TEF Canada Writing Section A: Continue a News Item With a Full Model
Learn the TEF Canada Section A news-continuation task with an original fictional prompt, a complete 128-word continuation and explained revision exercises.
TEF Canada writing Section A asks you to continue the beginning of a short news item. Keep the facts already given, add a plausible sequence of new information and write several coherent paragraphs. The current official minimum is 80 words for your continuation. This guide includes a complete original prompt and checked model.
The verified task and what the minimum covers
TEF Canada written expression has two sections in one hour. The provider assigns 25 minutes to Section A: write the continuation of a short press article, with at least 80 words added after the supplied opening. The official sample booklet identifies the text as a fait divers and asks for several paragraphs. Section B has a different purpose and a 200-word minimum; see the Section B argument guide. Do not borrow TCF Canada's writing ranges for either TEF task.
The provider's teaching note emphasizes new information and warns against merely copying or summarizing the supplied beginning. To plan a continuation, identify the known event, person, place and unresolved question. Then add an event, a credible explanation or consequence, and an ending that does not contradict the opening. This is a writing method, not an official plot formula.
Original practice prompt
Un sac de cartes postales devant la bibliothèque
Mardi matin, en ouvrant la bibliothèque du quartier, une employée a découvert un sac rempli de cartes postales anciennes devant la porte. Aucune indication ne permettait de retrouver immédiatement son propriétaire.
Before reading the model, choose an answer to three questions: Who examines the bag? What clue changes the situation? What happens to the cards afterward? Keep the library discovery true throughout. You may invent a coherent outcome; the exercise does not require specialist knowledge about archives or police procedure.
Complete original continuation
L'employée a d'abord placé le sac à l'accueil, puis elle a prévenu la responsable de la bibliothèque. Ensemble, elles ont examiné les cartes sans les abîmer. Plusieurs portaient la même adresse, mais les noms étaient difficiles à lire.
Dans l'après-midi, un habitant est venu demander si un sac avait été retrouvé. Il a expliqué qu'il transportait les cartes de sa grand-mère pour les montrer à sa sœur et qu'il les avait oubliées en s'arrêtant devant la bibliothèque. Pour vérifier son récit, la responsable lui a demandé de décrire le sac et une carte particulière. Ses réponses correspondaient aux objets trouvés.
Soulagé, l'homme a récupéré sa collection. Il a proposé de revenir un autre jour pour raconter aux lecteurs comment sa famille avait conservé ces messages pendant plusieurs générations.
Model count: 128 words in the continuation's three paragraphs, excluding the supplied opening, heading and this count note. Count method: whitespace-separated words; apostrophe groups and attached punctuation count as one. This is above the official 80-word minimum. The official platform's own counter or exam instructions remain controlling.
How the continuation solves the task
| Opening fact | New detail in the model | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Cards were left at the library. | Staff put the bag at reception and examine the cards carefully. | The response follows the discovery instead of restarting the story. |
| Owner was unknown. | A visitor describes the bag and one card. | The identification resolves the opening's main uncertainty. |
| Cards were old. | The owner explains the family connection and offers a later visit. | The ending gives the old cards a consequence without asserting a real historical fact. |
The model uses past forms to separate sequence and background: a découvert and est venu move the event forward; portaient describes the cards. It keeps an impersonal news style rather than switching to a personal diary. A different plausible ending would also work if it respects the supplied facts and adds enough new text.
Revision exercise: fix two weak continuations
- L'employée a trouvé un sac de cartes postales devant la bibliothèque. On ne savait pas à qui il était. What is missing?
- La responsable a téléphoné au propriétaire parce que son numéro figurait clairement sur le sac. Why does this conflict with the opening?
Explained answers
- This mostly repeats the given information and adds no meaningful event or resolution. Continue with a clue, an action and a consequence, rather than padding the opening.
- The opening says there was no immediate indication of ownership. A clearly displayed phone number would make that assertion hard to reconcile. Change the clue: Un visiteur a reconnu une carte exposée à l'accueil et a indiqué le nom possible du propriétaire. Then show how staff verify it in the fictional story.
For self-practice, cover the model and write a different continuation. Check four things: at least 80 new words, several paragraphs, no contradiction with the opening, and a specific event that changes the reader's understanding. The provider's preparation page links official public samples for format practice.