The oral part of the Polish state exam, B1 and B2: how to practise on your own
Published 3 October 2026
The limit first: we do not mark the state exam's oral part here, and the Commission does not publish its marking criteria. So this article promises no result. It sets out what the rules say about the oral part, and how to practise it alone so that the practice tells you something.
In short
- The B1 and B2 oral takes at most 15 minutes and is worth 40 points; the bar is 20 at B1 and 24 at B2.
- You draw your set of tasks on the spot. The marking criteria reach the board in a sealed envelope and are not published.
- A request for re-marking covers the written part only — the oral result is final.
What do the rules say about the oral part?
The oral part of the state exam, B1 and B2
The Commission sends the oral criteria to the examining board in a sealed envelope — they are not published.
- The oral part comes after the written part — the same day or the next (§17(1)).
- At B1 and B2 it takes no longer than 15 minutes (§17(2)). The Commission prints the exact time on the set of tasks (§17(5)).
- The candidate draws one of the sets of tasks (§17(4)), so you do not know the topic in advance.
- The bar is the same as in the written parts: 50% at B1, 60% at B2 (§23). Of 40 points that is 20 and 24.
- The Commission sends the oral marking criteria with the tasks, in a separate sealed envelope (§8(5), §9(3)). They are not published.
- A request for re-marking covers the written part — the rules provide no re-marking of the oral.
What tasks are in the oral?
According to the Commission's materials, B1 has three tasks: describing a picture, a monologue on a topic and a communicative situation with the examiner. B2 has three monologues: on a set of photos, a comment on a short text and a talk on a given topic. The board may ask questions.
Full practice tasks with answers are on speaking B1 and speaking B2. This article is about how to practise them.
How to practise when nobody marks you?
This is our method, not the Commission's advice. It rests on what can be checked without an examiner: time, whether the task was done, the number of errors.
- Draw the task, do not choose it. In the exam the set is random, so practising your favourite topic is easier than the exam.
- Record every answer on your phone. Without a recording you do not know what was actually said — memory tidies it up.
- Time yourself. The whole part takes up to 15 minutes for three tasks, so one answer is a few minutes, not a dozen.
- Listen back the next day with the task beside you. One question first: was what the task asked for done — a description, a comparison, a reason?
- Transcribe one minute word for word and underline the errors. Count them every time on the same task — the number should fall.
- Practise the communicative situation (B1) with another person who interrupts and asks back. A learnt monologue does not replace a conversation.
Where is it easiest to lose points?
- Describing a photo as a list of details. The task usually asks for more: the situation, a comparison or your own view.
- Commenting on a text by retelling it (B2). Show you understand the point, then say what you think and why.
- Too short. A short correct answer gives little to mark.
- Silence after the board's question. Better to start with a phrase that buys time — "To ciekawe pytanie, myślę, że…" — than to say nothing.
The other parts of the exam: state exam B1, state exam B2. Why an oral below the bar fails the exam — one part below the bar.