The Compréhension Écrite section of TEF Canada is 40 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. Passages increase in difficulty from B1 at the start to C1 at the end. Each correct answer scores one point; wrong and blank answers score zero. The raw score is converted to a calibrated score before CLB assignment.
Time management — the critical skill
Ninety seconds per question is the mathematical average, but early questions on shorter passages should take 45 to 60 seconds. A workable approach: spend 18 minutes on the first 20 questions (earlier, shorter passages), then use the remaining 42 minutes on questions 21 to 40 (longer, harder passages). Adjust based on your actual reading speed from timed practice tests.
Read the questions before the passage
For each passage, read the related questions first. This tells you exactly what information to find and where to direct your attention. Then skim the passage for structure — headings, first sentences of paragraphs, conclusion. Then read the relevant sections carefully. Under timed conditions, do not read every word of every passage.
Vocabulary in context
Several questions ask you to identify the meaning of a word or phrase as it is used in the passage. These questions do not test whether you knew the word before — they test whether you can infer meaning from surrounding text. This is a learnable skill: read French articles daily and deliberately infer unfamiliar vocabulary before looking it up.
Distractor traps
TEF reading answer choices are carefully designed. Common traps: an answer that uses the same word as the passage but means something different in context; an answer that is factually true but not what the specific question asked; an answer requiring an inference the text does not actually support. Always return to the specific passage section before confirming — do not rely on memory.
What CLB 7 requires
Reading CLB 7 requires a minimum raw score of 207 out of 300 — approximately 69 percent correct. Timing discipline and question strategy produce meaningful score improvements independently of vocabulary level.
