Lesson-by-lesson syllabi for our exam preparation courses. One lesson hour = 60 minutes. To choose the exam that fits your goal, see the Exams page.
What applies to every course
- All mock exams are timed, run to the length and marking criteria of the real exam.
- Writing and speaking are scored item by item using the official scoring grid, not “that sounded good”.
- No guessing of exam topics. We teach the language skill behind each task type, so a change of topic does not affect your performance.
- Materials: official collection of task types plus our own course notes, matched to the level ($84).
TEF Canada intensive
40 hours · 8 modules Goal: from B1 to B2 / CLB 7 (NCLC 7) Format: small group (4 to 8 students) and one full mock exam per week
| Module | Lesson | Content |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Know the exam | L1 | The four parts of TEF Canada (CO / CE / EE / EO) and how scores convert to NCLC (CLB) |
| L2 | Overview of task types and common ways points are lost (a format problem, not a language problem) | |
| L3 | Entry mock exam (one full timed set) | |
| L4 | Question-by-question review: your real level and the gap to your target | |
| L5 | Personal improvement plan: what to fix first, how much time per week | |
| M2 Listening (CO) | L6 | Short situational dialogues: catching “who is speaking, what do they want” |
| L7 | Public-service announcements, voicemail messages, notices | |
| L8 | Long dialogues and interviews: transition words and attitude markers | |
| L9 | Opinion material: identifying the speaker’s position | |
| L10 | Listening mock exam and sorting of errors (vocabulary / speed / inference) | |
| M3 Reading (CE) | L11 | Skimming short texts: read a passage in 3 minutes and locate the information |
| L12 | Key information in ads, notices and forms | |
| L13 | Press articles: paragraph functions and logical connectors | |
| L14 | Inference in long texts: the author’s attitude, implied meaning | |
| L15 | Reading mock exam and time-allocation practice | |
| M4 Writing (EE) | L16 | Breaking down the criteria: how task completion, coherence, vocabulary and grammar are scored |
| L17 | Part 1 (factual text): structure templates and organizing information | |
| L18 | Part 2 (argumentative text): thesis, arguments, concession, connectors | |
| L19 | Most penalized errors: mixed tenses, gender and number agreement, repetitive sentence patterns | |
| L20 | One timed writing task and sentence-by-sentence correction | |
| M5 Speaking (EO) | L21 | Part 1 (obtaining information): asking questions, following up, handling what you did not hear |
| L22 | Part 2 (persuading and arguing): taking a position, rebutting, concluding | |
| L23 | Pronunciation first aid: nasal vowels, liaison, intonation at the end of a sentence | |
| L24 | Frequent topics and language: work, education, environment, technology, society | |
| L25 | Recorded mock oral exam and item-by-item feedback | |
| M6 Targeted language | L26 | Verbs and the tense system: how to choose among the three past tenses |
| L27 | Subjunctive and conditional: common uses in speech, not grammar exercises | |
| L28 | Written register and connectors by level (one set for speaking, one for writing) | |
| L29 | Thematic vocabulary: immigration, employment, housing, social issues | |
| L30 | Error workshop: going through your personal error bank | |
| M7 Full mock exams | L31 | Mock exam 2 (complete, timed, uninterrupted) |
| L32 | Mock exam 2 review | |
| L33 | Mock exam 3 (complete) | |
| L34 | Mock exam 3 review, score forecast and achievable targets | |
| L35 | Exam-day strategy: time allocation, handling a question that blocks you, oral exam etiquette | |
| M8 Final push | L36 | Targeted reinforcement based on your individual report (taught in groups) |
| L37 | Frequent writing topics (3 timed pieces) | |
| L38 | Frequent speaking topics and pair practice | |
| L39 | The last 72 hours checklist: ID, test site, sleep, mindset | |
| L40 | Registration procedure, checking results, sending score reports |
TCF Canada intensive
40 hours · 8 modules Goal: from B1 to CLB 7 (NCLC 7)
How it differs from the TEF course: TCF Canada has only four parts (CO / CE / EE / EO) and no separate grammar paper. The pace is faster and there are more questions, so this course focuses on speed.
| Module | Lesson | Content |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Know the exam | L1 | TCF Canada structure, scoring and conversion to NCLC (CLB); advice on choosing between TEF and TCF |
| L2 | Overview of task types and time-pressure points | |
| L3 | Entry mock exam (complete) | |
| L4 | Mock exam review and gap diagnosis | |
| L5 | Personal improvement plan | |
| M2 Listening (CO) | L6 | Choosing the sentence that matches a picture: the fastest type of question, and how not to lose points |
| L7 | Short dialogues and everyday situations | |
| L8 | Announcements, notices, interviews | |
| L9 | Long opinion material | |
| L10 | Listening mock exam and dictation-style close listening | |
| M3 Reading (CE) | L11 | Short texts and text-image matching |
| L12 | Informational texts: locating and eliminating | |
| L13 | Explanatory and argumentative texts: paragraph functions | |
| L14 | Inference in long texts and guessing word meaning | |
| L15 | Reading mock exam and 30-second decision training | |
| M4 Writing (EE) | L16 | How the three tasks (message / narrative / argument) are scored differently |
| L17 | Task 1: writing a message to a friend, how to sound “natural” | |
| L18 | Task 2: narration and description, organizing a timeline | |
| L19 | Task 3: argument, contrasting views and concession | |
| L20 | One timed writing task and sentence-by-sentence correction | |
| M5 Speaking (EO) | L21 | Unprepared task: how to start speaking as soon as you get the topic |
| L22 | Interactive task: how to pick up the conversation and move it forward | |
| L23 | Pronunciation first aid and speech-rate control | |
| L24 | Frequent topics and language | |
| L25 | Mock oral exam and review of the recording | |
| M6 Speed and accuracy | L26 | Quick repair of the tense system |
| L27 | Frequent grammar errors (articles, pronouns, preposition combinations) | |
| L28 | Synonyms and paraphrasing (used in both reading and writing) | |
| L29 | Thematic vocabulary | |
| L30 | Error workshop | |
| M7 Full mock exams | L31 | Mock exam 2 (complete) |
| L32 | Mock exam 2 review | |
| L33 | Mock exam 3 (complete) | |
| L34 | Mock exam 3 review and score forecast | |
| L35 | Exam-day strategy and pacing your energy | |
| M8 Final push | L36 | Targeted reinforcement |
| L37 | Frequent writing topics ×3 | |
| L38 | Pair practice on frequent speaking topics | |
| L39 | The last 72 hours checklist | |
| L40 | Registration and what happens after the exam |
TEFAQ / TCFQ
36 hours · 7 modules Goal: immigration to Quebec, B1 to B2
Structure: for both TEFAQ and TCFQ, only listening and speaking are compulsory; reading and writing are optional. So 60% of the hours in this course go to speaking, and reading and writing modules are added as needed.
| Module | Hours | Content |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Know the exam | 5 | Differences between the two Quebec exams, compulsory and optional parts, how results are used; entry mock exam (listening + speaking) |
| M2 Listening (CO) | 6 | Short situations, announcements and notices, interviews; recognizing Quebec accents and local expressions |
| M3 Speaking A | 6 | Obtaining information: asking questions and responding in situations such as asking directions, renting a home, dealing with an office, making a complaint |
| M4 Speaking B | 6 | Persuading and giving an opinion: structure, connectors, positions on common topics |
| M5 Quebec language | 5 | Local vocabulary and expressions, getting used to the accent, cultural context (useful in interviews and in everyday errands) |
| M6 Optional add-on (CE/EE) | 4 | For students who need reading and writing results: task types, templates, timed practice |
| M7 Mock exams and final push | 4 | Two full mock oral exams with review; pre-exam checklist |
DELF B1
36 hours · 6 modules Goal: earn the DELF B1 diploma (out of 100, 50 to pass, at least 5/25 on each part)
| Module | Hours | Content |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Exam structure and diagnosis | 6 | The four parts and scoring criteria; entry mock exam and gap diagnosis |
| M2 Listening | 6 | Short dialogues, announcements, interviews; getting the main idea rather than every word |
| M3 Reading | 6 | Notices, ads, short texts, simple argumentative texts; locating and eliminating information |
| M4 Writing | 6 | Short three-part texts, formal letter, narration and opinion |
| M5 Speaking | 6 | Introducing yourself, role play, giving your view on a short text |
| M6 Mock exams | 6 | Two full mock exams (including the oral) and item-by-item review |
DELF B2
48 hours · 8 modules Goal: earn the DELF B2 diploma (out of 100, 50 to pass, at least 5/25 on each part)
| Module | Hours | Content |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Exam structure | 6 | The four parts (CO / CE / EE / EO) and scoring details; entry mock exam and diagnosis |
| M2 Listening | 6 | Long recordings (interviews, lectures) and short ones (announcements, notices); note-taking method |
| M3 Reading | 6 | Explanatory and argumentative texts; the author’s position, argument structure, guessing word meaning |
| M4 Writing (1) | 6 | Formal letters: complaint, application, letter to the editor; format and register |
| M5 Writing (2) | 6 | Argumentative essay: organizing the argument, examples, concession and rebuttal |
| M6 Speaking (1) | 6 | Presentation from a document: read, extract the ideas, take a personal position |
| M7 Speaking (2) | 6 | Debate with the examiner: defending your position, answering challenges, disagreeing politely |
| M8 Mock exams | 6 | Two full mock exams (including the oral), item-by-item review; score forecast |
DALF C1
48 hours · 8 modules Goal: earn the DALF C1 diploma, for university applications, professional qualifications and the workplace
| Module | Hours | Content |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Structure and diagnosis | 6 | How C1 differs from B2: from “I can speak” to “I speak precisely”; entry mock exam |
| M2 Long-text reading | 6 | Structural analysis of texts over 1,500 words, the author’s position, implicit assumptions |
| M3 Long listening | 6 | Lectures and debates: structured notes, what to write down and what to leave out |
| M4 Synthesis (synthèse) | 6 | Combining several documents into one text, without personal opinion; quoting and paraphrasing |
| M5 Argumentative writing | 6 | Document-based argumentative essay: hierarchy of arguments, concession, counter-argument |
| M6 Oral presentation | 6 | 20 minutes of preparation and a 10-minute presentation, linking the documents to your personal position |
| M7 Debate with the examiner | 6 | Defending your position, answering challenges, disagreeing politely |
| M8 Mock exams | 6 | Two full mock exams and item-by-item review |
Single-skill reinforcement
20 hours · 4 modules Who it is for: students who have finished an intensive course and are missing only one skill. You choose one of CO, CE, EE or EO. What it solves: the case of “total score is enough, but one part is not”.
| Module | Hours | Content |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Task types and baseline | 5 | Overview of the task types and scoring criteria for that skill; one past exam set to establish your baseline |
| M2 Targeted errors | 5 | Sorting your errors by category and working through each one |
| M3 Timed practice | 5 | Three timed sessions, question-by-question review, building an answering rhythm |
| M4 Full mock exam | 5 | A full mock exam for that skill, score forecast and pre-exam checklist |
For our other programs, see Specialist courses and the catalogue.
