TCF Canada writing tips: score NCLC 7+ on all three tâches

Writing is where prepared candidates gain the most ground on unprepared ones. The three tâches are utterly predictable — a message, an article, a two-document synthesis with opinion — and 60 minutes is enough for all three IF you arrive with a structure for each. This is that structure.

The ground rules

• •Word counts are hard boundaries: Tâche 1 60–120 words, Tâche 2 120–150, Tâche 3 120–180. Under the minimum is penalised; far over wastes your clock. Practise until your sense of 120 words is calibrated.
• •Split the hour roughly 15 / 20 / 25 minutes for Tâches 1, 2, 3 — and hold two minutes at the end of each for rereading.
• •Every tâche is scored on task achievement first: answer ALL parts of the prompt. A beautiful text that ignores half the instruction scores worse than a plain text that covers everything.

Tâche 1 — the message (60–120 words)

• •Formula: greeting → why you're writing → the two or three requested details → a closing question or proposal → sign-off (Salut Lucas / À bientôt for friends; Madame, Monsieur / Cordialement for formal).
• •The prompt's bracketed list (lieu, horaires, équipements…) is a checklist — examiners look for each item.
• •Keep it simple and correct: présent, passé composé, futur proche. Tâche 1 rewards accuracy over ambition.

Tâche 2 — the article or blog post (120–150 words)

• •Formula: a short title if it's an article → hook sentence situating the experience → the story in passé composé/imparfait → your impressions → a closing reflection or recommendation.
• •This tâche wants narration WITH opinion — facts alone read flat. Mix 'ce qui m'a le plus marqué…', 'je recommande vivement…' into the story.
• •Vary your tenses deliberately: the passé composé / imparfait contrast is exactly what separates B1 writing from B2.

Tâche 3 — two documents, one opinion (120–180 words)

• •Formula: one sentence introducing the debate → main argument of document 1 IN YOUR OWN WORDS → main argument of document 2 → your justified position → one-line conclusion.
• •Never copy sentences from the documents — reformulation is precisely the skill being tested. Practise compressing a paragraph into one sentence.
• •Give each document one to two sentences, then spend your words on your own opinion with a concrete example. The opinion is where the marks live.

Connectors and the errors that cap scores

• •Structure connectors: d'abord, ensuite, enfin. Contrast: cependant, en revanche, malgré. Cause and result: grâce à, en raison de, c'est pourquoi, par conséquent. Opinion: selon moi, je suis convaincu(e) que. Sprinkle naturally — one per sentence is too many.
• •The five recurring score-cappers: unchecked gender agreements, missing accents (a/à, ou/où), anglicisms (actuellement ≠ actually), run-on sentences without punctuation, and word counts outside the range.
• •Reread with a checklist, not vibes: verbs conjugated? agreements? accents? count?

How to practise

One timed tâche per session beats three untimed ones. After feedback — teacher or AI — rewrite the same prompt without looking at the correction, then compare again. The rewrite is where the improvement actually happens. Rotate so each tâche type comes up weekly, and keep your best formulas in a personal bank you reread before every session.