State certification exam in Polish: everything you wanted to know (and even a little more)
In 2020, the Together language school was honored to become an examination center (ośrodek egzaminacyjny) for state certification exam of Polish as a foreign language. This is not just an important stage in the life of a school or official recognition at the state level, but also a huge number of important bonuses for our students, both present and future.
Therefore, we, as an official exam center and as people who know all the processes from the inside, have prepared a complete guide about the most important exam for everyone who plans to connect their lives with Poland - państwowy egzamin certyfikatowy z języka polskiego jako obcego.
State certification exam in Polish: what is it?
All foreigners who find themselves in Poland learn Polish in one way or another: on their own, in courses, using online platforms or in one-to-one lessons with a teacher. Some schools (including the Together language school) provide certificates of completion that may be useful to you in the future.
However, the only document that is recognized in Poland at the official level is a certificate of passing the state exam. Or, speaking in Polish, państwowy egzamin certyfikatowy z języka polskiego jako obcego. It will be necessary for everyone who:
- plans to obtain Polish citizenship;
- wants to apply for an EU resident card;
- is going to apply for a high-status job in Poland;
- plans to study at a Polish university (some of which include a state examination certificate in the list of documents required for admission).
As you can see, the list is not only impressive, but also quite descriptive. After all, it shows that almost for every important step in life you may need the certificate egzamina certyfikatowego z języka polskiego jako obcego. And Together school, as an official exam center, will professionally help you at all steps of preparation, from learning a language to registering for the exam itself. Moreover, this can be done in all cities where our school has its branches: in Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw.
State certification exam in Polish: what does it consist of?
It should be noted that state exams are taken at several levels:
А1 - starter
А2 - elementary
В1 - intermediate level
В2 - upper-intermediate level
С1 - advanced level
С2 - mastery level
The most important is the B1 level – it is the one that is required for the vast majority of situations. Therefore, we invite our students to focus on it.
The exam consists of 5 parts, each of them is evaluated according to the one-hundred-point system. The parts themselves are:
- Listening (the ability to understand Polish speech);
- Grammar (knowledge of the rules of the Polish language);
- Understanding the written Polish text;
- Written part (writing several types of texts);
- Speaking part (oral examination with a member of the commission).
In order to successfully pass the state exam and receive a certificate, you need to score at least 50 percent of the correct answers in each part. Here you can see the options for the exam.
During the exam, you must complete all examination blocks, as well as write two essays - a short and a long one.
It is worth keeping in mind the requirements for the correct spelling of Polish capital letters - if, for example, you spell “ę” incorrectly, it will be considered a systematic error, which will deprive you of points. You can learn about these and other nuances in our author's courses for preparing for the state exam. At these courses our teachers, who are members of the expert commission as well, will explain the pitfalls to you in detail.
The oral part of the exam is held separately. You will be asked to describe the situation depicted in the picture in detail, participate in a dialogue with a member of the commission, and also prepare a story about what is indicated on the examination card. Your answers will be assessed by different criteria: confidence of speech, coherence, grammar, and how well it was understood by an interlocutor.
It is rather difficult to pass the state exam, so you should not take risks and sign up for it without having the necessary knowledge. A much more logical step is – to take preparatory courses, and in practice, hone all the blocks necessary for successfully passing the exam.
How much does the Polish language certification state exam cost?
The state exam itself is paid. Note, there is also a separate fee to be paid for issuing a certificate that you will receive upon passing the exam.
For people under the age of 18, the fee for the exam at any level will be 90€. The price for the exam for adults varies depending on the level.
Levels A1-A2: 120 €
Levels B1-B2: 150 €
Levels C1-C2: 180 €
Issuing the certificate will cost additional 20€. All fees are paid in zlotych at the exchange rate of the Central Bank on the day of payment.
When does the state certification exam in the Polish language take place in 2024?
- February4-5, 2024: levels B1 and B2 for adults;
- April 20-21, 2024: levels B1 and C1 for adults;
- June 22-23, 2024: levels B1 and B2 for adults, levels B1 and B2 for children and adolescents;
- November 16-17, 2024: levels B1, C1 and C2 for adults.
How to register for the Polish language state certification exam?
It is quite difficult to sign up for państwowy egzamin certyfikatowy z języka polskiego jako obcego on your own. With no doubts, you can monitor all the exam centers every few days to see if the registration has opened there or to frantically update the desired page at 12pm, but most often it is almost impossible to sign up.
However, each examination center is allocated a certain quota of places for its students.
Therefore, buying a preparatory course for the state language in the language schools Together in Warsaw, Krakow or Wroclaw, gives you an incredible advantage when reserving a place on the exam. It is a great, nice bonus for everyone who wants not only to be 100% ready for the state exam, but also to sign up for it, isn’t it?
Preparatory courses for the Polish language state certification exam in schools Together
For those who plan to take państwowy egzamin certyfikatowy z języka polskiego jako obcego, the language school Together has developed a special course, which will help you to improve your knowledge for the exam in the shortest possible time. See, what you can do:
- improve your vocabulary and learn the key expressions needed to successfully pass the exam;
- fully parse the grammar base for level B1;
- analyze the features of written tasks on the exam and hone the required forms of texts from greetings and wishes to announcements and complaints;
- work out the structure and composition of the texts that are required of students in the oral exam;
- quickly and efficiently systematize your knowledge and learn how the structure of the state exam is arranged.
Our author's course consists of 6 modules, and each of them is aimed at improving exactly the skills that will be required of you when passing the exam, and all classes are conducted by teachers, who are at the same time members of the examination committee.
If you have any questions regarding the state exam, we will be glad to help you dot the i's and cross the t's. After all, during the entire course, you can have individual consultations with our teachers absolutely free of charge. We are waiting for you at our schools.
And, of course, good luck with the exams!
Image source: goodfon.ru
