The TCF is not an exam you pass or fail. It is a positioning test: you sit it once, and it places you on the CEFR scale from A1 to C2 with a score out of 699. That single result is what a university, an embassy or an employer reads to decide whether your French is enough for what you need.
This page covers the TCF tout public, the general version. The three multiple-choice papers are compulsory and taken by everyone; the two expression papers, writing and speaking, are optional and added only when your file requires them. The checklist below is the exact map of what each paper can test, level by level.
The TCF tout public format
The TCF is awarded by France Éducation international and each result is valid for two years. On computer the multiple-choice papers carry a few extra trial questions that do not count towards your score.
| Paper | Questions or tasks | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Compréhension orale — listening (compulsory) | 29 multiple-choice questions | 25 minutes |
| Maîtrise des structures de la langue — grammar and lexis (compulsory) | 18 multiple-choice questions | 15 minutes |
| Compréhension écrite — reading (compulsory) | 29 multiple-choice questions | 45 minutes |
| Expression écrite — writing (optional) | 3 written tasks | 60 minutes |
| Expression orale — speaking (optional) | 3 spoken tasks, face to face | 12 minutes |
What your score means
Each paper gives a score and a level, and your overall score sits in one of six bands. There is no pass mark: the level you need is the one your file asks for.
| Score | Level | What it certifies |
|---|---|---|
| 100–199 | A1 | Basic user: simple set phrases and immediate needs. |
| 200–299 | A2 | Basic user: routine exchanges on familiar matters. |
| 300–399 | B1 | Independent user: coping, giving opinions, telling a story. |
| 400–499 | B2 | Independent user: fluent argument and clear, detailed text. |
| 500–599 | C1 | Proficient user: flexible, effective, nuanced French. |
| 600–699 | C2 | Proficient user: near-native ease and precision. |
Compréhension orale: what the listening tests
Twenty-nine questions that climb from a single spoken phrase to an abstract debate. You hear each recording once, so the skill is catching the answer in real time.
- Comprendre des annonces et des messages publics (gare, aéroport, répondeur)Understand public announcements and messages (station, airport, voicemail)
- Suivre des consignes et des instructions simplesFollow simple directions and instructions
- Repérer une information précise : un prix, une heure, un lieu, un chiffreCatch a specific detail: a price, a time, a place, a number
- Identifier le sujet et l’idée principale d’une conversationIdentify the topic and the main idea of a conversation
- Comprendre un échange courant entre locuteurs natifsFollow an everyday exchange between native speakers
- Reconnaître le ton, l’intention et l’attitude des personnes qui parlentRecognise the tone, intention and attitude of the speakers
- Suivre une interview, un reportage ou un débat radioFollow an interview, a report or a radio debate
- Comprendre un exposé ou une conférence sur un sujet abstraitUnderstand a talk or a lecture on an abstract topic
- Saisir l’implicite, l’ironie et les sous-entendusGrasp implied meaning, irony and innuendo
Compréhension écrite: what the reading tests
Twenty-nine questions on real documents, from a café menu to an argued opinion piece. The difficulty is not the words but finding the one detail the question turns on.
- Comprendre des documents de la vie quotidienne (menus, horaires, publicités)Understand everyday documents (menus, timetables, adverts)
- Lire des messages personnels : courriels, cartes, messages de forumRead personal messages: emails, cards, forum posts
- Trouver une information précise dans un texte informatifFind a specific piece of information in an informative text
- Comprendre un article de presse ou un fait diversUnderstand a news article or a news-in-brief item
- Identifier le point de vue et l’intention de l’auteurIdentify the author’s point of view and intention
- Suivre l’organisation d’un texte argumentatifFollow the structure of an argued text
- Comprendre un texte long, littéraire ou abstraitUnderstand a long, literary or abstract text
- Distinguer les faits des opinions et saisir les nuances de sensTell facts from opinions and catch shades of meaning
Maîtrise des structures de la langue: the grammar and lexis tested
Eighteen questions on grammar and vocabulary in context. This is the one paper you can revise like a checklist, so it is the fastest place to gain points. Everything below can appear.
- Les articles définis, indéfinis, partitifs et contractés (du, des, au, aux)Definite, indefinite, partitive and contracted articles
- Le genre et le nombre des noms et des adjectifs, et la place de l’adjectifGender and number of nouns and adjectives, and adjective position
- Les temps de l’indicatif (présent, passé composé, imparfait, plus-que-parfait, futur simple, futur antérieur)The indicative tenses (present, perfect, imperfect, pluperfect, simple future, future perfect)
- Le conditionnel présent et passé, et le subjonctif présent et passéThe present and past conditional, and the present and past subjunctive
- L’impératif et l’accord du participe passé (avoir, être, verbes pronominaux)The imperative and past-participle agreement (avoir, être, reflexive verbs)
- Les pronoms personnels : COD, COI, y, en, et l’ordre des doubles pronomsPersonal pronouns: direct/indirect object, y, en, and double-pronoun order
- Les pronoms relatifs qui, que, dont, où et lequelRelative pronouns qui, que, dont, où and lequel
- Les pronoms démonstratifs, possessifs et indéfinis (celui-ci, le mien, chacun…)Demonstrative, possessive and indefinite pronouns (this one, mine, each…)
- Les prépositions et les locutions prépositives (grâce à, à cause de, malgré…)Prepositions and prepositional phrases (thanks to, because of, despite…)
- La négation simple et complexe (ne… que, ne… ni… ni, ne… aucun, ne… personne)Simple and complex negation (ne… que, ne… ni… ni, ne… aucun…)
- Les comparatifs et les superlatifs (meilleur, pire, le mieux…)Comparatives and superlatives (better, worse, the best…)
- Les connecteurs logiques : cause, conséquence, but, opposition, concessionLogical connectors: cause, consequence, purpose, opposition, concession
- Le discours rapporté et la concordance des tempsReported speech and the sequence of tenses
- La voix passive et la mise en relief (c’est… qui, c’est… que)The passive voice and cleft sentences (c’est… qui, c’est… que)
- Le lexique, les expressions idiomatiques et les registres (familier, standard, soutenu)Vocabulary, idiomatic expressions and registers (informal, standard, formal)
Expression écrite: the three writing tasks
Optional, three tasks in 60 minutes, each longer and more demanding than the last. Marked by an examiner against the CEFR criteria, so range and structure count as much as being correct.
| Task | What it asks | What earns the marks |
|---|---|---|
| Tâche 1 | A short message to describe, tell or explain (email or note) | The right greeting and sign-off, and one clear purpose held throughout. |
| Tâche 2 | An article, a letter or an account of an experience | A structured text with connectors, and past tenses handled cleanly. |
| Tâche 3 | Compare two points of view or documents and give your own | A real argument: a position, reasons, an example, and a nuance. |
Expression orale: the three speaking tasks
Optional, face to face with an examiner, three tasks in about 12 minutes. You are marked on fluency, range and the ability to argue, not on a perfect accent.
| Task | What happens | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Tâche 1 — Entretien dirigé | A guided interview about you and your life, with no preparation | About 2 minutes |
| Tâche 2 — Interaction | You obtain information in an everyday situation, with preparation time | About 5 min 30 |
| Tâche 3 — Point de vue | You take and defend a position on a question, with no preparation | About 4 min 30 |
How to prepare, in the right order
Start with the maîtrise des structures. It is only eighteen questions, but it is pure grammar and vocabulary, which means it is the one paper you can revise from a list and see your score move. Work through the grammar checklist above and close the gaps.
Then decide honestly whether you are sitting the two optional papers. If your file needs a speaking or writing level, that is where your result is really made, and it cannot be crammed the night before. Give yourself timed practice with someone who marks it against the real criteria and tells you which level each answer is landing at.