments in Section B caps the score by fixed amounts.
- Checks before grading
- Code checks that the text is in French and long enough, and a small specialised classifier, separate from the grading model, checks that it is a real answer to a TEF task. Anything else is turned away before grading.
Done by AI
- Reading your text and scoring each criterion against the grid, with a short comment
- The 3 fixes that will raise your score the most
- The corrected version of your text
The result is a calibrated estimate to track your progress. It is not an official TEF result.
How the TEF Canada writing test works
The writing test (expression écrite) lasts 60 minutes and has two sections. You write both texts in French.
Section B: give and defend your opinion
35 minutes · at least 200 words
You react to a statement, for example in a letter to a newspaper or a forum post. You take a clear position and support it with several arguments and examples.
What examiners look at
- Task completion
- Did you do what the task asks, in the right format and register, with enough content?
- Coherence and cohesion
- Is the text organised in paragraphs, with clear links between ideas?
- Vocabulary
- Is your vocabulary varied, precise and correctly spelled?
- Grammar
- Agreement, verb forms, tenses and sentence structure.
TEF Canada writing scores and NCLC levels
TEF Canada writing is scored out of 450. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) converts the score into an NCLC level. Most Express Entry candidates aim for NCLC 7 in all four skills.
| NCLC level | TEF writing score (out of 450) |
|---|---|
| NCLC 10+ | 393–450 |
| NCLC 9 | 371–392 |
| NCLC 8 | 349–370 |
| NCLC 7Target | 310–348 |
| NCLC 6 | 271–309 |
| NCLC 5 | 226–270 |
| NCLC 4 | 181–225 |
Source: IRCC equivalence table for TEF Canada, checked on 2026-10-08.
See the scores for all four skills in the TEF Canada score chartThe whole test at a glance
- ListeningMultiple choice, 40 minutes
- ReadingMultiple choice, 60 minutes
- WritingTwo sections, 60 minutes
- SpeakingTwo sections with an examiner, 15 minutes
Frequently asked questions
Is this the official TEF Canada?
No. This is an independent practice tool, not affiliated with CCI Paris Île-de-France or the TEF. Only an approved test centre can give you an official result.
How accurate is the NCLC estimate?
The grading is AI-assisted and calibrated. An AI model scores each criterion against a fixed grid; our code then applies the TEF rules and the length rule and turns the scores into an NCLC level. We test the grader on texts marked by human examiners and correct its bias, and we keep refining it. Treat the result as an estimate to track your progress, not as a promise of your exam score.
What NCLC level do I need for Express Entry?
Most candidates aim for NCLC 7 in all four skills. On TEF Canada writing, NCLC 7 means a score between 310 and 348 out of 450.
How many words should I write?
At least 80 words for Section A and at least 200 for Section B. The grader accepts up to 400 words. Writing much more than the minimum does not earn points by itself; quality does.
Can I use my own practice task?
Yes. Choose “I answered my own task” and paste the task you practised with. For our own tasks, you also see a model answer after grading.
Do you keep my text?
Your text is sent to our AI providers to be graded. We do not store it in our database; we keep only the scores, the word count and the section. See the privacy policy for details.
Is it free?
Yes. The score calculator and the guides are free, and your first two writing gradings are free. Paid plans with unlimited grading, a speaking simulator and full practice tests are in development: you can join the waitlist to reserve the founding-member price. Nothing is charged today.