19/20 in speaking: our candidates' method

Speaking is the ability candidates fear most in the TCF Canada — and yet it is the one where good preparation pays off the most. Several of our candidates walked out with 19/20. Here is the method they followed.

1. Understand what the examiner really assesses

The examiner is not looking for a perfect accent: they assess your ability to structure an idea, argue and interact. An organized answer (introduction, two arguments, conclusion) with simple but accurate vocabulary is worth more than a brilliant yet disorganized speech.

2. Train in real conditions

On exam day, stress costs points to candidates who discover the format. Our sessions include complete timed simulations: same instructions, same duration, same sequence of the three tasks. By the third simulation, the format no longer surprises anyone.

3. Work on speaking continuously, not the night before

Three sessions a week, intensive oral coaching, and WhatsApp follow-up between sessions to correct your phrasing as you go: regularity drives progress. Two to three months are usually enough to gain one or two NCLC levels.

4. Exam-day reflexes

Speak from the very first second — silence is expensive. If you do not know a word, rephrase rather than stop. And keep in mind the examiner is a conversation partner, not an opponent: natural interaction is graded.

Want to know your starting level? Our preparation plans start at 40,000 FCFA/month (online), with in-person and at-home courses too. Write to us: we assess your level and suggest the format that fits your goal and your schedule.

The Prépa TCF topics come up again at the exam: working through all of them, in full, maximises your chances of facing, on test day, a topic you have already practised — every speaking topic is in the online Prépa TCF: /prepa-tcf.html