Checked 6 November 2026. Result timing, validity, rescore and retest rules are from the Public Service Commission of Canada pages, read 6 November 2026 (pages dated 2023 to 2026). The current Candidate Assessment Tool pages and the older Online Testing Facility pages differ in places, so check the page for your own test and the instructions in your invitation.
Your SLE result is a letter for each skill you were tested in: A, B or C for the level reached, X if you did not reach level A, or E, an exemption from further testing. Reading comprehension, written expression and the oral are separate tests, so you get a separate result for each. The written results come from your number of correct answers on the scored questions; the oral result is the assessor’s global rating of your sustained performance.
This guide is about what happens after the test: when and where your result arrives, how to compare it with the position’s linguistic profile, what X and E mean, how far each level is from the next, what to do next and what to study to move up. For the format of each test, the timing and the full table of score bands, see our Government of Canada SLE test guide.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC), the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat or any federal department, and nothing here is an official result or advice from them. The rules on this page are quoted or summarised from the canada.ca pages listed at the end; the French examples are our own, not PSC test content, which is protected.
Public Service Commission of Canada test pages, read 6 Nov 2026.
When and where SLE results arrive
It depends on the test and on how it was delivered. The PSC’s current pages describe written tests in its Candidate Assessment Tool (CAT); older pages for the Online Testing Facility route, where the department sends you the result, differ in places, so check the page for your own test and the instructions in your invitation.
| Test | Where the result appears | When |
|---|---|---|
| Supervised written test in the Candidate Assessment Tool | My Tests section of the Candidate Assessment Tool (My Tests, then My Test Results) | 48 hours after you complete the test |
| Unsupervised written test (Candidate Assessment Tool) | My Tests section of the Candidate Assessment Tool | 48 hours after the test expiry date, the “deadline date” in your invitation email, not 48 hours after you finish |
| Written test on the older Online Testing Facility route | Sent to you by the department or agency that ordered the test; contact them if it does not arrive | Within a few days of the test |
| Oral Language Assessment | Sent to you and the contact person in the department or agency that requested the test; not shown in the Candidate Assessment Tool for now | Result within 5 business days of the test date; a general feedback report follows (the PSC gives no date for it) |
If you sit an unsupervised test early in the window, expect to wait: the 48 hours count from the deadline date. The Online Testing Facility results pages also advise you to keep a paper copy in your own personal file, because you may be asked to provide your results.
Getting an official copy of an older result
For a copy of a previous result, for another selection process for example, the PSC has an online form, Confirmation of previous Public Service Commission of Canada test results. What its page says:
- It covers PSC tests, including tests completed in the Candidate Assessment Tool since 1 September 2022. For the SLE you choose “All my valid second language evaluation results”, covering reading, written expression and the oral.
- You receive your most recent result for a test, not a complete history of your previous results.
- Allow at least 5 business days. If a hiring department wants your results sooner, the PSC suggests asking them for more time. Don’t submit the same form twice; it slows your request.
- Enter your full first and last name as they appeared at the time of your test and on your government-issued identification. Current or former federal public service employees and Canadian Armed Forces members give their PRI (Personal Record Identifier) or service number and date of birth; external applicants give their date of birth.
- You can add a hiring contact, and the PSC will email your results to that person as well as to you.
PSC “Confirmation of previous test results” form page, read 6 Nov 2026.
FreeTests: Written Expression: fill in the blank · Written Expression: error identification · Reading: question about the text
Government of Canada SLE French Practice: free sample
Answer 5 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
5 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.How to read your SLE result against the position’s profile
A bilingual position’s linguistic profile has three letters in a fixed order: reading comprehension, written expression, oral communication. Compare your result for each skill with the letter in the same place. The Treasury Board’s standards say the levels are cumulative (a C covers B and A tasks), and that X and E are results, not levels.
| Position profile | Your results (reading, writing, oral) | Does it meet the profile? |
|---|---|---|
| CBC | C, C, B | Reading and writing yes (a C meets the B in writing); oral no, B is below the C required |
| BBB | E, B, B | Yes. The E means level C was met, which covers B |
| CBC | B, X, C | Oral yes; reading one level short; writing below level A |
| B–B (no writing) | B, none, A | Reading yes; writing is not assessed; oral one level short |
Each skill is a separate test with its own result, so being short in one skill means retesting that skill, not all three.
How SLE scores become A, B, C or E
For the written tests, the level is the score band your number of correct answers falls in. Only the scored questions count: 55 of the 65 in supervised written expression and 50 of the 60 in supervised reading (the other 10 are unidentified pilot questions). The full bands are in our SLE test guide. Here is the same data read the other way: the lowest score that gives each level, and the share of scored questions it means.
| Test | A | B | C | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written expression, supervised (55 scored questions) | 20 of 55 (36%) | 31 of 55 (56%) | 43 of 55 (78%) | 52 of 55 (95%) |
| Reading comprehension, supervised (50 scored questions) | 18 of 50 (36%) | 28 of 50 (56%) | 38 of 50 (76%) | 45 of 50 (90%) |
| Written expression, unsupervised (30 questions) | 11 of 30 (37%) | 17 of 30 (57%) | 24 of 30 (80%) | not available |
| Reading comprehension, unsupervised (25 questions) | 9 of 25 (36%) | 14 of 25 (56%) | 19 of 25 (76%) | not available |
So on every written test a B starts at a little over half the scored questions right, and a C at roughly three quarters or more. The percentages are our arithmetic on the PSC’s published bands.
How far each level is from the next
The number of extra correct answers between the lowest score of one level and the lowest score of the next (our arithmetic on the same bands):
| Test | A to B | B to C | C to E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written expression, supervised (55 scored questions) | 11 more | 12 more | 9 more |
| Reading comprehension, supervised (50 scored questions) | 10 more | 10 more | 7 more |
| Written expression, unsupervised (30 questions) | 6 more | 7 more | not available |
| Reading comprehension, unsupervised (25 questions) | 5 more | 5 more | not available |
Moving from the bottom of B to C on supervised written expression takes 12 more correct answers out of 55; in reading, 10 more out of 50. If you were near the top of your band, the gap is smaller. The PSC says the written tests give a result on the skill assessed and no detailed feedback or diagnosis, and its pages read for this guide do not say whether your number of correct answers is shown. A full-length timed practice test is one way to see where you are inside a band.
The oral has no score table. The assessor gives a global rating of your performance across work-related language tasks, based on your sustained performance throughout the test.
- 65-question, 90-minute Written Expression simulation
- 60-question, 90-minute Reading simulation
- Your practice score band on the PSC bands
- Every answer explained in English
What X, C and E mean for you
| Result | What it means (Treasury Board standards) | Which tests can give it | For how long |
|---|---|---|---|
| X | Your performance did not meet the requirements for level A | All | Not a level; you can retest after 30 days |
| A, B or C | The proficiency level reached; levels are cumulative | All | Normally 5 years; the rules for when a result stays valid longer differ by test (see below) |
| E | Your performance met level C and you are expected to maintain level C, so the PSC grants an indefinite exemption from retesting | Supervised written tests and the oral; not the unsupervised written tests | Indefinite exemption from retesting in that skill |
An E on a supervised written test takes 52 to 55 of the 55 scored questions in written expression, or 45 to 50 of the 50 in reading. The unsupervised tests stop at C: the PSC says plainly that you cannot get an exemption on an unsupervised test. If you hope for an E in writing or reading, it has to come from a supervised test.
A C is not an exemption. It meets any profile up to CCC, but like A and B it is normally valid for 5 years (the page for each test explains when a result stays valid longer), while an E is an exemption from retesting.
What to do next with your result
Pick your situation to see the next step. The same answers are written out below the tool.
- You have the level the position needs (or higher). Levels are cumulative, so a C also meets a B or A requirement. Our suggestion: keep your own copy of the result (the older Online Testing Facility pages advise keeping a paper copy). It is normally valid for 5 years, and the oral and unsupervised written test pages say it can be reused for other bilingual positions across the federal public service. The valid result is always your most recent one obtained when the test conditions were met, even if it is lower, so our suggestion is to think twice before retesting “to do better”.
- You are one level short. You can retake the same test after the 30-day waiting period; a retake inside those 30 days is not valid and starts a new 30-day period. A new test needs an invitation from the hiring organization, or from your manager and HR if you are a public servant outside a selection process. Our suggestion: use the 30 days on the skills that separate your level from the next one (see “What to study to move up a level” below).
- You got an X: your performance did not reach level A. X is a result, not a level. The same 30-day waiting period applies before a retake. For reading or writing, start with the PSC self-assessment test for that skill to see roughly where you stand (there is none for the oral), then build the level A and B basics: everyday work vocabulary, verb forms and short work texts. For the oral, practise speaking on familiar work topics: asking and answering simple questions and giving simple instructions.
- You got an E: an exemption. Your performance met level C and you are expected to keep it, so the PSC grants an indefinite exemption from retesting in that skill. It is per skill: an E in reading says nothing about your writing or oral result.
- Something went wrong on test day (noise, a technical fault, you were unwell and said so). For the written tests, raise it with the organization that invited you; the situation is assessed and a retest is granted if necessary. For the oral, email the PSC at cfp.tco-cq-qc-top.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca to request a retest. For the unsupervised tests, the PSC pages say to raise it immediately following the test session; for any test, we suggest acting straight away.
- Your oral result does not reflect how you did. You can ask for a rescore in writing, through the departmental HR officer who invited you, within 10 business days after the result was sent to the department or agency. Another assessor listens to the recording without knowing your first result; if they disagree with it, the quality assurance unit makes the final decision. The result after the rescore, higher, lower or the same, becomes the official one. Written tests in the Candidate Assessment Tool cannot be rescored.
- You need your result, or a copy for another job. Results of written tests taken in the Candidate Assessment Tool are in its My Tests section. On the older Online Testing Facility route, the department or agency that ordered the test sends written results within a few days. Oral results are sent to you and the department’s contact person within 5 business days. For an official copy of a previous result, use the PSC’s “Confirmation of previous test results” form: allow at least 5 business days, and you receive your most recent result, not a full history.
- Your result is more than 5 years old. Results are normally valid for 5 years. After that, an oral result stays valid indefinitely while you remain in the same position. So does an unsupervised written result from the Candidate Assessment Tool, if the test was taken on or after 1 September 2022. For supervised written results, the pages give indefinite validity only to people with valid results as of 1 April 1993 who remain in the same position. In every case, the position’s linguistic profile must not be raised above your level. The oral and unsupervised test pages add that a manager may ask for reassessment, for example to respect departmental policies on updating expired results. To be tested again as a public servant outside a selection process, ask your manager and HR; in a selection process, the hiring organization sends the invitation.
Rules summarised from the PSC test, results and recourse pages, read 6 Nov 2026; the study and retest-timing suggestions are ours. For unfavourable conditions, the organization assesses the request and decides whether a retest is granted.
FreeTests: Written Expression: fill in the blank · Written Expression: error identification · Reading: question about the text
Government of Canada SLE French Practice: free sample
Answer 5 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
5 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.What to study to move up a level
The PSC says its second language tests are not diagnostic instruments. The best guide to what separates the levels is the Treasury Board’s own description of each one. Here is what it says changes between levels, and what we suggest you practise for each step.
| Step | What the Treasury Board describes | What we suggest you practise |
|---|---|---|
| X to A | Reading: understand simple texts and the general sense of texts on familiar work topics (routine forms, agendas, short emails). Writing: isolated words and simple phrases, statements and questions on familiar work topics | Everyday work vocabulary, present tense and the common irregular verbs, short emails and notices read for their general sense |
| A to B | Reading: the overall meaning of most work texts, specific pieces of information, main ideas versus secondary ones (reference documents, reports, emails, minutes). Writing: enough grammar and vocabulary to pass on concrete, factual work information; some errors that generally do not get in the way | Past tenses and agreement of the past participle, pronouns (le, lui, y, en), prepositions, sound-alike endings (-er, -é, -ez); in reading, say the main idea of a text in one sentence and find two details |
| B to C | Reading: abstract, theoretical or unfamiliar topics and most complex themes and nuances in meaning (policy statements, research reports, contracts, laws). Writing: detailed, coherent, well-structured texts on complex topics; vocabulary generally appropriate, grammar and spelling needing little correction | The subjunctive (after il faut que, bien que, pour que), if-clauses with si, relative pronouns dont and lequel, connectors (cependant, toutefois, en revanche); in reading, nuance words and double negatives that change a sentence’s meaning |
| C to E | E means level C was met and is expected to be maintained | Accuracy rather than new material: an E takes 52 of 55 in writing or 45 of 50 in reading, so check every rule you still miss, under timed conditions |
Our suggestions in the last column are a study plan, not the PSC’s marking criteria. The two questions below show the kind of point that separates B from C.
Two worked questions at the B to C step
One question of each written type, in the formats the PSC describes. Try them before you open the answers.
Worked example 1 · Written expression: fill in the blank
Choisissez le mot ou le groupe de mots qui complète le mieux la phrase.
- (1) est
- (2) soit
- (3) sera
- (4) serait
Show the answer
Answer: (2) soit. The conjunction bien que (although) is always followed by the subjunctive, so the answer is « soit », the subjunctive of être. Option (1), est, is the trap: it is what an English speaker translating “although the report is ready” would write. Options (3) and (4) are the future and the conditional, which do not follow bien que either. Other conjunctions that take the subjunctive include pour que, afin que, avant que and à moins que.
An original ProSyllabus question written in the style the PSC describes. It is not a question from an official SLE test.
Worked example 2 · Reading comprehension: a nuance in meaning
Lisez le texte et répondez à la question.
Objet : Projet pilote de travail hybride
Bonjour à tous,
Le projet pilote de travail hybride devait prendre fin le 31 mars. La direction n’exclut pas de le prolonger, mais aucune décision ne sera prise avant l’analyse des résultats du premier trimestre. Nous vous communiquerons la décision dès qu’elle sera connue.
Que peut-on conclure de ce courriel?
- (1) Le projet pilote pourrait se poursuivre après le 31 mars.
- (2) Le projet pilote prendra fin le 31 mars.
- (3) La direction a décidé de prolonger le projet pilote.
- (4) Les résultats du premier trimestre ont déjà été analysés.
Show the answer
Answer: (1) Le projet pilote pourrait se poursuivre après le 31 mars.. « N’exclut pas de le prolonger » means management does not rule out extending it: an extension is possible, not decided. So option (1) is right. Option (2) ignores that possibility. Option (3) goes one step further than the text, which says no decision will be made yet. Option (4) cannot be concluded from the text: the email makes the decision wait for the analysis of the first-quarter results, but does not say that analysis is done. Reading a negative such as n’exclut pas correctly is the kind of nuance the Treasury Board describes at level C.
An original ProSyllabus question written in the style the PSC describes. It is not a question from an official SLE test.
Try free SLE French practice questions
These play in our practice player: press Start, answer them, and the result page explains each answer in English. They are our own questions in the SLE formats, not PSC test content.
FreeTests: Written Expression: fill in the blank · Written Expression: error identification · Reading: question about the text
Government of Canada SLE French Practice: free sample
Answer 5 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
5 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.Find out how far you are from the next level before you retest
Our Government of Canada SLE French Practice Test has a 65-question Written Expression simulation and a 60-question Reading Comprehension simulation, 90 minutes each and in the PSC’s question types, plus a 20-question drill on common written-expression traps. Every answer has an explanation in English, and each simulation ends with your number of correct answers on its scored questions (55 in writing, 50 in reading; 10 practice pilot questions per simulation are marked and do not count), your practice band (X to E) on the PSC’s published bands, and, except at E, how many more correct answers would reach the next band.
It covers reading and writing only, not the oral assessment.
See the SLE French practice test. Independent practice written by ProSyllabus; not made or endorsed by the Public Service Commission of Canada, and a practice band is not an official result.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get SLE results?
For a supervised written test in the Candidate Assessment Tool, the result is in its My Tests section 48 hours after you complete the test. For an unsupervised test, it is 48 hours after the deadline date in your invitation. Oral results are sent to you and the department within 5 business days of the test. On the older Online Testing Facility route, the department sends written results within a few days.
What does E mean on the SLE?
E means your performance met level C and you are expected to keep it, so the Public Service Commission grants an indefinite exemption from retesting in that skill. It is possible on the supervised written tests (52 to 55 out of 55 in written expression, 45 to 50 out of 50 in reading) and on the oral, not on the unsupervised written tests.
What does X mean on the SLE?
X means your performance did not meet the requirements for level A. It is a result, not a level. You can retake the test after the 30-day waiting period.
What score do I need for a C on the SLE?
At least 43 out of 55 scored questions on the supervised written expression test and 38 out of 50 on supervised reading. On the unsupervised tests, at least 24 out of 30 in writing and 19 out of 25 in reading.
Does a C meet a B requirement?
Yes. The Treasury Board standards say the levels are cumulative: a person at level C can do level A and B tasks, so a C meets a B or A requirement in that skill. An E also meets a C requirement.
How do I get a copy of my SLE results?
Results of written tests taken in the Candidate Assessment Tool are in its My Tests section. For an official copy of a previous result, fill out the PSC’s Confirmation of previous test results form and allow at least 5 business days. You receive your most recent result for each test, not a full history.
Can I appeal my SLE result?
Written tests taken in the Candidate Assessment Tool cannot be rescored, because the system applies the scoring key automatically. If the test conditions were unfavourable, raise it with the organization that invited you. The oral can be rescored: ask in writing, through the departmental HR officer who invited you, within 10 business days after the result was sent to the department or agency.
If I retake the SLE and do worse, which result counts?
The most recent one obtained when the test conditions were met, whatever the format or administration method. A new valid result replaces the old one even if it is lower, so retest when you are ready.
Do SLE results expire?
They are normally valid for 5 years. After that, the rules differ by test. Supervised written results stay valid indefinitely only for people with valid results as of 1 April 1993 who remain in the same position. Unsupervised written results from the Candidate Assessment Tool (taken on or after 1 September 2022) and oral results stay valid indefinitely while you remain in the same position. In every case, the position’s linguistic profile must not be raised above your level. An E is an indefinite exemption from retesting in that skill.
More in this series
Sources
- official — PSC: Test of written expression, supervised, Candidate Assessment Tool (levels and scores, retest, validity, results, recourse; page dated 2025-04-25; read 6 Nov 2026)
- official — PSC: Test of reading comprehension, supervised, Candidate Assessment Tool (page dated 2025-04-25)
- official — PSC: Unsupervised test of written expression (no E; validity; results 48 hours after the deadline date; page dated 2025-04-25)
- official — PSC: Unsupervised test of reading comprehension (page dated 2025-04-25)
- official — PSC: Results of the test of written expression, Online Testing Facility route (page dated 2023-03-29)
- official — PSC: Results of the test of reading comprehension, Online Testing Facility route (page dated 2023-03-29)
- official — PSC: Candidate Assessment Tool, "Obtaining your test results" (page dated 2026-06-05)
- official — PSC: Oral Language Assessment, booked via the Candidate Assessment Tool (result, validity, feedback, rescore; page dated 2025-07-10)
- official — PSC: Oral Language Assessment (Scheduling System route), Recourse mechanisms (page dated 2025-04-25)
- official — PSC: Confirmation of previous Public Service Commission of Canada test results (e-form)
- official — PSC: Self-assessment tests for reading comprehension and written expression (page dated 2023-05-12)
- official — Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: Qualification standards in relation to official languages (levels cumulative; X and E; level descriptions; page dated 2026-09-16)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
