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TCF Canada writing Task 2: format and example

Task 2 is an article, blog post, letter or email of 120 to 150 words: you tell an experience and give your impressions. Here is how to build it, a model answer and the mistakes to avoid.

What Task 2 asks

You tell a story about something you did or saw (a trip, a festival, a volunteer day, your first week in Canada) and say what you thought of it. The reader can be a blog, a local newspaper, a forum or a friend.

Length: 120 to 150 words. The range is narrow, so count your words.
Two parts in one text: the story and your opinion or impressions. Both are required.
Tenses: the story is in the past, so the examiner expects passé composé for events and imparfait for descriptions and feelings.

How it is scored

The same four criteria as the other tasks: task completion, coherence, vocabulary and grammar. Task 2 is where examiners see whether you can narrate in the past and explain your feelings, which is a key sign of level B1 and above.

How to write it in 5 steps

For an article or blog post, add a short title. For a letter or email, start with a greeting.
Set the scene in one or two sentences: when, where, with whom.
Tell what happened in order, with time words: d'abord, ensuite, au bout d'une heure, finalement.
Give your impressions and what the experience brought you: ce qui m'a le plus marqué, c'est...; j'ai découvert que...
End with a recommendation or a conclusion, then reread the verb forms in the past.

Example topic

Vous avez participé à une activité bénévole dans votre ville. Écrivez un article pour le blog de votre quartier : racontez votre expérience et dites ce qu'elle vous a apporté.

Model answer (131 words)

Un samedi à la banque alimentaire Le mois dernier, j'ai passé un samedi comme bénévole à la banque alimentaire de notre quartier. J'étais un peu nerveux en arrivant, car je ne savais pas à quoi m'attendre. Pourtant, l'équipe m'a accueilli chaleureusement et m'a tout de suite confié une mission : trier les dons et préparer des paniers pour une quarantaine de familles. Ce qui m'a le plus marqué, c'est l'ambiance. Des retraités, des étudiants et des nouveaux arrivants comme moi travaillaient ensemble en riant, et j'ai pu parler français toute la journée sans stress. Le soir, j'étais fatigué mais fier. Cette expérience m'a apporté bien plus que je ne l'imaginais : de nouveaux amis et plus de confiance en moi. Je conseille à tous les voisins de tenter l'aventure au moins une fois !

The text has a title, tells the day in order, mixes passé composé (j'ai passé, m'a accueilli) with imparfait (j'étais, travaillaient), explains feelings and ends with what the experience brought and a recommendation. Connectors like car, pourtant and ce qui m'a le plus marqué show B2-level control.

Mistakes that cost points

Only telling the story and forgetting the opinion or impressions.
Writing the whole story in the present tense.
Confusing passé composé and imparfait (j'ai été nerveux instead of j'étais nerveux for a feeling).
Going over 150 words: the range is narrow and extra text does not earn points.
A list of events with no connectors between them.

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Questions

How many words is TCF Canada writing Task 2?

120 to 150 words. Count them before you finish: going outside this range lowers the task completion score.

Which tenses should I use in Task 2?

Passé composé for the events, imparfait for descriptions and feelings, and the present for your opinion today. Using both past tenses correctly is one of the clearest signs of a higher level.

Does Task 2 need a title?

For an article or a blog post, a short title makes the genre clear. For a letter or an email, use a greeting and a closing instead.

Other writing tasks

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