TCF Canada NCLC Score Chart: Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing

TCF Canada evaluates four abilities for Canadian immigration: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. IRCC maps each official component result to a separate Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level.

The components use different numeric ranges. Speaking and writing appear on one scale in the IRCC table, while listening and reading use larger numeric ranges. A value is meaningful only in its correctly labelled ability column.

Current IRCC TCF Canada NCLC chart

Test results for each ability — TCF Canada

NCLC Level	Speaking (expression orale)	Listening (compréhension de l'oral)	Reading (compréhension de l'écrit)	Writing (expression écrite)
10 and above	16–20	549–699	549–699	16–20
9	14–15	523–548	524–548	14–15
8	12–13	503–522	499–523	12–13
7	10–11	458–502	453–498	10–11
6	7–9	398–457	406–452	7–9
5	6	369–397	375–405	6
4	4–5	331–368	342–374	4–5

Ability order preserved from IRCC: Speaking (expression orale), Listening (compréhension de l'oral), Reading (compréhension de l'écrit), Writing (expression écrite).

How to map an official TCF result

1. Read the official speaking result and find it only in the speaking column.
2. Read the official listening result and find it only in the listening column.
3. Read the official reading result and find it only in the reading column.
4. Read the official writing result and find it only in the writing column.
5. Record four separate NCLC component levels.

Do not average the four TCF numbers. They are not on one common numeric scale. Do not average the four mapped NCLC labels when a rule asks for a minimum in every ability.

Worked example 1: exact NCLC 7 lower boundaries

Original worked example; not an official score report

Ability	Example TCF value	IRCC range used	Mapped component level
Speaking	10	10–11	NCLC 7
Listening	458	458–502	NCLC 7
Reading	453	453–498	NCLC 7
Writing	10	10–11	NCLC 7

All four constructed component values map to NCLC 7. This demonstrates the lookup process only; it does not establish any other Express Entry requirement.

Worked example 2: an uneven profile

Original uneven-profile example

Ability	Example TCF value	Mapped component level
Speaking	14	NCLC 9
Listening	503	NCLC 8
Reading	499	NCLC 8
Writing	9	NCLC 6

This example does not show NCLC 7 in all four abilities because writing maps to NCLC 6. Strong speaking, listening, and reading results do not raise the writing component. Read why the four-skill minimum cannot be replaced with an average.

Boundary checks worth reading twice

• Speaking or writing 9 is NCLC 6; 10 begins NCLC 7.
• Listening 457 is NCLC 6; 458 begins NCLC 7.
• Reading 452 is NCLC 6; 453 begins NCLC 7.
• Listening 502 is NCLC 7; 503 begins NCLC 8.
• Reading 498 is NCLC 7; 499 begins NCLC 8.
• Listening 522 is NCLC 8; 523 begins NCLC 9.
• Reading 523 is NCLC 8; 524 begins NCLC 9.
• Speaking or writing 15 is NCLC 9; 16 begins NCLC 10 and above.

The different NCLC 9 boundary for listening and reading is an especially important reason to keep the labels attached to the numbers.

Original score-reading worksheet

Use this sequence with the current IRCC page open beside your official results:

Blank interpretation worksheet

Ability	My official TCF result	Current IRCC range	Mapped NCLC component	Official page rechecked on
Speaking (expression orale)	________	________	________	________
Listening (compréhension de l'oral)	________	________	________	________
Reading (compréhension de l'écrit)	________	________	________	________
Writing (expression écrite)	________	________	________	________

Keeping an “official page rechecked” date is useful because score systems and program requirements can change. This article records a July 28, 2026 fact check, not a promise that the table will remain unchanged.

NCLC 7 and Express Entry's French category

IRCC currently states that eligibility for the French-language-proficiency category requires French-language test results showing a minimum of NCLC 7 in all four language abilities, plus the other requirements in the instructions for that round.

A TCF score chart can answer only one narrow question: which NCLC component range contains each official result? It cannot determine whether you qualify for an Express Entry program, what your CRS score is, whether a category-based round will occur, whether you will receive an invitation, or whether an application will be approved.

TCF validity and official format

France Éducation international states that the TCF Canada certificate is valid for two years from the date the results are issued. For Express Entry, IRCC says test results must be less than two years old when you complete your profile and when you submit the permanent-residence application.

The official TCF Canada format currently includes four mandatory tests: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. For a format comparison before booking, see TEF Canada vs TCF Canada.

TCF score chart is not a CEFR conversion chart

France Éducation international describes TCF with reference to the CEFR, whose levels run from A1 to C2. Canadian immigration uses NCLC component conversions. There is no universal rule that replaces the current IRCC TCF table with a single CEFR-to-NCLC equation.

Before relying on a TCF conversion

• Use an official TCF Canada result, not a practice-test percentage.
• Open IRCC's current language-test page.
• Keep speaking, listening, reading, and writing in the published order.
• Map each component independently.
• Check the lower and upper boundaries carefully.
• Confirm that the result remains valid at the required Express Entry stages.
• Do not infer broader immigration eligibility from the language conversion alone.

If your official result is TEF Canada instead, use the TEF Canada NCLC score chart.

Browse the complete French for Canada field guide for related test and immigration-language resources.

Official sources

• IRCC: TCF Canada NCLC ranges, accepted tests, and validity rules
• IRCC: French-language-proficiency category criteria
• France Éducation international: official TCF Canada format and certificate information
• Government of Canada: Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
• Council of Europe: CEFR level descriptions