You dial, the examiner picks up, and you have five minutes to find out everything the advertisement leaves out. Most candidates can ask three good questions. The trouble starts at question four, when the examiner gives a vague answer and the next question on your list no longer fits.
TEF Canada speaking Section A is a 5-minute phone role-play: you have read an everyday advertisement, you call for more information, and you ask about ten questions while the examiner plays the person who placed the ad. The official CCI speaking sample booklet gives that instruction as « Posez une dizaine de questions » and lists job offers, services, leisure and housing as typical documents.
Below you will find what the raters look for, an original French dialogue with notes in English, 40 sample questions grouped by type of advertisement, the mistakes that cost the most time, and a practice plan.
By Can Kerem Gurel, founder of TEF Practice. Can took TEF Canada to add French-language points to his own Express Entry profile, and TEF Practice grew out of the tools he built for that preparation. Published October 26, 2026. Task format checked against the CCI speaking sample booklet and CCI's speaking preparation page on that date. The advertisement and dialogue below are original teaching material, not official or recalled exam questions.
What happens in TEF speaking Section A?
| Detail | Section A | Section B |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 5 minutes | 10 minutes |
| Document | An everyday ad or announcement: job offer, service, leisure, housing | An everyday ad or announcement |
| Your role | You call to get information | You present the ad to a friend and persuade them |
| Examiner's role | The person or business behind the ad | Your friend |
| Register | Formal: use vous | Informal: use tu |
| Official instruction | Posez une dizaine de questions | Présentez-lui ce document ; essayez de le convaincre |
Source: CCI speaking sample booklet. The two sections together make up the 15-minute speaking test. For the full test overview, including how speaking fits with the other skills, see the TEF Canada speaking format guide.
CCI's preparation page puts the goal plainly: be curious and get as much information as you can about the advertisement, asking questions or rephrasing the answers to obtain details (source). That second part is the one most candidates skip.
What the raters listen for in Section A
The booklet says at least two raters score the speaking test with a standardized grid. For Section A it names three communication skills:
- S'informer: getting information.
- Faire préciser ou clarifier les réponses obtenues: asking the examiner to be more precise or to clarify what they just said.
- Tenir une conversation formelle: keeping a formal conversation going.
Language quality is assessed alongside those skills: vocabulary, sentence structure, tenses and moods, and pronunciation.
Point 2 changes how you should prepare. A list of ten unrelated questions covers point 1. It does nothing for point 2, because you never react to an answer. The examiner will often answer in a way that invites a follow-up (« Ça dépend », « Il y a quelques frais en plus »). Those vague answers are your chance to show clarification, so treat them as openings rather than problems.
An original Section A practice advertisement
Your situation: You have read this advertisement and you are interested. You call for more information. The examiner plays the owner.
Chambre à louer chez l'habitant
Grande chambre meublée dans un appartement calme, quartier Saint-Michel.
À 5 minutes à pied du métro. 450 € par mois.
Idéal pour étudiant ou jeune professionnel.
Disponible dès le 1er décembre.
Contactez Mme Lefort au 06 12 34 56 78.
Before you speak, sort what the ad confirms from what it leaves open. It confirms the furniture, the area, the distance to the metro, the rent and the start date. It does not say whether bills are included, how long you can stay, whether there is a deposit, what is shared, what the house rules are or how to visit.
That gap list is your question plan. Asking about something the ad already states wastes a turn, unless you are checking a detail (« L'annonce indique 450 euros. Est-ce que les charges sont comprises ? »).
Sample dialogue: a Section A phone call with follow-up questions
This is a shortened, annotated teaching sequence. Cover the candidate's lines, say your own question aloud after each examiner line, then compare.
1. Open the call and state why you are calling
Candidate
Bonjour madame, je vous appelle au sujet de l'annonce pour la chambre à louer dans le quartier Saint-Michel. Est-ce qu'elle est toujours disponible ?
Examiner
Bonjour. Oui, elle est toujours libre.
One sentence of context is enough. You greet, say which ad you mean and ask a first, easy question. A long introduction about yourself uses time without producing a question.
2. Ask about money, then clarify the vague part
Candidate
Très bien. Le loyer est de 450 euros par mois. Est-ce que les charges sont comprises dans ce prix ?
Examiner
En partie. Il y a un petit supplément pour certaines choses.
Candidate
D'accord. Pourriez-vous me préciser ce qui n'est pas compris, et combien ça représente à peu près par mois ?
Examiner
L'eau et le chauffage sont compris. Pour l'électricité et Internet, je demande 30 euros de plus.
This is the exchange the raters care about. « En partie » is incomplete, and the candidate asks for the missing detail instead of moving on. Pourriez-vous me préciser is a polite conditional that fits a formal call.
3. Rephrase the answer to confirm it
Candidate
Si je comprends bien, ça fait donc 480 euros par mois au total, tout compris ?
Examiner
Voilà, c'est ça.
Rephrasing is named in CCI's advice. It shows you understood, and it gives you a natural bridge to the next topic.
4. Ask about conditions
Candidate
Est-ce que vous demandez un dépôt de garantie ? Et si oui, de quel montant ?
Examiner
Oui, un mois de loyer.
Candidate
Et quelle est la durée minimum de location ?
Examiner
Je préfère quelqu'un qui reste au moins six mois.
Candidate
Je comprends. Et si je dois partir avant, pour le travail par exemple, quel est le préavis ?
The last question is a follow-up built on the answer. The candidate imagines a realistic situation and asks what would happen, which develops the exchange beyond a checklist.
5. Ask about daily life
Candidate
J'aimerais savoir comment se passe la vie dans l'appartement. Est-ce que la cuisine et la salle de bains sont partagées ?
Examiner
La cuisine est partagée avec moi. La salle de bains aussi.
Candidate
Est-ce qu'il y a des règles particulières, par exemple pour les invités ou pour le bruit le soir ?
J'aimerais savoir comment... is an indirect question. Note the word order: in an indirect question there is no inversion and no est-ce que. Say J'aimerais savoir si la chambre est meublée, not J'aimerais savoir si est-ce que la chambre est meublée.
6. Arrange the next step and close politely
Candidate
Serait-il possible de visiter la chambre cette semaine ? Je suis disponible jeudi après dix-huit heures.
Examiner
Jeudi, ça me va. Vers dix-huit heures trente ?
Candidate
Parfait. Je récapitule : 480 euros tout compris, un mois de dépôt, six mois minimum, et une visite jeudi à dix-huit heures trente. Je vous remercie beaucoup pour toutes ces informations, madame. Bonne fin de journée.
The summary is useful if the examiner signals that time is nearly up. If there is time left, keep asking: transport, the neighbourhood, what documents the owner wants for the application.
Count the candidate's questions in that sequence and you get about ten, and four of them are follow-ups to something the examiner said. That is the shape to aim for.
40 sample questions for TEF speaking Section A, by type of ad
The booklet's typical documents are job offers, service offers, leisure activities and housing. Use these as models for the form of the question, then adapt them to whatever details your ad leaves out. They are TEF Practice examples, not a list of questions the examiner expects.
Job offer (offre d'emploi)
- Pourriez-vous me décrire les tâches principales du poste ?
- Quels sont les horaires de travail ? Est-ce qu'il faut travailler le week-end ?
- S'agit-il d'un contrat à durée déterminée ou indéterminée ?
- Quel est le salaire proposé, et est-ce qu'il s'agit du brut ou du net ?
- Est-ce qu'une expérience dans ce domaine est exigée ?
- Est-ce qu'une formation est prévue au début ?
- À partir de quand le poste est-il à pourvoir ?
- Comment se déroule le recrutement ? Y a-t-il un entretien ?
- Quels documents dois-je vous envoyer : un CV, une lettre de motivation ?
- Si je comprends bien, les horaires changent chaque semaine. Comment est-ce que je serais informé(e) du planning ?
Leisure activity or class (loisirs)
- Est-ce que l'activité convient aux débutants ?
- Combien de personnes y a-t-il par groupe ?
- Quels sont les jours et les horaires des séances ?
- Faut-il apporter du matériel, ou est-il fourni ?
- Quel est le tarif, et est-il possible de payer en plusieurs fois ?
- Est-ce qu'on peut faire une séance d'essai avant de s'inscrire ?
- Que se passe-t-il si je dois annuler une séance ?
- Qui encadre l'activité ? Les moniteurs sont-ils diplômés ?
- Y a-t-il une réduction pour les étudiants ou pour les familles ?
- Comment fait-on pour s'inscrire, et jusqu'à quelle date ?
Service offer (offre de services)
- Pourriez-vous m'expliquer en quoi consiste exactement le service ?
- Est-ce que vous intervenez dans mon quartier ?
- Quel est le délai pour un premier rendez-vous ?
- Comment calculez-vous le prix : à l'heure ou au forfait ?
- Est-ce que le devis est gratuit ?
- Le déplacement est-il compris dans le tarif ?
- Proposez-vous une garantie si le résultat ne me convient pas ?
- Quels moyens de paiement acceptez-vous ?
- Vous dites que le prix dépend de la surface. Pour un appartement de 50 mètres carrés, combien faut-il prévoir environ ?
- Est-ce qu'il est possible d'annuler ou de déplacer le rendez-vous ?
Housing (logement)
- Est-ce que le logement est toujours disponible ?
- Les charges sont-elles comprises dans le loyer ?
- Faut-il verser un dépôt de garantie ?
- Quelle est la durée minimum du bail ?
- Le logement est-il meublé ? Qu'est-ce qu'il y a exactement ?
- À quel étage se trouve l'appartement ? Y a-t-il un ascenseur ?
- Comment est le quartier : y a-t-il des commerces et des transports à proximité ?
- Les animaux sont-ils acceptés ?
- Quels documents faut-il fournir pour le dossier ?
- Serait-il possible d'organiser une visite cette semaine ?
Questions 10 and 29 are follow-ups: they start from something the examiner said. Prepare a few of those openers (Si je comprends bien..., Vous dites que..., Qu'entendez-vous par...) because you cannot script the answer that comes before them.
Five ways to ask a question in formal French
Varying the form shows range. Keep the meaning clear first.
| Form | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Est-ce que | Est-ce que la chambre est meublée ? | Safe and correct in any register |
| Inversion | La chambre est-elle meublée ? | More formal. Add -t- between vowels: Y a-t-il..., Organise-t-on... |
| Polite conditional | Pourriez-vous me dire... / Serait-il possible de... | Natural for a phone call to a stranger |
| Indirect question | J'aimerais savoir si... / Je voudrais savoir combien... | No inversion, no est-ce que after si |
| Rephrasing | Si je comprends bien, ... / Vous voulez dire que... ? | Shows clarification, the second Section A skill |
Avoid a run of intonation-only questions (La chambre est meublée ?). They are understandable on the phone, but they sound informal and show less control.
Common Section A mistakes and how to fix them
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Using tu | Section A is a formal call to a stranger | Use vous from the first sentence to the last |
| Asking what the ad already says | Wastes a turn and suggests you did not read it | Ask about what is missing, or confirm a detail before asking more |
| Moving on after a vague answer | You skip the "clarify" skill the raters look for | Follow up: Pourriez-vous préciser ? |
| Reading a memorized list | Questions stop matching what the examiner says | Plan topics, not sentences |
| Long monologue at the start | Uses time without asking anything | Greet, name the ad, ask one question |
| Freezing when you don't understand | Silence eats the five minutes | Excusez-moi, je n'ai pas bien compris. Pourriez-vous répéter ? |
| Si est-ce que in indirect questions | A grammar error raters hear often | J'aimerais savoir si... |
A 5-minute plan for Section A
This timing is our study advice, not an official breakdown.
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:30 | Greet, name the ad, ask if it is still available or a first easy question |
| 0:30 to 4:15 | Work through three or four topics (money, conditions, practical details, next step), with at least one follow-up per topic |
| 4:15 to 5:00 | Rephrase the key answers, thank the examiner, close the call. Keep asking if the examiner keeps talking |
Topics give you structure without a script. If the examiner answers one topic quickly, move to the next one. If they say something surprising, stay with it for another question.
How to practise Section A
- Write the gap list. Take any real ad (a gym, a flat, a summer job) and list what it does not tell you. Five minutes of this before each session trains the reading step.
- Practise answers that force a follow-up. Ask a partner to answer every second question vaguely (« Ça dépend », « Pas toujours »). Your job is to clarify each one.
- Do a full 5-minute call. Record it. Count your questions, then count how many were follow-ups. If the second number is zero, repeat with a new ad.
- Check register and grammar. Listen for any tu, any si est-ce que, and any long silence. Fix one thing per attempt.
- Then add Section B. After a Section A call, switch to the friendly register of Section B. Changing from vous to tu under time pressure is a skill of its own.
On TEF Practice you can run Section A speaking topics as a timed conversation with an AI partner and get a transcript to review. Treat any automated estimate as practice guidance, not an official TEF result. The course lesson on asking for information gives shorter guided drills, and the TEF preparation plan shows where speaking fits in a full study schedule.
TEF speaking Section A questions
Do I have to ask exactly ten questions?
No. The official wording is une dizaine, which means "about ten". There is no published penalty for nine or a bonus for fifteen. What matters is that your questions get useful information and that you follow up on the answers. A few well-handled follow-ups show more than a long list.
Should I use tu or vous in Section A?
Use vous. The booklet lists "holding a formal conversation" as a Section A skill, and you are phoning a stranger about an ad. Section B is the informal one, where you speak to a friend with tu.
What kinds of advertisements come up?
The CCI booklet lists everyday ads and announcements: job offers, service offers, leisure activities and housing, among others. The specific ad is new for each candidate, so prepare question types and topics rather than memorizing answers to a recalled ad.
What if I don't understand the examiner's answer?
Ask. Excusez-moi, je n'ai pas bien compris. Pourriez-vous répéter ? or Qu'entendez-vous par... ? are natural in a phone call, and asking for clarification is one of the things Section A assesses. Staying silent or guessing wastes far more time.
How is Section A scored?
Section A and Section B are scored together as one speaking result, which is then converted to an NCLC level. CCI describes a standardized grid used by at least two raters, covering how well you communicate and the quality of your French. See the TEF score to NCLC conversion for how speaking results map to Canadian levels. A written dialogue cannot show pronunciation or spontaneity, so we do not attach a score to the example above.
Is TEF speaking Section A like TCF Canada speaking task 2?
Both ask you to get information through questions, but the formats and timings differ. Check the TEF vs TCF comparison before applying TCF advice to the TEF.
Try a Section A call now
Pick one of the 40 questions above that would not fit your next ad, and rewrite it so it does. Then open the Section A speaking topics, make the call, and count your follow-ups. When you can ask about ten clear questions and clarify at least three answers in five minutes, move on to Section B persuasion.