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TCF Canada writing task 1: the message

Updated 2026-10-28

Task 1 is the shortest of the three tasks in the TCF Canada writing test: a message of 60 to 120 words that describes, tells or explains something to one or more readers. The instruction decides who they are, and that decides your register. Plumepass is not affiliated with France Éducation international. For the whole test, see the TCF Canada writing overview.

What task 1 asks

You get a short situation. In our practice tasks, there are usually three things to do. Here is one of our original practice tasks (not a real exam task):

Vous souhaitez prendre trois jours de congé le mois prochain pour déménager. Écrivez à votre directrice pour présenter votre demande, expliquer votre motif et indiquer comment votre travail sera organisé pendant votre absence. (60 mots minimum / 120 mots maximum)

Three points are listed: the request, the reason and the organisation. A good answer covers every one of them. An off-topic text is one of the cases where the manual allows 'A1 non atteint'.

Register: formal or informal

The sociolinguistic criterion checks that your text suits the communication situation. Do not mix tu and vous in one message.

A simple structure

  1. Greeting.
  2. Purpose in the first sentence: what you want or what happened.
  3. One short block per point in the instruction, with a concrete detail each (a date, a name, a time).
  4. One closing sentence and a sign-off.

With only 60 to 120 words, there is no room for a long introduction. Aim for about 80 to 100 words, which leaves a margin on both sides.

An original example at B2 level (about 95 words)

This answer to the task above is written by us as a model. It is our own estimate of B2 level, not an official sample.

Madame la Directrice,

Je me permets de vous demander trois jours de congé, du 18 au 20 novembre, car je déménage le 19 et je dois être présent pour la livraison de mes meubles et la remise des clés. Pendant mon absence, mes dossiers en cours seront suivis par ma collègue Claire, à qui je transmettrai une note détaillée avant mon départ. Je terminerai également le rapport mensuel le 17 novembre afin qu'aucun dossier urgent ne reste en suspens. Je reste joignable en cas de problème grave. Je vous remercie de votre compréhension.

Cordialement,

Marc Lefort

Word count: 96 words, counted by spaces, greeting and signature included.

Why it works

  1. It answers all three points. The request and dates, the reason (the move) and the organisation (Claire and a hand-over note) each have their own sentence.
  2. The register is steady. Madame la Directrice, je me permets de vous demander, vous and Cordialement all fit a message to a director.
  3. It is concrete and well linked. Dates, a name and a reason for each step, joined by car, pendant, également and afin que, with room to spare under 120 words.

Common mistakes

You can write this task with a timer and compare your text with the model above. There are 40 task 1 practice tasks in the Plumepass bank, next to task 2.

Sources

Try it on a practice task

Write the task with a timer and word count, then get a level estimate, the corrections that matter and a better version of your answer. 1 grading is free, and 2 more after you add your e-mail.

Practise this task

Questions

How many words is TCF Canada writing task 1?

60 to 120 words. A text without the required number of words can be marked 'A1 non atteint', so stay inside the range.

Should I use tu or vous in task 1?

It depends on the instruction. The instruction says who you write to, so the person's status decides the register: vous and formal phrases for a director, a landlord or an office; tu for a friend, a sister or a close colleague.

How long should I spend on task 1?

The 60 minutes cover all three tasks together, with no time set per task. As a study tip, aim for about 10 minutes on task 1 so that tasks 2 and 3 get more time.

Do I have to include a greeting and a sign-off?

A short greeting and closing formula make a message read naturally for its reader. Whether they count in the word total is not published by the test organiser, and Plumepass counts every word separated by a space.

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