8th Grade Exam in English – What is it made of and how to pass it?
The 8th grade exam in a modern foreign language (most often English) lasts exactly 90 minutes. You can earn a total of 55 points for completing the entire paper. The exam checks language proficiency at the A2 / B1 level (according to the CEFR scale).
The exam paper is divided into 5 main parts. The biggest challenge for students are the so-called open tasks, where there are no ready-made answers to choose from (A, B, C) – you have to fill in the missing word, sentence, or translate a fragment of the text on your own.
🎧 Part 1: Listening Comprehension
The tasks in this part are based on audio recordings played from a CD in the exam room. You will hear each recording twice.
- Multiple choice: You listen to short dialogues and choose the correct picture or answer (A, B, C).
- Matching: Matching the statements of different people to sentences summarizing what they said.
- Open task (Gap): You listen to a longer text (e.g., a radio announcement, an interview) and you have to fill in the gaps in the note on your own (usually 1-3 words in English or Polish!).
🗣️ Part 2: Knowledge of Language Functions
This part checks how you cope in everyday communication situations (e.g., at the doctor, in a store, or asking for directions).
- Matching responses: Matching the appropriate response to the asked question or described situation.
- Multiple choice: Completing short mini-dialogues with the appropriate option (A, B, C).
- Open task: You receive a description of a situation in Polish (e.g., „A friend thanks you for your help. What do you reply?”) and you have to write the appropriate phrase in English on your own (e.g., You’re welcome).
📖 Part 3: Reading Comprehension
This is the most extensive part of the exam, checking the ability to read quickly, search for details, and determine the main idea of the text.
- Questions about the text (A, B, C, D): Reading comprehension of emails, announcements, excerpts from books or blogs.
- Matching sentences to gaps: The text is missing several sentences that you need to match from the provided list to maintain a logical flow of the story.
- Open task: Reading a text in English and filling in the gaps in the summary based on it (often in Polish!). This checks whether you really understood the meaning of the article.
⚙️ Part 4: Knowledge of Language Means (Grammar and Vocabulary)
Considered the most difficult by many students. It checks precise knowledge of tenses, conditional moods, passive voice, and vocabulary.
- Multiple choice in the text (Cloze test): Choosing the appropriate word (A, B, C) so that the text is grammatically correct.
- Partial translation of sentences: You receive a sentence where part is in Polish (e.g. She (doesn’t like) reading books.) and you have to write the English translation in the correct tense (doesn’t like).
- Paraphrases (Transformations with a key word): You need to change the sentence so that it retains its original meaning, using the given word in its unchanged form.
✍️ Part 5: Written Expression
Finally, you will need to write a short practical text. It is usually an email, a blog post, or a message on a forum. The length of the text must be from 50 to 120 words.
In the prompt, there are ALWAYS 3 dots (subpoints) that you need to expand in your work (e.g., describe what the event location looked like, write what happened there, and encourage a friend to participate next year).
To earn the maximum number of points (10 pts), you must not only mention them but also expand them (i.e., write at least 2-3 complex sentences for each dot), using rich vocabulary and correct tenses.
🔥 Start training now!
The best way to succeed in the 8th Grade Exam is to solve as many exam tasks in practice as possible. Check out our dedicated interactive tests and prepare for 100%!
Practice Sentence Translations Practice Language Response Practice Reading Multiple Choice