Where CLB 7 sits
The TCF Canada does not give you an A1, B1 or B2 at the end. It gives a score for each test, and IRCC converts each score into a CLB level. For the French category of Express Entry you need CLB 7 in all four. Side by side with the scale France Éducation international (FEI) uses for the TCF:
| Test | Score for CLB 7 | That score on the FEI scale |
|---|---|---|
| Compréhension orale (CO) | 458 to 502 | Upper half of B2 (B2 runs from 400 to 499) |
| Compréhension écrite (CE) | 453 to 498 | Upper half of B2 |
| Expression écrite (EE) | 10 or 11 out of 20 | Start of B2 (B2 runs from 10 to 13) |
| Expression orale (EO) | 10 or 11 out of 20 | Start of B2 |
In other words, CLB 7 is a B2, further along in comprehension than in expression. It is not fluency. It is the point where you follow radio and the news and defend an opinion in writing and out loud, with mistakes but without freezing. That is what your plan should aim at, not a vague «speak French».
Hours per level
The Council of Europe, which created the A1 to C2 levels, describes what each level can do but does not set a number of hours. The estimates come from schools. The Alliance Française one, in cumulative class hours, is the most widely used for French:
| To reach | Cumulative hours (approx.) |
|---|---|
| A1 | 60 to 100 |
| A2 | 160 to 200 |
| B1 | 360 to 400 |
| B2, where CLB 7 sits | 560 to 650 |
Since CLB 7 needs a B2 well under way in comprehension and the start of B2 in expression, our estimate from zero is 500 to 650 hours, including practice in the exam format. Another well known reference, from the US Foreign Service Institute, puts French at 600 to 750 class hours for an English speaker to reach professional working proficiency.
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You will move faster in reading and vocabulary, because so many words are related. The advantage is much smaller in listening: spoken French links words and swallows syllables, and that is where many people get stuck. There is no official number for this head start. Plan with the top of the range and celebrate if you get there sooner.
Three routines, three timelines
The right question is not «how long does it take» but «how many hours a week can I keep up for a year». With 500 to 650 hours as the target, the math looks like this:
| Routine | Per week | From zero | Starting at A2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h every weekday | 5 h | 23 to 30 months | 15 to 21 months |
| 1 h every weekday plus 3 h on the weekend | 8 h | 14 to 19 months | 9 to 13 months |
| 2 h a day, every day | 15 h | 8 to 10 months | 5 to 7 months |
The first routine fits people with a job and a family: it works as long as the hour is real and does not slip. The second is the most common among people who study after work. The third is for people between jobs, or who already have a test date and decided to push.
What counts as study time
Only active hours count: the ones that need your attention and produce something. A video playing while you cook helps your ear, but it does not go in the math.
- A live class where you take part, speak and get corrected.
- Exercises with correction, ideally in the exam format.
- A text you write, get corrected and then rewrite.
- Listening with a goal: listen, answer, check and replay what you missed.
- Reading while noting vocabulary and structures.
What doubles the timeline
- Studying grammar until you «feel ready» to practice. You never do. B2 grammar is learned by writing, making mistakes and getting corrected. People who spend months on rules alone reach the exam unable to write 120 words on time.
- Leaving listening for later. The TCF Canada has 39 questions in 35 minutes, and each recording plays only once. Without practice at that pace, your level drops a step on the day.
- Meeting the format on exam day. The writing tâches have word counts, speaking has preparation time, and finding that out in the room costs points that have nothing to do with French. For many people it is the difference between CLB 6 and CLB 7.
- Stopping and starting over. A three month break costs far more than three months: part of what you learned fades. A smaller routine you keep beats a big one that breaks.
Find your starting point
Before you build the plan, take a full CO and CE test in the exam format and see which CLB you are at. On the IRCC chart each step has a score range; the guide to how the TCF Canada works shows the full conversion.
At Atelier du TCF, the free account opens tests 1 to 5 of CO and CE with an estimated CLB score, plus 2 Expression écrite and 2 Expression orale corrections a month against the official criteria. Paid plans add weekly live classes with Naliel Paixão and Mayara Torres, which count as active hours the right way: you speak, write and get corrected.