French tests
TCF and TEF preparation, against a real deadline.
Most people arrive here with three things: a named test, a required level, and a date. Preparation is built around exactly those three, module by module.
Start here
A test places you. A diploma passes you.
The TCF (Test de connaissance du français) and the TEF (Test d'évaluation de français) are levelling tests: you sit them, and they return a result mapped onto the CEFR scale from A1 to C2, per skill. You do not pass or fail in the way you do with DELF or DALF — you obtain a level, and the attestation is valid for a limited period.
Both exist in several versions built for different purposes, and the version matters as much as the test. Whoever has asked you for a French result — a university, an employer, a professional body, an immigration authority — states which test, which version and which level they accept. Get that in writing first. We prepare you for the examination; we do not advise on immigration, eligibility or recognition, because those rules change by country, authority and route.
Which one have you been asked for?
The honest first step is identification. Bring us the wording of the requirement and we will tell you what it means for preparation.
Learn&Co prepares candidates for the language examination only. Confirm the accepted test, version, modules, level and validity period with the relevant authority or institution before you book a session with a test centre.
- TCF
- A levelling test with compulsory sections in listening, language structures and reading, and optional or required speaking and writing sections depending on the version. Versions exist for general purposes, for study in France, and for Canadian procedures, among others.
- TEF
- Also a levelling test with a modular structure, again with versions built for different purposes including Canadian immigration and citizenship procedures.
- Version and modules
- Some procedures require all four skills, others only some. Preparing modules you do not need is wasted time, and discovering a missing module late is worse. We check the requirement against the modules before writing the plan.
- Results and validity
- Test attestations are valid for a defined period and are usually reported per skill as well as overall. If your requirement is permanent, DELF or DALF may be the better route — that is a conversation worth having before you register.
Preparation by module
Because the result is reported per skill, preparation is planned per skill. Most candidates are not evenly strong, and the required level is usually decided by the weakest module.
- Listening
- Short, fast, single-play items that punish hesitation. We train the decision speed, not just the comprehension: recognising the question type, discarding distractors, and moving on without carrying a lost item into the next.
- Language structures and reading
- Precision under time. Targeted grammar work aimed at the structures the tests actually test, plus reading strategy for items that are designed to be answered without reading every word.
- Writing
- Task-type drilling against the marking criteria: register, structure, task fulfilment and length control. Marked work returned with the criteria visible, then rewritten.
- Speaking
- Rehearsed under timed conditions with a specialist, including the interaction and expression tasks. Recorded where it helps, because most candidates hear their own hesitation before they can act on advice about it.
Realistic planning against your date
The most valuable thing we can tell some candidates is that the date is too soon — and what to do about it.
- Diagnostic first
- A timed sample under test conditions, marked per module, so the plan starts from evidence rather than from self-assessment.
- Gap, not level
- Moving one CEFR band in one module is a different project from moving two bands in four. We quantify it before you commit.
- Intensity
- Where a deadline is genuinely short, we build an intensive schedule rather than pretending a weekly hour will do it.
- A second sitting
- Sometimes the right plan is to sit, read the per-skill result, and target the retake. We will say so.
Preparation
How TCF and TEF preparation runs.
Every programme opens with a diagnostic: a written task and a spoken task marked against the criteria of the examination itself, not against a general sense of level. That is what tells us whether the gap is language, technique, or exam literacy — and they are prepared for very differently.
The specialist is matched from our network for that examination and that candidate, with a chemistry call before you commit, a review at week six, and oversight through to the exam date.
- The requirement read carefully first — test, version, modules, level, deadline.
- A timed diagnostic per module, marked against the test's own scale.
- A written plan working backwards from your session date.
- Weekly timed practice, with the weakest module weighted.
- Speaking rehearsed with a specialist, not left until the last fortnight.
- A frank review before you register, and again before you sit.
Two ways to prepare
Private TCF & TEF preparation, or a small cohort.
One candidate, one paper, one date.
A specialist matched from our network for TCF & TEF, a programme written around your actual gaps, and scheduling that fits around school or work.
From £89/hr
See the investmentNo TCF & TEF cohort is open yet
Group exam terms run only where enough candidates share the same examination and level — we do not advertise cohorts that are not scheduled. Tell us what you are sitting on the form below and you will hear first when one is timetabled.
Register your interestThe evidence
What TCF & TEF candidates and their families say.
Verified Google reviews from Learn&Co candidates who prepared for TCF & TEF with us.
“When I was looking for help with my French DALF studies, Maria was the third personal tutor I tried and I was impressed by her enthusiasm and professionalism right from the start. After working with her for over a year and a half, I have…”
Who we prepare
Trusted by families, schools and organisations.
TCF & TEF candidates reach us from two directions: pupils in schools that expect a grade, and adults whose next step depends on a certificate. Both are prepared by a specialist matched from our network.
Corporate clients
Professionals sitting language tests and diplomas
Employees at these organisations have prepared with us for language tests, official diplomas and the requirements attached to a move abroad.
Partner schools
Pupils preparing for school examinations
Pupils at these schools have prepared with us for French papers, against the specification their school actually follows.
Investment
What TCF & TEF preparation costs.
Private preparation is bought as hours, used at the pace the exam date demands. The more hours you commit to, the lower the effective hourly rate — and every plan carries the identical service.
Hours of private exam preparation, delivered online and typically used at one hour a week. All prices include VAT. Face-to-face lessons in London, intensive revision courses and additional hours are quoted individually.
Flexi
4 hours
Month to month
£105/hr£420 in total
Discovery
12 hours
Up to 3 months
£100/hr£1,197 in total
Momentum
24 hours
Up to 6 months
£95/hr£2,268 in total
Mastery
48 hours
Up to 12 months
£89/hr£4,284 in total
Every private plan, whichever you choose, includes
Bespoke programmes — not lesson bundles.
- Exam and board diagnostic
- Specialist matched for that qualification
- Chemistry call before you commit
- Programme dated to the exam
- Marked past-paper practice
- Monthly progress reports
- Week-six review
- Timed mocks in the run-in
£950 for a ten-week term
Per learner, 10 × 90-minute sessions — 15 teaching hours. Including VAT. Maximum six candidates, one exam objective, one level.
TCF & TEF enquiry
Send us the test, the level and the date.
If you have the wording of the requirement, paste it in. We will tell you what it means for preparation, whether the deadline is realistic, and which specialist we would match you with.
Everything you send goes straight to Maria. We reply personally, usually the same working day.
Before you book
TCF & TEF — your questions, answered.
- What is the difference between the TCF and the TEF?
- They are two different tests, run by two different bodies, both of which place you on the CEFR scale rather than passing you at a fixed level. Which one you sit is not usually your choice: it is determined by the procedure or institution asking for the result. Check their published requirement.
- Can you tell me which test my application needs?
- No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Requirements differ by country, authority, route and date, and they change. We prepare you for the examination once the authority has told you which one it accepts.
- How long does the result last?
- Test attestations are valid for a limited period set by the awarding body, and the accepting authority may impose its own validity window. Confirm both before you sit.
- I need B2 in four weeks. Is that possible?
- Sometimes, if you are already close and the gap is technique. Often not. The diagnostic gives you a straight answer within the first week rather than at the end of a term of fees.
- Do you prepare only the modules I need?
- Yes. If your requirement is speaking and writing only, we do not spend your money drilling reading items you will never sit.
- Would DELF or DALF be better for me?
- If the requirement is permanent rather than procedural, a diploma may serve you better because it does not expire. Our DELF and DALF page sets out the difference, and we will give you a view on your case.
Preparing for a different examination?
Each qualification has its own format, its own marking and its own timetable. Choose the one you are sitting and we will show you exactly how it is prepared for.
Prefer to talk it through?
Schedule a chat with Maria.
Tell us which TCF & TEF route you are on, where you are now and when you sit. You will get an honest view of the gap and which specialist we would match you with.
Maria Toubbe
- 20 minutes
- A conversation, not a sales call.
- With Maria
- Our founder, every time — not a call centre.
- No obligation
- Advice you can use even if you never book.
20 min · video call · free
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