Free tool
TEF score calculator: TEF to NCLC and CEFR
Enter your four TEF Canada scores to see your NCLC level per skill, your CEFR band, and exactly which immigration programs those numbers open. Nothing is stored and no account is needed.
Enter your four scores
Compréhension écrite
Compréhension orale
Expression écrite
Expression orale
Your overall level
NCLC 7
Programs are gated on your lowest skill, not your average. One weak component caps the whole application.
Closest gain: Reading needs +28 points to reach NCLC 8.
What this qualifies you for
Express Entry - French-language categoryIRCC - requirement met
NCLC 7 in all four, plus eligibility for an underlying Express Entry program. The category draws have repeatedly had far lower CRS cut-offs than general draws.
Federal Skilled Worker - French as first official languageIRCC - requirement met
NCLC 7 across the board is the floor for eligibility, not a competitive score.
Canadian Experience Class - TEER 0 or 1IRCC - requirement met
For TEER 2 or 3 occupations the requirement drops to NCLC 5 in all four.
Canadian Experience Class - TEER 2 or 3IRCC - requirement met
NCLC 5 in all four abilities.
Federal Skilled Trades ProgramIRCC - requirement met
The only common program with split requirements: NCLC 5 speaking and listening, NCLC 4 reading and writing.
Francophone Community Immigration PilotIRCC - requirement met
NCLC 5 in all four, for work outside Quebec in a participating community.
Canadian citizenship - language proofIRCC - requirement met
Citizenship looks only at speaking and listening, at roughly NCLC 4. Expired TEF results can still be accepted for citizenship, unlike Express Entry.
Post-Graduation Work Permit - university graduatesIRCC - requirement met
Applies to applications submitted from 1 November 2024 onward.
Post-Graduation Work Permit - college and non-universityIRCC - requirement met
Applies to applications submitted from 1 November 2024 onward.
Extra CRS points for French
- +25NCLC 7+ in all four French abilities, and CLB 4 or lower in English (or no English test)
- +50NCLC 7+ in all four French abilities, and CLB 5+ in all four English abilities
Conversion applies to TEF Canada tests taken after 10 December 2023. When an IRCC form asks for your score, enter the “Old score equivalence / Équivalence ancien score” printed on your certificate where the form requests it - entering the raw 0–699 score in that field is one of the most common application errors. Always confirm current thresholds with IRCC before you file.
The mistake this tool exists to prevent
CCI maps the 0–699 TEF scale onto the CEFR levels, so a 400 in any skill is B2. That mapping is real, and it is also the reason a lot of people book a second sitting they did not plan for: they aim for “B2” and assume it clears NCLC 7.
It does not. IRCC uses its own skill-specific conversion. NCLC 7 starts at 434 for reading and listening, 428 for writing, and 456 for speaking. In speaking, the gap between generic B2 and NCLC 7 is 56 points - an entire band of work.
The practical version: never write your target as “I need B2”. Write it as purpose → required certificate → benchmark system → minimum by skill → validity deadline. For a 2026 Express Entry candidate that reads: TEF Canada → NCLC → 7 in all four → 434 / 434 / 428 / 456 → certificate still under two years old when the PR application is submitted.
See the full TEF score chart for every band, or the results and validity guide for the timing rules.
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- All four skills in real exam format
- Scored on CCI's assessment dimensions
- Results in NCLC, per skill