TCF Canada CLB 7: exactly what score to aim for

By Augusto Grone · Updated 8 October 2026 · 6 min read

To reach CLB 7 on the TCF Canada — NCLC 7 in French — you need 458 in listening, 453 in reading and 10 out of 20 in both speaking and writing. Each skill counts separately: no compensation is possible, and your lowest score decides.

Key facts

CLB 7: listening 458–502 · reading 453–498 · speaking and writing 10–11/20.
⚠️ A “B2” on your results certificate doesn’t guarantee CLB 7: the B2 band starts at 400, CLB 7 at 453.
Your results certificate shows no CLB level — the conversion is up to you.
A single point separates CLB 6 from CLB 7: 457 versus 458 in listening.
CLB 7 in all 4 skills = 25 or 50 additional CRS points.
The 2026 French-language Express Entry rounds closed at a CRS of 399 to 420, versus 514–518 for the Canadian Experience Class.

Contents

The complete official conversion table
The “B2” trap
One point separates CLB 6 from CLB 7
What CLB 7 is really worth
Federal CLB 7 ≠ Quebec level 7
Format, timelines, retakes
Frequently asked questions

The complete official conversion table

Here is the equivalency chart published by IRCC. It is the one that counts for your Express Entry profile — and the only one.

TCF Canada → CLB. Listening and reading scored out of 699, speaking and writing out of 20. Source: IRCC equivalency tables, cross-checked on two official pages on 27 July 2026.
CLB	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
10+	549–699	549–699	16–20	16–20
9	523–548	524–548	14–15	14–15
8	503–522	499–523	12–13	12–13
7	458–502	453–498	10–11	10–11
6	398–457	406–452	7–9	7–9
5	369–397	375–405	6	6
4	331–368	342–374	4–5	4–5

Beware of figures you find online. While checking this table, we found that results shown at the top of search engines gave wrong ranges for CLB 7. Never copy a conversion table without checking IRCC’s official page: your application depends on it.

The “B2” trap: when B2 isn’t enough

It is the most expensive mistake in the TCF Canada, and every year it catches candidates who thought they had made it.

Your TCF Canada results certificate shows no CLB level. It gives a score out of 699 for listening and reading, a mark out of 20 for speaking and writing, and the equivalent of each as a CEFR level — from “below A1” up to C2. Converting to CLB is up to you.

But the two scales don’t line up. The TCF’s CEFR bands are wide:

TCF score bands and the matching CEFR levels. Source: official TCF documentation, France Éducation international.
CEFR level	Score /699	Speaking and writing /20
Below A1	0–99	—
A1	100–199	1
A2	200–299	2–5
B1	300–399	6–9
B2	400–499	10–13
C1	500–599	14–17
C2	600–699	18–20

Now compare with the CLB table. In reading, CLB 6 runs from 406 to 452 — and that whole range is labelled B2 on your certificate. A score of 430 proudly displays “B2” and is still only worth CLB 6.

In other words: some B2s are not worth CLB 7. If you are aiming for Express Entry, never rely on the CEFR level printed on your certificate — look up your raw scores in the CLB table above, skill by skill.

One point separates CLB 6 from CLB 7

The boundary is unforgiving, and you need to know it before you register:

Listening: 457 = CLB 6, 458 = CLB 7
Reading: 452 = CLB 6, 453 = CLB 7
Speaking and writing: 9/20 = CLB 6, 10/20 = CLB 7

One point. And that margin matters all the more because the TCF score is not a simple proportion of your correct answers: a scoring model weights each question by its difficulty and converts the total into a calibrated score. So you can’t predict your score by counting your right answers.

France Éducation international even officially acknowledges some variability: the same candidate on the edge of a level can score 304 points at one session and 295 at the next — and so change level without any change in ability. The practical conclusion is simple: never aim for the exact threshold. If you need CLB 7, train for CLB 8.

What CLB 7 is really worth

CLB 7 in all four skills is the threshold that unlocks three things.

1. The French bonus points. You get 25 additional CRS points if your English is at CLB 4 or lower — or if you haven’t taken any English test — and 50 points if you have CLB 5 or higher in all four skills in English. These points come on top of those for the language factor itself.

This bonus carries more weight today than it used to: since 25 March 2025, IRCC has removed all points for a job offer. The 50 French points therefore make up a much larger share of your score.

2. Access to the “French-language proficiency” rounds. That is where the real advantage lies, and the figures speak for themselves:

2026 Express Entry rounds of invitations: French-language proficiency category versus Canadian Experience Class. Source: IRCC, data checked on 27 July 2026.
Date	French-language proficiency round — CRS	Canadian Experience Class — CRS
22 July 2026	399 (5,000 invitations)	—
21 July 2026	—	516
9 July 2026	420 (5,000)	517
28 May 2026	409 (4,500)	518
29 April 2026	400 (4,000)	514
15 April 2026	419 (4,000)	—

A gap of about 100 to 120 points. A French-speaking candidate with 410 points is invited; the same profile without French would be waiting for a cut-off above 500. It is by far the most powerful lever in an economic immigration application to Canada today.

3. The post-graduation work permit. For applications submitted since 1 November, the post-graduation work permit (PGWP) requires CLB 7 in all four skills for a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate) and CLB 5 for a college or other non-university program.

Federal CLB 7 ≠ Quebec level 7

Quebec doesn’t use CLB levels but the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français (the Quebec scale of French proficiency levels), graded from 1 to 12. The two frameworks use identical numbers and don’t cover the same scores.

In listening, Quebec level 7 starts at 400, whereas federal CLB 7 starts at 458. A score of 430 therefore gives you level 7 in Quebec, and only CLB 6 at the federal level. On the Quebec scale, the 400–499 band corresponds to levels 7–8.

Two things to remember about the two systems: the TCF Canada is accepted by Quebec (MIFI) for the PSTQ, its skilled worker selection program, but the reverse isn’t true — the TCF Québec is not accepted by IRCC for Express Entry. IRCC accepts only two tests: the TCF Canada and the TEF Canada. Neither the TCF tout public nor the TCF IRN will do.

For stream 1 of the PSTQ, Quebec requires level 7 or higher in oral French and level 5 or higher in written French. An accompanying spouse must reach level 4 in oral French. If you are torn between the two tests, our comparison TCF or TEF Canada sets out both charts.

Format, timelines, retakes

The TCF Canada has four compulsory tests, for a total of 2 hours 47 minutes: listening (39 multiple-choice questions, 35 min), reading (39 multiple-choice questions, 60 min), writing (3 tasks, 60 min) and speaking (3 tasks).

Results are published within 15 business days of France Éducation international receiving the session materials, and the results certificate is valid for 2 years from the date it is issued. Watch out for IRCC’s rule, which is stricter than it looks: your results must be less than two years old when you create your Express Entry profile and when you submit your application for permanent residence.

There is no partial retake. You can’t retake only the test that went wrong: it’s the full test again, with a compulsory 20-day wait between two attempts. The number of attempts, on the other hand, is unlimited.

For sessions held since 1 September 2026, France Éducation international no longer accepts re-marking requests; before that, re-marking covered only speaking and writing — never the multiple-choice tests — had to be requested within a month of the results certificates being sent to the centre, and the new mark replaced the old one, even if it was lower.

The practical conclusion: every attempt costs money, so test yourself before you register. A practice test in the official format shows where you stand test by test, and AI feedback tells you whether your speaking or writing is worth 9 or 11 out of 20 — precisely the line between CLB 6 and CLB 7.

Then you need a session: in France, the centres that offer the TCF Canada open about one date a month, from €195 to €285; in Canada, the 48 approved centres are often full within minutes, from $390 to $440. Our guides to where to take the TCF Canada in France and in Canada list the centres, their prices and their dates — as do our guides for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Know where you stand before paying $440

Timed mock exams in the exact TCF Canada format, an automatic CLB conversion for each test, and AI feedback on writing and speaking against the official criteria — in the “TCF DELF TEF: Tests 2026” app.

Download on the App Store

Frequently asked questions

What TCF Canada score do I need for CLB 7?

458 to 502 in listening, 453 to 498 in reading, and 10 to 11 out of 20 in both speaking and writing. The four skills are assessed separately: there is no compensation between them, and your lowest skill is the one that determines your application.

I have B2 on my results certificate. Do I have CLB 7?

Not necessarily, and it’s the costliest trap in the TCF Canada. The TCF’s B2 band runs from 400 to 499, whereas CLB 7 starts at 458 in listening and 453 in reading. A score of 430 is therefore labelled B2 on your certificate but is only worth CLB 6. Your certificate shows no CLB level: you have to do the conversion yourself.

How many CRS points is CLB 7 in French worth in Express Entry?

With CLB 7 or higher in all four skills, you get 25 additional points if your English is at CLB 4 or lower (or if you haven’t taken any English test), and 50 additional points if you have CLB 5 or higher in all four skills in English. These points come on top of those for the language factor itself.

Is the TCF Québec accepted for Express Entry?

No. IRCC accepts only two French tests for Express Entry: the TCF Canada and the TEF Canada. The TCF Québec, the TCF tout public and the TCF IRN are not on the list. Quebec, on the other hand, accepts the TCF Canada for its own programs, including the PSTQ.

Is Quebec level 7 the same as CLB 7?

No, and mixing them up is a common mistake. On the Quebec scale, level 7 in listening starts at 400, whereas federal CLB 7 starts at 458. A score of 430 therefore gives you level 7 in Quebec but only CLB 6 at the federal level. They are two separate frameworks.

Can I retake only the section I failed?

No. The TCF Canada has four compulsory tests taken together; there is no partial retake. You can retake the test as many times as you like, with a compulsory 20-day wait between two attempts. And for sessions held since 1 September 2026, re-marking requests are no longer accepted.

TCF Canada score chart and CLB calculator
Enter your four scores and see your CLB level, skill by skill.
TCF or TEF Canada: which to choose?
The two tests IRCC accepts, with both CLB tables.
TCF Canada results: timeline and validity
When results arrive, the two-year rule, and retakes.

Scoring rules change. This article is up to date as of 27 July 2026, except for re-marking, updated for sessions held from 1 September 2026. It is not immigration advice. Conversion tables, CRS cut-offs and program requirements change regularly. Always check the current chart on canada.ca before you register for a test or create your profile.