Learn about Polish proficiency tests
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some common Polish proficiency tests? |
| Igor: And how do I choose the right one for me? |
| Michael: At PolishPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following situation. Emma Englot is talking to Jack Jones about her attempts to motivate herself to study Polish harder. She says, |
| "I am taking a Polish language proficiency exam soon." |
| Emma Englot: Zdaję egzamin z biegłości języka polskiego. |
| Dialogue |
| Emma Englot: Zdaję egzamin z biegłości języka polskiego. |
| Jack Jones: Egzamin państwowy? |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Emma Englot: Zdaję egzamin z biegłości języka polskiego. |
| Michael: "I am taking a Polish language proficiency exam soon." |
| Jack Jones: Egzamin państwowy? |
| Michael: "A state exam?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: For many Polish learners, one of the goals, when they finally master the language, is to spend some time or even their future in the country where the language is spoken. If it's also on your bucket list, then you should know that, if you plan to apply to a university, find a job, or live in Poland, obtaining proof of your Polish knowledge will come in handy. |
| To show that you're fluent and that you won't have any problems in your daily life caused by the language barrier, you might be asked to present evidence of your proficiency in Polish. |
| Unlike English, German, French or other popular languages that can be tested in a number of various exams, there are only two Polish language exams you can take—the State Certificate Examination in Polish as a Foreign Language, or |
| Igor: Państwowy Egzamin Certyfikatowy z Języka Polskiego jako Obcego |
| Michael: and The European Language Certificates. The State Certificate Examination in Polish as a Foreign Language is the more popular one. What are the benefits of taking this exam? First, you might be asked for proof of your Polish ability when applying for a job. This is especially important if you want to become a civil servant, in which case you need to provide proof of B2 level Polish skills, or work in the health sector, in which case it is B1 you are aiming for. Furthermore, if you want to study in Poland and take classes in Polish, you will need to submit proof of B2 level proficiency with your application. |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Emma Englot says "I am taking a Polish language proficiency exam soon." |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Igor: Zdaję egzamin z biegłości języka polskiego. |
| Michael: Unlike most exams, the Polish State exam doesn't have an abbreviated name. |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Jack Jones says "A state exam?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Igor: Egzamin państwowy? |
| Michael: Jack knows straight away that this is a state exam—in fact, this is one of the two Polish language exams that exist at the moment. The State Certificate Examination in Polish as a Foreign Language was established in 2004. If you are 18 years or older, you can try any level from A1 to C2. Younger learners, from ages 14–17, can only try their hand with the A2–B2 levels as of 2020. To take the exam, you need to register and cover your exam fee |
| Igor: opłata egzaminacyjna |
| Michael: that is decided by individual examination centers |
| Igor: ośrodki egzaminacyjne |
| Michael: within a price range set by law. The exam consists of two major parts, the written part |
| Igor: część pisemna |
| Michael: and the oral part |
| Igor: część ustna. |
| Michael: The written part is further split into subsections that test various skills. There are three subsections that you will come across on all levels: listening comprehension, |
| Igor: rozumienie ze słuchu |
| Michael: reading comprehension |
| Igor: rozumienie tekstów pisanych |
| Michael: and writing |
| Igor: wypowiedź pisemna. |
| Michael: On some levels, the reading comprehension part also contains an additional element called "grammar structure recognition" |
| Igor: rozpoznawanie struktur gramatycznych |
| Michael: and, on higher levels, you will also be tested on "grammatical accuracy" |
| Igor: poprawność gramatyczna. |
| [Summary] |
| In this lesson, we had a look at the most common Polish proficiency test, which is the State Certificate Examination in Polish as a Foreign Language |
| Igor: Państwowy Egzamin Certyfikatowy z Języka Polskiego jako Obcego |
| Michael: and how they look. You can find further information on their websites which will be linked in the lesson notes. As of 2020, there's only one other Polish exam you can take. |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: The other exam you can take is one of the TELC, or The European Language Certificates Exams. This exam can only be taken on a B1/B2 level. The exam consists of two major parts, the written part |
| Igor: część pisemna |
| Michael: and the oral part |
| Igor: część ustna. |
| Michael: The written part is further split into subsections that test various skills. There are four subsections that you will come across on all levels: listening, |
| Igor: słuchanie |
| Michael: reading |
| Igor: czytanie |
| Michael: language elements |
| Igor: elementy języka |
| Michael: and writing, |
| Igor: pisanie. |
| Michael: You have 115 minutes for the written part, and 15 minutes for the oral part. You can have a look at the mock exams on the TELC website. If you are unsure about which exam to take, you might wish to consult your future university or your future employer. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Igor: Do usłyszenia! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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