TCF Success After Failed TEF Trials
After two failed trials of TEF CANADA (Expression Orale: 5 and 6 respectively), I took TCF CANADA and got C2 in Compréhension Orale, C1 in Compréhension Écrite, and finally B2 in Expression Écrite (13/20) and Expression Orale (12/20).
As the process was upsetting at times and psychologically challenging, I would like to share my experience and compare the two exams with you guys.
So, this whole process took around 9 months. I started at a level close to low A2.
I will mainly focus on Expression Orale, as all the other sections were already OK for me in TEF as well, even within 5 months. Firstly, TCF seems a bit harder at first glance, particularly with regard to Tâche 3, where you need to defend or refute a statement non-stop for 4.5 minutes from different perspectives and in a formal register.
However, for me, TCF ended up being easier because preparing for this task is more manageable compared to the second part of TEF, where you need to improvise and give instant responses to different questions. Also, there are around 6–7 general topic spheres, and although the specific questions can be limitless, you can still reuse your ready-made vocabulary and phrase structures for the same main themes while improvising a bit.
Secondly, for Tâche 2, unlike the first part of TEF, you have two minutes of preparation time to get your questions ready, which is a huge advantage if you are someone like me who gets stressed in instant oral expression situations.
On top of that, I did all the RFI and TV5 practices, as well as modules from some other well-known websites for Compréhension Orale, and the questions were generally either the same as or very similar to those practice samples. Some people say the same goes for Compréhension Écrite as well, but I did not even do a single sample for that section since I focused more on the productive skills.
With regard to writing, youtube videos and chatgpt did the job for me. TEF could be a bit easier in this section; however, TCF writing is not hard too.
Overall, I would say it is definitely doable within 6–9 months if you already have a solid A1 or somewhat A2 level. Preparing specifically for the exam format is crucial; however, you cannot really succeed without speaking and writing regularly and building a decent foundation in vocabulary and grammar.
Practice with AI and with real people in real situations in order to overcome hesitation and the stress of making sudden transitions between ideas and vocabulary during oral expression.
One last recommandation; you need to listen to radio, watch news, videos and speak as a daily routine to overcome getting blocked and to become somewhat fluent. There are limitless free sources for watching and listening. Chatgpt helped me a lot for writing, and for speaking to a certain level. As per other speaking practices; mirroring helps improve and determine your weaknesses, recording your voice and correcting every time as well.
Wish you all the best within this challenge,