Expression écrite · Topics
TEF Canada Writing Topics: What the Prompts Look Like and How to Practise
Nobody can tell you the exact topic you will get. What you can do is learn the two kinds of prompt and practise on topics that look like the official ones. This guide shows the eight sample prompts published by the test owner, explains the pattern behind them, and gives you practice themes to train with. The practice themes are our own ideas. They are not a list of real exam questions.
Start here
Can You Know the Topics Before Exam Day?
No. The test owner, Le français des affaires (CCI Paris Île-de-France), publishes sample prompts for the writing test, not the questions you will get (official sample PDF). Treat any page that claims to list "the topics of the real exam" with care. Nobody outside the exam can check that claim.
The good news: the exam is built on two fixed task types. The topic changes. The task does not. If you can write a clear ending for a news story and a clear, argued letter, a new topic is not a new problem.
| Section A | Section B | |
|---|---|---|
| Prompt | The start of a press article (rubrique faits-divers) | One sentence taken from a newspaper |
| Your job | Write the rest of the article | Write a letter to the newspaper with your opinion |
| Time | 25 minutes | 35 minutes |
| Length | 80 words minimum, several paragraphs | 200 words minimum, at least 3 arguments |
Section A · 25 min · 80+ words
Section A: The Four Official Sample Openings
The official document gives four openings. Each is a short news item that stops in the middle. Here are the first words of each, with the pattern behind it.
| Sample | Opening | Story type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | « Mariages au sommet » — twenty Peruvian couples climbed a volcano to marry at record altitude | An unusual event |
| 2 | « Un lion sème la panique » — a zoo keeper sees the lion is no longer in its cage | An incident, an emergency |
| 3 | « Un nouveau riche » — a Montréal resident digging in the garden makes a very pleasant discovery | A surprise discovery |
| 4 | « Une mamie en colère » — an 80-year-old woman surprises two men stealing her car | A person who reacts |
Look at what they share. Each has a place or time, a person or animal, and a turning point that you must continue. The sentence is not a question to answer. It is a story you must finish in the same voice.
- Answer the reader's questions. Who? What happened next? How did people react? How did it end?
- Keep the news tone. Use the passé composé for events and the imparfait for the scene. Add one quote from a witness.
- Write several paragraphs. The official instruction asks for it, so do not send one block of text.
- Plan for about 100 words. The minimum is 80. A small margin protects you if you count wrong.
Some websites describe Section A as a short message to a friend. The official sample document describes it as the end of a press article. Follow the official one.
Section B · 35 min · 200+ words
Section B: The Four Official Sample Statements
Section B gives you one sentence from a newspaper. You write a letter to the newspaper. The official instruction asks for at least three arguments to defend your point of view. These are the four official samples:
- « Il faut d'urgence supprimer la publicité à la télévision. »
- « L'accès à la culture (cinéma, théâtre, expositions…) devrait être gratuit. »
- « Les réseaux sociaux représentent un danger permanent pour les enfants. »
- « Les voyages organisés sont incompatibles avec la découverte réelle d'un pays. »
Read them again. Every statement is strong and one-sided: « il faut d'urgence », « devrait être gratuit », « danger permanent », « incompatibles ». The wording invites you to agree, disagree, or agree in part. All three are allowed. What matters is that your position is clear and your reasons are developed.
The written test is marked by two independent correctors on the same criteria: how clear and well organised the text is, how well you develop and nuance your ideas, and how rich and correct your French is (vocabulary, syntax, spelling). They place you on the CEFR scale.
Our practice themes
Practice Themes for Section B
The four samples cover media, culture, children and technology, and travel. To train, write on similar everyday themes. The statements below are our own practice ideas, not exam questions. Pick one, set a 35-minute timer and write at least 200 words.
| Theme | Practice statement |
|---|---|
| Work | « Le télétravail devrait être un droit pour tous les employés. » |
| Education | « Les devoirs à la maison devraient être supprimés à l'école primaire. » |
| Technology | « Les téléphones portables devraient être interdits dans les écoles. » |
| City life | « Le transport en commun devrait être gratuit dans toutes les grandes villes. » |
| Environment | « Chacun doit changer ses habitudes pour protéger la planète. » |
| Health | « Le sport devrait être obligatoire à l'école tous les jours. » |
| Society | « Les jeunes ne s'intéressent plus à la vie de leur quartier. » |
| Money | « Payer en espèces devrait rester possible partout. » |
For Section A, practise with your own news openings. Take a headline and write only the first two lines, then stop and finish the story as if you were the journalist. Use the four story types above: an unusual event, an incident, a discovery, a person who reacts.
Method
A Five-Step Plan That Works for Any Section B Topic
- 1Choose your side in 1 minute. Pick the position you can explain best in French, not the one you believe most. Partial agreement is fine.
- 2List three reasons in 3 minutes. Use different angles, for example money, health and community. Three reasons on the same idea count as one.
- 3Write the opening in 4 minutes. Say what you read and your position in two or three sentences.
- 4Write one paragraph per argument in 20 minutes. Give the reason, then an example or a fact from daily life.
- 5Close and check in 7 minutes. Write a short conclusion, then reread for agreement, verb endings and spelling.
| Job | Connectors |
|---|---|
| Give your position | à mon avis · je suis convaincu(e) que · je ne suis pas d'accord avec |
| Add an argument | tout d'abord · ensuite · de plus · enfin |
| Give an example | par exemple · c'est le cas de |
| Show nuance | certes… mais · cependant · il faut toutefois reconnaître que |
| Conclude | en conclusion · pour toutes ces raisons |
Do not memorise a full text and fit it to any topic. The task wording changes the angle each time, and a copied answer can drift off the question. Memorise connectors and sentence frames instead.
Avoid
Mistakes That Cost Points on Any Topic
- Answering a different question. Read the statement twice. If it says « supprimer », argue about removing, not about improving.
- Fewer than three arguments. The official instruction asks for at least three.
- Stopping at the minimum. 200 is a minimum, not a target. A text that only just reaches it often has little development.
- Spending too long on Section A. Section B has 35 minutes and a longer text. Stop A at 25 minutes.
- Copying the prompt. Use your own words so the corrector can see your vocabulary.
- Skipping the reread. Agreement and verb endings are easy points to win back.
A note on scoring: your result is an estimate of your level, and it depends on the whole text, not on the topic. A familiar topic helps you write more easily. It does not change the grid the correctors use.
Questions
TEF Canada Writing Topics FAQ
What are the TEF Canada writing topics?
They are not published in advance. The test owner publishes four sample press-article openings for Section A and four sample newspaper statements for Section B. Use them as a guide to the format, not as a forecast.
Can I get a topic I have already seen online?
It is possible, but no one outside the exam can confirm which topics are used. Prepare for the task types instead of hoping for a repeat.
How many words do I need in each section?
At least 80 words in Section A and at least 200 words in Section B, according to the official sample document (checked November 2026). There is a minimum and no stated maximum in that document.
Do I have to agree with the statement in Section B?
No. You must give your point of view and defend it with at least three arguments. You can agree, disagree or agree in part.
Is Section A a message to a friend?
Not in the official sample document. It shows the start of a press article that you finish. Some third-party websites describe it differently, so rely on the official document.
How long should I spend on each section?
The official sample document gives 25 minutes for Section A and 35 minutes for Section B. The time is limited per section.
Next step
Write on a timer and get feedback
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