Polish high school students faced the basic-level Polish language Matura exam on Monday, tackling themes of work and societal perception.
Exam Structure and Components
The basic-level Polish language exam consisted of three parts: two tests – “Polish Language in Use” and “Historical-Literary Test” – and a written essay.
The tests combined included 16 tasks, assessing comprehension and analytical skills.
Text Analysis in the Tests
The “Polish Language in Use” test featured excerpts from Agnieszka Krzemińska’s “Stone, Paper, Cloud” and Olaf Szewczyk’s “Library in Your Pocket.” Students analyzed differences between digital and traditional information storage and compared assessments of paper as a medium in both texts.
They were also asked to synthesize information on traditional versus digital information storage methods based on the provided texts.
Literary and Historical Context
The “Historical-Literary Test” drew from works including “The Song of Roland,” Jan Kochanowski’s poems, Ignacy Krasicki’s fable “The Lamb and the Wolves,” Olga Tokarczuk’s essay “The Doll and the Pearl,” Stefan Żeromski’s “Before Dawn,” Witold Gombrowicz’s “Ferdydurke,” and Gustaw Herling-Grudziński’s “Another World.”
Tasks included identifying Stoicism in Kochanowski’s work, identifying the character from Bolesław Prus’s “The Doll” referenced in Tokarczuk’s essay, and demonstrating understanding of a character’s connection to people.
Examining Ideologies and Concepts
Students were challenged to explain Cezary Baryka’s critique of communist ideology in “Before Dawn,” define the concept of “form” based on an excerpt from “Ferdydurke,” and analyze the impact of life in a labor camp on a character in “Another World.”
The exam also tested knowledge of George Orwell’s “1984” and Sophocles’ “Antigone,” requiring students to interpret the relevance of the Ministry of Truth’s name and analyze visual elements on a theatrical poster of “Antigone.”
Essay Topics and Requirements
Essay prompts included “The Influence of Work on Man and the Reality Surrounding Him” and “When is it Important for a Person How Others Perceive Them?”
Essays required referencing literary works and various contexts (historical, literary, biographical, cultural, etc.) and had a minimum length of 300 words.
Scoring and Graduation Requirements
Tests are worth a maximum of 25 points, while the essay is worth 35 points. The entire exam lasts 240 minutes.
To pass the Matura, students must achieve at least 30% on each mandatory exam.
Students must complete three mandatory basic-level exams (Polish, Mathematics, Foreign Language) and two oral exams (Polish and Foreign Language). Students from minority language schools also take exams in their native language.
Advanced Level Exams and Results
Students must also take one advanced-level exam, and may take up to five additional advanced-level exams. There is no passing threshold for advanced exams, as results are used for university admissions.
Exemptions from the advanced exam may be granted to vocational school graduates who meet specific qualification requirements.
Matura results will be announced on July 8th.
