While a new exam will be used soon, first-attempt pass rates for the Test de certification en français pour l’enseignement (TECFÉE) – are declining in Quebec.
Since the pandemic, more prospective teachers have failed the French exam on their first attempt, according to data obtained by Le Journal.
A new version of the TECFÉE will be tested digitally this fall, according to the Education Ministry.
If Quebec moves forward with the recommendations by a committee of experts responsible for revising the exam, Antidote correction software could be authorized for one part of the exam, which could raise passing rates.
According to data from four universities, the success rate for passing on the first attempt has been declining for three years, which could be attributable to the pandemic.
At the Université de Montréal (UdeM), the success rate before the pandemic was around 60 per cent, but has been at 47 per cent for the past three years.
The data has also shown an increase in the number of people having to take the exam more than once, with some having to take the TECFÉE five times before passing both parts of the exam.
At the Université de Laval, only 54 per cent of students passed the exam after their fifth attempt, whereas two years ago, this proportion was around 85 per cent.
Students can choose to take the test in their first year of university – since they will have several chances to retake it later – while others may wait until the following year, which could increase their chances of passing on the first attempt.
The TECFÉE, which was created more than 15 years ago, currently includes two parts: writing a 350-word text and answering around 60 multiple-choice questions, related to grammar rules and vocabulary.
The second part of the exam has received criticism from the students, who question its relevance since it has vocabulary words, expressions and grammar rules that are they say not very common.
The experts who worked on the revision of the TECFÉE hope that the upcoming changes will allow students to improve their French, if the new version is perceived as being more relevant and better adapted to the reality of teaching.