A hundred and fifty words for someone who does not know you
The middle tâche moves you from a private message to a public one. Same French, different reader — and the register, the structure and the level of detail all have to move with it.
- Words
- 120 - 150
- Suggested time
- 20 min
- Order in the paper
- 2 / 3
- Marked out of
- 4 - 20
Writing for a reader you have never met
The consigne asks for an article, a blog post, a forum contribution or a formal letter, and it usually asks you to recount something you experienced and to say what you made of it. The reader is a stranger, so nothing can be assumed and the register cannot be familiar.
The narrative half is where most candidates are comfortable and the reflective half is where the marks are. An answer that tells the story and stops has done half the tâche; the examiner is waiting for what you concluded from it.
- 120 to 150 words — a narrower window than the other two tâches.
- Public register: neutral to formal, no 'tu', no shorthand.
- Recount, then reflect. Both halves are being marked.
Word range
120 - 150
Suggested time
20 min
Of the hour
33 %
The 60 minutes are shared across all three tâches. Nothing stops you spending them all on one.
What the correction tells you
Not a score out of twenty with no explanation — the level, the errors, and what a stronger version of your own text looks like.
The word count, judged against the tâche
60–120, 120–150 or 120–180: the counter knows which tâche you are on and warns you before the grader caps your level for it.
Six categories of error
The same categories examiners penalise, tracked separately across attempts so you can see which one is actually costing you marks.
A model answer at the target level
The same consigne, answered at the level you are aiming for, so the gap between your text and a B2 one is something you can read rather than guess.
How the practice works
Four steps, from a blank page to a text you would be happy to hand in.
- 1
Choose the tâche or the theme
Pick one of the three written tâches, filter by theme, or paste the consigne you actually have to answer.
- 2
Write inside the range
The counter shows where you are against that tâche's minimum and maximum while you type, not after you submit.
- 3
Read the correction
Errors in place, sorted by category, with a model answer at the target level beside your own.
- 4
Review the errors that repeat
Repeat detection surfaces the four or five mistakes you keep making, which is where a level actually moves.
- 1
Give it a title if it is an article. It costs four words and it signals that you understood the format.
- 2
Use past tenses deliberately. Passé composé for the events, imparfait for the background — the contrast is one of the clearest range signals you can give.
- 3
Land the reflection in two sentences. 'Cette expérience m'a appris que…' is worth more than three more sentences of narrative.
- 4
Mind the ceiling. 150 is only thirty words above the minimum, so plan before you write rather than trimming afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Between 120 and 150 — the tightest range on the paper, so it needs planning rather than editing.
Usually an article, a blog post, a forum message or a letter. The consigne names it, and writing a different one is marked down.
Neutral to formal. The reader is a stranger, so 'vous' where a reader is addressed, full sentences, and no familiar shorthand.
No. Invent freely — the examiner marks the French and the structure, not the biography. An invented experience you can describe precisely beats a real one you cannot.
Keep going
The rest of the TCF Canada preparation, one page per thing you have to get right.
Write a hundred and fifty words that count
Three free corrections, with the word counter holding you to the range as you type.
No credit card required
This is a practice tool, not the official TEF/TCF exam. Scores and levels are estimates to guide your preparation.