TCF Canada writing prompts by task

Task 1 · 185 prompts

Text type
message — Write a message to a recipient named in the prompt, to describe, narrate or explain something.
Word count
60 to 120 words
Time
60 minutes for all three tasks, split as you like
Published assessment criteria
  • Linguistic competence: range of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, spelling, sentence complexity
  • Pragmatic competence: coherence, cohesion and development of the topic
  • Sociolinguistic competence: fit with the communication situation

Task 2 · 181 prompts

Text type
article, letter or note — Write for several readers about an experience or event, adding comments, opinions and arguments for a clear purpose.
Word count
120 to 150 words
Time
60 minutes for all three tasks, split as you like
Published assessment criteria
  • Linguistic competence: range of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, spelling, sentence complexity
  • Pragmatic competence: coherence, cohesion and development of the topic
  • Sociolinguistic competence: fit with the communication situation

Task 3 · 177 prompts

Text type
article — Write an article comparing the views in two documents on a social issue, then give your own opinion.
Word count
120 to 180 words
Time
60 minutes for all three tasks, split as you like
Published assessment criteria
  • Linguistic competence: range of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, spelling, sentence complexity
  • Pragmatic competence: coherence, cohesion and development of the topic
  • Sociolinguistic competence: fit with the communication situation
TCF Canada writing prompts by task