TCF Canada Writing Task 1: Two Messages and Word Counts

TCF Canada writing Task 1 is a message, not a miniature essay. You must describe, recount and/or explain something to the recipient named in the instruction, in 60 to 120 words. The two original exercises below show how the same task changes when you write to a friend rather than to an organization.

What Task 1 actually asks you to do

FEI describes Task 1 as writing a message to one or more recipients whose status is given in the instruction. You may need to describe a place or situation, recount an event, explain a change, or combine these actions. The required length for TCF Canada is 60 to 120 words. This is not the shorter TCF IRN version. The complete TCF Canada writing section has three tasks and lasts 60 minutes in total; FEI does not assign an official number of minutes to Task 1 alone. Read the current Canada-specific description and manual if you want to compare variants.

Before drafting, extract four things from the instruction: recipient, purpose, required details and action expected. A message can be grammatically neat yet unhelpful if it omits the changed time, the location or the request the reader needs. Likewise, a correct detail can sound odd if you address a friend like an office or a coordinator like a close friend. Aim for a clear opening, the necessary facts in a sensible order, and an ending that lets the recipient act.

Original practice prompt 1: a friend is coming over

Situation: Your friend Malik is coming to your new apartment for dinner on Saturday. The elevator has stopped working, you need to start one hour later than planned, and you would like him to bring a large pot. Write Malik a message explaining the changes, describing how to find your apartment, and asking whether the new plan works. This prompt is original practice, not an FEI item.

Complete model message A

Salut Malik,
Je t'écris au sujet du dîner de samedi. J'ai enfin emménagé, mais l'ascenseur de mon immeuble est en panne. L'entrée est au 24, rue des Tilleuls. L'appartement se trouve au troisième étage, au bout du couloir à gauche. Si tu portes quelque chose de lourd, appelle-moi en arrivant et je descendrai t'aider. La cuisine est petite et encore presque vide, alors pourrais-tu apporter la grande casserole dont tu m'as parlé ? Je préparerai des pâtes et une salade. On pourrait commencer vers dix-neuf heures plutôt que dix-huit heures, car je dois ranger les cartons. Dis-moi si cela te convient !
À bientôt,
Nora

Audience and purpose: The familiar tu, Salut and À bientôt fit a friend. The message identifies the building entrance, then the third-floor apartment and access issue, so Malik can actually find it. It explains the changed start time and asks for a reply. The conditional pourrais-tu makes the request friendly without becoming vague. This response's complete count, including greeting and name, is checked below.

Original practice prompt 2: a coordinator needs a decision

Situation: You visited the room booked for your community reading workshop on 15 October. Twelve people are registered, but there are only six chairs. Write to the municipal library coordinator. Describe what you saw, explain what the group needs and ask for a practical solution before you inform participants. This second situation calls for a polite message to a professional contact, not a change of pronouns in the first story.

Complete model message B

Madame,
Je vous écris après ma visite de la salle réservée pour notre atelier de lecture du 15 octobre. Elle est lumineuse et assez calme, mais je n'y ai trouvé que six chaises, alors que douze personnes sont inscrites. Nous souhaitons discuter en petits groupes, puis partager nos idées ensemble. Serait-il possible d'ajouter six chaises et deux tables avant quatorze heures ? Si ce matériel manque, une autre salle équipée pour douze personnes conviendrait également. Pourriez-vous me confirmer la solution retenue d'ici lundi afin que je prévienne les participants ?
Je vous remercie de votre aide.
Cordialement,
Samira Benali

Audience and purpose: The recipient is a coordinator, so vous, a factual explanation and a courteous close make sense. The writer does not simply complain about six chairs: she compares the room with the twelve registrations, requests equipment, offers another equipped room as a fallback for the already-registered group, and gives a reason for needing confirmation. The response remains a message to one named type of reader, which is compatible with Task 1.

Count the whole answer, not just its middle paragraph

In FEI's published writing sample, a word is described as a group of signs between two spaces. For a transparent editing check here, we count each whitespace-separated group in the entire French message, including the greeting, closing and signature. A contraction such as l'ascenseur is one group; a two-part name such as Samira Benali is two. The HTML line breaks are treated as spaces. We exclude the English practice instruction and teaching labels.

Model	Whole-message count	Official Task 1 range
A, to Malik	105 words	60 to 120 words
B, to the coordinator	99 words	60 to 120 words

These counts use a simple whitespace check, not an official FEI counting tool. They leave room on both sides of the range. In your own answer, count after adding a greeting or name and again after your final edit. Cutting one line can remove a necessary instruction, so check the meaning after you shorten.

Editing exercise: make the message usable

Imagine you are revising the two models. For each invented sentence, decide what is wrong before reading the suggested repair: recipient, missing information, or grammar.

1. Bonjour Monsieur Malik, veuillez apporter ta casserole.
2. L'appartement est au troisième étage et le dîner est toujours à dix-huit heures.
3. Douze personnes est inscrites, donc il faut six autres chaises.
4. Il n'y a pas assez de chaises. Faites quelque chose.

Suggested repairs and reasons

1. Salut Malik, pourrais-tu apporter ta grande casserole ? The original mixes formal veuillez with familiar ta and treats a friend like an official addressee. Match the whole message to its reader.
2. L'appartement est au troisième étage et nous commencerons à dix-neuf heures, une heure plus tard que prévu. The original preserves the old time even though the prompt requires a change. An accurate message is more useful than an elegant one that sends Malik to the wrong dinner.
3. Douze personnes sont inscrites, donc il nous faut six autres chaises. The plural subject douze personnes takes sont. The revision also makes the group's need explicit.
4. Serait-il possible d'ajouter six chaises avant quatorze heures ? A specific and courteous request gives the coordinator an action, a quantity and a deadline. The original's demand is too vague for this professional exchange.

A self-review workflow for any new prompt

1. Mark the recipient. Decide whether tu or vous and an informal or polite opening will suit the named person. Do not switch halfway through.
2. Underline the required actions. Does the prompt ask you to describe, recount, explain, invite, request or confirm? Tick each one only when the answer actually performs it.
3. Trace the reader's next step. Could Malik find the door and know when to arrive? Could the coordinator decide what to supply and when? Add the missing fact rather than general filler.
4. Read aloud, then count. Repair unclear pronouns, tense shifts and agreement. Count the greeting and sign-off as part of the submitted French text, leaving a margin from 60 and 120. This is study advice, not an official scoring rubric.

If your practice prompt instead asks you to recount an experience for several readers and add an opinion or argument toward a stated goal, move to our writing Task 2 guide. For the complete section, see the TCF Canada format guide. InfinLume's current TCF Canada practice covers reading and listening, not correction or scoring of this writing task.