Examination requirements
Because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, primary and secondary school leaving examinations will be conducted in a slightly altered form. Firstly, there will be no compulsory oral examination in secondary schools. As in 2020, only the written part of the secondary school leaving examination will be conducted.
Primary school leaving examination in 2021
Polish
- Based on examination requirements containing a limited scope of requirements of the core curriculum, including a short compulsory reading list.
- Tędy i owędy [This Way and Another Way] by Melchior Wańkowicz was deleted from the compulsory reading list.
- Duration: 120 minutes.
Mathematics
- Based on examination requirements containing a limited scope of requirements of the core curriculum.
- Duration: 100 minutes.
- Requirements regarding operations on elements and stereometry (spatial figures) have been partly reduced.
Modern foreign language
- Based on examination requirements containing a limited scope of requirements of the core curriculum and a limited scope of grammar means.
- Expected average level of language proficiency, including the scope of linguistic means in written statements (in the CEFR scale) – A2.
- Duration: 90 minutes.
- The past perfect tense and reported speech have been deleted from the list of grammar means.
Secondary school leaving examination in 2021
- Polish as a compulsory subject
- Based on examination requirements containing a limited scope of requirements of the core curriculum.
- Duration: 170 minutes.
- Oral part (optional). It may be taken by persons who need the result of the oral part for the purpose of recruitment to a university or school of higher education.
Mathematics as a compulsory subject
Based on examination requirements containing a limited scope of requirements of the core curriculum.
- Mathematics at the elementary level – requirements concerning functions and prisms have been partly reduced, and requirements concerning solids of revolution and 4th stage requirements concerning pyramids have been entirely reduced.
Foreign language as a compulsory subject
Based on examination requirements containing a limited scope of requirements of the core curriculum and a limited scope of grammar means.
- Expected average level of language proficiency, including the scope of linguistic means in written statements (in the CEFR scale) – A2+ (B1 in listening and reading comprehension).
- Duration: 120 minutes.
Oral part (optional). It may be taken by persons who need a result from the oral part for the purpose of recruitment to a university or school of higher education.
Additional subjects at the advanced level
In the case of modern foreign languages – a limited scope of grammar means and a lower general average level of language proficiency, including the scope of linguistic means in written statements (in the CEFR scale) – B1+ (B2 in listening and reading comprehension).
- Taking the examination at the advanced level is not compulsory. A student may take the examination in maximum 6 additional subjects.
- Geography at the advanced level – some factual contents and issues difficult to discuss during remote learning, such as part of issues regarding the geological past of the Earth, characteristics of river regimes in Poland, changes in functions of rural areas in the world, or the language diversity of the world's population, have been removed.
Other changes in examinations
There will be no obligation to take the secondary school leaving examination in one additional subject on the advanced level. However, a student may take the examination even in 6 additional subjects if he/she needs these results for the purposes of recruitment to a university or school of higher education.
However, this year it will also be possible to change the declaration to take the secondary school leaving examination.
For more information, visit the ministry’s website.
