Recently I have been thinking about sitting a Polish language exam. I figured that now my Polish is a little stronger having lived here a while, it makes sense to sit the exam and get something to show for my time here on my CV. Plus I reckon it will spur me on to study some more if I know I have an exam looming…
After a bit of research on the Internet (god I love wikipedia) it turns out that there is a Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and an Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). After digging a bit further it turns out that the prestigious Jagiellonian University in Krakow is the Polish ALTE member responsible for the Polish language exam for foreigners as commissioned by no less than the Polish Ministry of National Education and Sports.
Here is the official website (from what I can work out anyway) on the Polish as a Foreign Language series of exams. There are currently 3 exams:
- Basic level – Poziom podstawowy – ALTE level B1
- Medium level – Poziom sredni ogólny – ALTE level B2
- Advanced level – Poziom zaawansowany – ALTE level C2
There is an online bookshop that has Polish books for foreigners and most of the titles are labelled with their corresponding ALTE difficulty levels. Also, on the official website there are downloadable sample papers (see the link above).
If anyone has done these exams or can recommend preparatory materials, please let me know!