TEF Canada Expression Écrite: Format, 40 Writing Topics and Sample Answers

TEF Writing Format: What the Expression Écrite Actually Tests

The TEF writing format tests whether you can deliver clear information and developed arguments in French.

The TEF Canada writing test has two different jobs. Section A tests narrative continuity, mostly through past tenses; Section B tests a position you can defend. Correct sentences about the wrong subject still miss the task — that is where most points quietly leave.

Practise within the official 25- and 35-minute sections, including proofreading time, and don’t build a strategy around borrowing minutes from one task for the other. The official pages describe two separate timed sections and say nothing about moving between them.

The test runs on a computer: the French characters é, è, ê, ç and à are available on an on-screen virtual keyboard. Practise inserting them under time pressure. For immigration, all four TEF Canada tests are taken the same day (Le français des affaires, test structure).

The other three sections are covered in the TEF Canada exam guide; the speaking section has its own TEF Canada expression orale guide.

Source: Le français des affaires — TEF Canada test structure, checked September 10, 2026.

Section A — Continue the Article (25 Minutes, 80 Words Minimum)

The tense toolkit for Section A

• Passé composé — eventsLes bénévoles ont installé une nouvelle scène.
  The volunteers set up a new stage.
• Imparfait — backgroundLe public attendait sous la pluie.
  The audience was waiting in the rain.
• Plus-que-parfait — earlier eventsL’orage avait endommagé les câbles.
  The storm had damaged the cables.
• Time and cause connectorsPeu après, le concert a repris grâce à un groupe électrogène.
  Shortly after, the concert resumed thanks to a generator.

I want each tense to explain when something happened. A random plus-que-parfait is just an expensive mistake.

A simple 4-move plan

1. Re-read the opening; identify who, where and what.
2. Decide what happened next before typing.
3. Develop two or three events, with one useful detail each.
4. Close like a journalist: give the outcome or the next step.

Aim usefully above the minimum — 120–150 words is our practice target. Don’t triple the minimum with weather descriptions.

Section B — Defend Your Point of View (35 Minutes, 200 Words Minimum)

The connector inventory

• First reasonD’abord
• Next reasonEnsuite
• Explanation or supporting detailEn effet
• IllustrationPar exemple
• ContrastEn revanche
• Qualification despite an obstacleNéanmoins
• ConsequencePar conséquent
• Closing judgmentEn conclusion

Connectors cannot rescue an undeveloped idea. Eight signposts pointing nowhere are still nowhere.

Register: written, neutral-formal French

Use complete sentences and precise vocabulary. Replace spoken fillers such as bof or ben with explanations. A nuanced position is fine as long as you keep it consistent: “I support repairs when parts are available.”

TEF Writing Topics: 40 Practice Prompts (Section A and Section B)

These 40 original TEF writing topics — TEF expression écrite sujets — give you 15 article openings and 25 Section B statements for practice.

All of them are newly written; none is presented as a recalled exam question. Candidate discussions mention unexpected discoveries, animal incidents and community events on the A side, and debates about consumption, screens and education on the B side — treat those as broad practice themes, not predictions.

For each A prompt, continue from the final sentence. For each B statement, choose your position before you start typing.

TEF Writing Samples: Full Section A and Section B Answers, Including a Formal Letter

A useful TEF writing sample makes every paragraph earn its place.

Each original TEF expression écrite sample below is written at a solid B2 practice level — an instructional judgment, not an examiner-issued result. Prompt details are fictional.

Section A sample: the festival power cut

Section B sample: public repair workshops

Section B sample as a formal letter: community gardens instead of parking

Some Section B instructions ask for a letter to a newspaper, an official or an organisation. This third TEF writing sample shows the same argument skeleton inside letter conventions — greeting, position, reasons, concession, request, closing formula. The formula itself earns no points; keep it to one sentence.

Check your own TEF writing sample answers against these TEF writing examples: does each paragraph add something?

How the Expression Écrite Is Scored

Your TEF writing score reflects task completion, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary range, grammatical control, spelling and punctuation.

The written expression test is assessed by two independent, trained and experienced assessors using standardised evaluation grids; their assessments are converted into a calibrated score (Le français des affaires, how the test is evaluated).

Candidates often say “TEF writing CLB 7”; French uses NCLC 7. Your certificate shows two figures for each skill: the score out of 699 (for tests taken on or after December 11, 2023) and an équivalence ancien score on the old scale, which for writing runs to 450. The table below gives both.

Express Entry asks for the “Équivalence ancien score” column. Enter that column’s scores in your profile, not “Score /699” (IRCC language-testing instructions; IRCC equivalency charts).

For reading, listening and speaking, use the TEF score chart. For what to work on first, see how to get CLB 7 in TEF Canada.

Sources: IRCC language-test equivalency charts (both scales; /699 = tests from December 11, 2023 — IRCC’s level-10 row groups 558–699, which the test maker’s own chart splits into NCLC 10, 11 and 12). Full converter: TEF Canada score chart.

Mistakes That Cost Your TEF Writing Score

The most damaging TEF writing mistakes weaken relevance or development, even when individual sentences look polished.

A candidate reported meeting both word minimums and using advanced tenses, yet receiving a disappointing writing result — without the script, nobody can diagnose it, but it is a useful warning: grammar trophies are not the task.

• Starting another story. Keep the opening’s people and problem; add the next event.
• Repeating an opinion. Give each reason an explanation and an example.
• Connector confetti. Delete the connector; check whether the ideas actually connect.
• Universal introductions. Cut the generic De nos jours… paragraph. The official guidance says assessors disregard long introductions and conclusions that work for every subject.
• Counting grammar trophies. Use a tense because it expresses your meaning, not to impress.
• Padding or stopping short. Check length, then add substance or cut repetition.
• No review time. Reserve minutes in each section for endings, agreements and accents.
• Accent-typing panic. Rehearse on a computer; phone autocorrect is a different skill.

A 4-Week TEF Writing Practice Plan

Effective TEF writing practice combines focused drafts, targeted correction and timed attempts.

1. W1
   Continuity — Write three Section A continuations. Count your added words; underline the verbs and check the event timeline. Get one corrected by a teacher.
2. W2
   Development — Write three Section B responses. Label each reason, explanation and example. Audit your connectors. Have a teacher identify your least convincing paragraph.
3. W3
   Repair — Rewrite both corrected pieces, then tackle one new prompt per section. Track recurring errors, and recheck old drafts after two days without looking at the corrections.
4. W4
   Timing — Complete two full 25/35-minute simulations. Check word count, tenses and connectors, then have a teacher review one complete attempt, including task fulfilment.

Weekly corrected writing speeds up revision by showing you what to change next; keep a short correction log. Four weeks is a practice cycle, not a score promise. The full study schedule is in the TEF Canada preparation guide.

TEF Canada Expression Écrite: Frequently Asked Questions

The Takeaway

Strong TEF Canada expression écrite keeps the story moving and gives every argument enough explanation to stand up. Start with one timed draft, then improve it with feedback.

Dates, centres and fees are on the TEF Canada booking page; the speaking role-plays have their own expression orale guide.