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objectif7

Message to one person

TCF Canada writing task 1

A message of 60 to 120 words to one named person: a friend, a neighbour, a colleague, a landlord. It describes, tells or explains, and gives exactly the information the instructions ask for.

Practise Task 1 now
Word limit
60–120
Suggested time
15min
Format
A message to one named person that describes, narrates or explains.

What examiners check

Method

  1. 1Underline the 2 or 3 things the instructions require. Each one becomes a sentence or a short paragraph.
  2. 2Choose the register from the recipient: « Salut Léa » / « Bises » for a friend, « Bonjour Madame » / « Cordialement » for a neighbour you don't know.
  3. 3Open with why you are writing, answer each point, close with what happens next.
  4. 4Keep 5 minutes to check agreements, verb endings and accents.

Mistakes that cost a band

  • Forgetting one of the requested details (time, place, reason): task fit drops a whole band.
  • Mixing tu and vous in the same message.
  • Writing 130 words because you had more to say: over 120, the task is « A1 non atteint ».

Outline

Bonjour / Salut + name,
Why I'm writing (1 sentence).
Point 1 … Point 2 … Point 3 …
What happens next / a question.
Sign-off + first name

A corrected example

Introduce yourself to your neighbour

All Task 1 topics