One part below the bar in the Polish state exam — what next?
Published 3 October 2026
In the state exam every part has to clear its bar on its own: 50% at B1, 60% at B2. One below it and the whole exam is failed. The rules provide no retake of one part: at the next sitting you sit the whole exam again.
In short
- The bar applies to every module of the written part and to the oral part separately: 50% at B1, 60% at B2 (§23 of the regulation).
- There is no retake of one part and no carrying over of passed modules. The next sitting means the whole exam and the whole fee.
- A request to re-mark the written part: 21 days from the result, €20. There is no wait before the next sitting.
Why does one part decide the whole exam?
Because that is the pass condition. The regulation (§23) asks at B1 for at least 50% of the points in every module of the written part and in the oral part, and at B2 for 60%. Points do not move from one part to another: strong reading does not make up for weak grammar.
In numbers: at B1 listening, reading, grammar and writing are worth 30 points each, so each needs at least 15. The oral part is worth 40, with a bar of 20. At B2 every written module is worth 40 points, with a bar of 24.
State exam B1: every part has its own bar
example result| = bar 50% · below the bar — the whole sitting fails
telc works differently: its test parts are added together, and the total places you at B1 or B2. Both exams' rules are set out separately: telc and the state exam.
Can you retake only that one part?
No. The regulation provides neither a retake of a single module nor credit for modules passed at an earlier sitting. A candidate who failed sits the whole exam — every written part and the oral — and pays the whole fee.
The centre sets the fee, but for the adult exam at B1 and B2 it may not exceed €150. There is no waiting period: according to the Commission you can sit again at the very next sitting. The dates are on the sittings page.
What can you do with the result?
The centre gives you the result in writing within 3 days of receiving the protocol. Each module and the oral part is given as a percentage (§22), so you see at once which part let you down. Two 21-day deadlines run from that day.
A result below the bar: three ways on
The deadlines for a request run from the day you receive the result in writing.
Seeing your paper
On a request made to the centre within 21 days, the centre must show you a copy of your paper (§25). Do this first: you will see which tasks cost you points before you decide on re-marking.
Re-marking
You send the request to the Commission — by post or in person at NAWA — within 21 days of receiving the result, with proof of the €20 fee. It covers the written part only: the law provides no re-marking of the oral. The Commission decides within 30 days, 60 at most in justified cases. Until then the certificate is not issued.
It makes sense when a written module fell short by a point or two and seeing your paper shows a task marked differently from what you expected. Ten points short, a request will not change the result.
We read these deadlines and amounts in the regulation and on the Commission's site on 03.10.2026. Check them on the Commission's site before you send a request.
How to prepare for the next sitting?
- Start with the part that fell below the bar — but not only with it. At the next sitting every part has to clear its bar again.
- Practise that part on papers from real sittings rather than on single exercises: the form of the tasks changes from sitting to sitting.
- Before the sitting, sit the whole written paper against the clock. A part below the bar often falls to tiredness after three hours, not to a gap in knowledge.
What each part asks you to do is on state exam tasks; the parts of each level are on the B1 and B2 pages.