Graduates of secondary schools and technical schools from all over Poland have started taking their secondary school-leaving examinations. Almost 290,000 of this year’s graduates and 105 thousand other students who want to pass their final exam or improve their results from previous years. The first exam is the Polish language.

In the first part, secondary school graduates will have to solve a test checking their reading comprehension. The second part is a written statement. Director of the Central Examination Commission (CKE) Marcin Smolik says that this year school graduates can choose one of three subjects, and not the two as they used to be in the past.

“Two topics are essays, one topic is the interpretation of the poem”, says Smolik. The CKE director reminds students that each candidate for the Polish language exam may bring only the necessary things.

“He needs to bring himself, his knowledge, two black pens, ID card or passport if he has no ID yet. A small bottle of water – this is what a secondary school graduate needs, he cannot bring anything else to the room”, says Smolik.

Secondary school graduates must take an exam in three subjects – Polish, mathematics and a modern foreign language, each on the entry-level exam. They must also choose one additional subject on the advanced level.

This year, there will be no obligation to pass oral exams. The Ministry of Education and Science announces their return next year, and in 2025 the ministry will introduce an additional subject.

“Compulsory oral examinations will return next year. However, in 2025 there will also be an additional, obligatory subject at the final exam”, said Deputy Minister of Education Tomasz Rzymkowski.

The final exams will last until May 20, and the results will be announced on July 5. This year, 105,000 people who want to improve their previous years’ results or who have not passed their final exams in the previous year will also take the secondary school-leaving examination. 41 students – refugees from Ukraine will also take their final exams.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński