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France鈥檚 Ministry of Education has expanded the Int茅gration, R茅sidence et Nationalit茅 (IRN) version of the TCF (Test de Connaissance du Fran莽ais) language exam ahead of new French residency card rules.

Changes to immigration requirements mean people applying for many (but not all) types of French residency cards will soon have to prove their language level. New rules are set to come into force by January 1, 2026 at the latest although an official date has not yet been confirmed. 

These rules also entail more advanced language expectations. For example, applicants for French nationality currently need to provide evidence of having at least a 鈥榣ower intermediate鈥� B1 level on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) scale, whereas moving forward they will need to demonstrate an 鈥榰pper intermediate鈥� B2 level.

鈥淚n anticipation of these new requirements, TCF IRN is adapting to allow candidates to be assessed up to B2 level, as of May 12, 2025,鈥� reads a by France 脡ducation International, the government establishment that issues the TCF. 

This news comes a month after the alternative TEF (Test d'茅valuation du Fran莽ais) announced the B2 expansion of its own IRN assessment. Prior to April 2025 only levels A1 to B1 were evaluated.

As detailed in this Connexion article, both the TEF and TCF language tests are designed for anyone over the age of 16 whose native language is not French. 

They do not result in a pass or fail result, but rather provide a level on the CEFR scale by testing four skill areas: reading, writing, listening and speaking. The final certificate is valid for two years.

Read also: Obligatory language tests for French residency: Differences between TEF and TCF

Updated TCF IRN test

The listening and reading comprehension elements of the TCF IRN have both evolved to feature 25 questions respectively, up from 20 in the previous version of the test. 

Time limits have also increased for these sections:

• Listening comprehension: 20 minutes (up from 15 minutes)

• Reading comprehension: 35 minutes (up from 20 minutes)

The oral and written expression sections remain unchanged. 

This means that the total duration of the exam has increased from 1 hour and 15 minutes, to 1 hour and 35 minutes.

can be found on this dedicated webpage. 

Note that the TCF evaluates all six levels on the CEFR language scale. 

Updated TEF IRN test

All elements of the TEF IRN were updated to accommodate the evaluation of level B2. 

Listening comprehension:

• The test now features 20 questions (up from 17)

• It lasts 20 minutes (up from 10) 

• The test will be divided into 2 parts, with part 1 including questions of varying levels, while part 2 consists of questions adapted to the candidate鈥檚 level. 

• The content has also been updated to include more audio from everyday life, such as answering machine messages, announcements, on-the-street interview clips and interviews.

Reading comprehension:

• The test now features 20 questions (up from 13)

• It lasts 30 minutes (unchanged)

• The test has also changed to include the previously mentioned 2-part format.

• The content has been updated to include more documents from real-life situations, including administrative documents.

The part A/part B questions for the oral expression evaluation have been swapped, but otherwise this section remains unchanged. 

The word count expectation for part B of the written expression has increased to 100 words minimum. 

Full details can be seen . 

Read also: New language tests for French residency cards: ways to prove your language level and advantages of each

Read also: Language tests for French residency cards: examples of questions asked