Pupil assessment

The assessment system in all types of post-primary schools is based on the amended School Education Act of 7 September 1991 (ustawa z dnia 7 września 1991 r. o systemie oświaty). The system comprises internal and external (summative) assessment. 

Internal assessment

Internal assessment of pupils' learning achievements involves assessing the level of knowledge and skills and the progress made in relation to the requirements based on the curricula. Internal assessment covers learning achievements and behaviour. It is formative assessment.

The internal assessment aims to:

1. inform pupils about their learning achievements and behaviour, and their progress in this respect;
2. support pupils in learning by providing feedback to them on where they have performed well and how they should learn further on;
3. support pupils in the individual planning of their development;
4. motivate pupils to make further progress in learning and behaviour;
5. provide parents (legal guardians) and teachers with the information on pupils' progress or learning difficulties, behaviour and special talents;
6. enable teachers to improve organisational approaches and methods used in their educational activities.

Internal assessment includes:

1. defining educational requirements to obtain individual end-of-semester (mid-year) and end-of-year marks for compulsory and additional classes;
2. setting criteria for the assessment of behaviour;
3. conducting assessment on an on-going basis, and giving end-of-semester and end-of-year marks for compulsory and additional classes, and end-of-semester and end-of-year marks for behaviour according to the scale and in the forms approved in a given school;
4. conducting so-called qualifying exams (for example, for pupils who did not attend classes in a given semester);
5. setting end-of-semester or end-of-year qualifying marks for compulsory and additional classes and end-of-year marks for behaviour according to the scale defined in the regulation;
6. defining conditions and procedures for pupils wishing to improve their expected end-of-semester and end-of-year marks for compulsory and additional classes and end-of-semester and end-of-year marks for behaviour;
7. defining conditions and procedures for providing parents (legal guardians) with information on pupils' progress or learning difficulties.

Teachers assess pupils separately in each subject. Marks for subjects are given by teachers of individual subjects. The end-of-year assessment takes into account results of the assessment carried out during the year. Assessment is based on single marks, and end-of-semester and end-of-year marks.

The teacher uses the following marking scale to assess pupils’ learning achievements: 6 – excellent (celujący), 5 - very good (bardzo dobry), 4 – good (dobry), 3 – satisfactory (dostateczny), 2 – acceptable (dopuszczający), 1 – unsatisfactory (niedostateczny). When giving marks in physical education, teachers should take into account, in particular, the pupil’s efforts to fulfil the specific requirements of the subject. School marks and marking criteria should be made available to pupils and their parents.

Pupils also receive marks for their behaviour (conduct) according to the following scale: excellent (wzorowe), very good (bardzo dobre), good (dobre), acceptable (poprawne), unacceptable (nieodpowiednie), and inadmissible (naganne). In principle, the mark for behaviour has no influence on subject marks, the promotion to a higher grade or graduation. However, in specific cases, the school's teaching council may decide that the pupil cannot be promoted to the next grade or finish the school if he/she has been given an inadmissible mark for behaviour at the end of two consecutive school years.

Pupils may take a so-called qualifying examination if they or their parents consider that the end-of-semester or end-of-year mark given by the teacher is too low.

External assessment/Summative assessment

Maturity exam

The maturity exam is conducted for pupils who have finished 4-year general secondary schools and 5-year technical secondary schools, and 2-year stage II sectoral vocational schools where pupils who have finished a 3-year stage I sectoral vocational school can continue education.

The arrangements for the maturity exam for the types of schools listed above are the same as for general secondary schools; see the section ‘Assessment in general upper secondary education’ / External assessment.

Vocational examinations

Exams assess the extent to which a pupil/learner has acquired the knowledge and skills required for a given qualification, as defined in the core curriculum for vocational education (training for specific occupations). Exams can be taken by: 

• pupils / students in stage I and stage II sectoral vocational schools and technical secondary schools, and learners in post-secondary schools; 

• persons who have finished a basic vocational school (the type of school existing before the recent school education reform), stage I sectoral vocational school, stage II sectoral vocational school, technical secondary school or a post-secondary school;

• persons who have completed a vocational qualification course;

• adults who have completed a practical vocational training programme for adults or an adult training programme for specific vocational qualifications or tasks (as referred to, respectively, in Articles 53c and 53d of the Act of 20 April 2004 on the Promotion of Employment and Labour Market Institutions, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 20 kwietnia 2004 r. o promocji zatrudnienia i instytucjach rynku pracy) if the latter programme covered the requirements specified in the core curriculum for vocational education;

• persons who meet the requirements for admission to an external exam confirming qualifications for an occupation, as laid down in regulations based on Article 10, section 5 of the School Education Act.

Currently, the arrangements for conducting a vocational exam are laid down in the School Education Act (ustawa o systemie oświaty) (Articles 44zzzb to 44zzzu) and the Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 28 August 2019 on the detailed conditions and procedure for conducting a vocational examination and an examination confirming qualifications for an occupation (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 28 sierpnia 2019 r. w sprawie szczegółowych warunków i sposobu przeprowadzania egzaminu zawodowego oraz egzaminu potwierdzającego kwalifikacje w zawodzie), based on Article 44zzzv of the Act.

A vocational exam is based on sets of intended learning outcomes identified for a given occupation (qualifications for an occupation). Thus, the number of exams for a given occupation depends on the number of qualifications (between 1 and 3 exams per occupation) identified for the occupation in the classification of occupations established by the relevant Regulation of the Minister of National Education. 

Each exam consists of two parts, a written part and a practical part: 

• The written part takes between 45 and 90 minutes (the exact duration is defined separately for each occupation in the guidelines) and is carried out as a test, with exercises assessing knowledge and skills required for a qualification in a given occupation.

• The practical part involves performing an examination task and aims to assess practical skills needed for a qualification in a given occupation. It lasts between 120 and 240 minutes (the exact duration is defined separately for each occupation in the guidelines developed and published by the Central Examination Board).

The legislation defines quite precisely the locations or venues where the new exam can be taken. The locations where the written part of the exam are taken:

• for a pupil / learner: the school which he / she attends;

• for a school leaver: the school which he / she has finished;

• for a person who has completed a vocational qualification course: the institution providing a given course or a location identified by the providing institution;  

• for an adult who has completed a practical vocational training programme for adults (praktyczna nauka zawodu dorosłych) or an adult training programme for specific vocational qualifications or tasks (przyuczenie do pracy dorosłych), and a person taking a vocational exam as an external: a school, educational institution, continuing education or practical training centre, the employer’s organisation, or an institution providing a vocational qualification course, identified by the head of the Regional Examination Board.

Where this is justified, a pupil/learner, school leaver or a learner who has completed a vocational qualification course can take the written part of the vocational exam in another venue identified by the head of the Regional Examination Board.

To pass the previous exam confirming qualifications for an occupation and the new vocational exam (Article 44zzzo, section 1 of the School Education Act), an exam taker should score:

• at least 50% of the total number of points available for the written part;

• at least 75% of the total number of points available for the practical part.

Upon passing an exam for a given (single) qualification, pupils / learners receive a certificate (świadectwo), issued by the competent Regional Examination Board (Regionalna Komisja Egzaminacyjna). Once pupils / learners have obtained certificates for all the qualifications required to practise a given occupation and have completed education at the required level, they are awarded a vocational diploma (dyplom zawodowy).

Progression of pupils/students

Pupils / learners are promoted to a higher grade if they have received ‘acceptable’ (2) or higher marks for all compulsory subjects at the end of the school year. Pupils / learners who have received one ‘unsatisfactory’ (1) mark can take an exam in the subject concerned. A pupil / learner who has not passed such a ‘resit’ exam has to repeat the same year.

The school’s teaching council may conditionally promote a pupil / learner who has received mark 1 (unsatisfactory) in only one subject. A pupil / learner can be conditionally promoted to the next grade only once during the entire education cycle in a given type of secondary school.

If pupils / learners did not attend more than 50% of compulsory classes and, thus, there is no basis for assessment, they can take a so-called qualifying exam on an agreed date.

Certification

All public secondary schools, and non-public schools which comply with the requirements set for public schools, award standardised certificates (the layout of these documents and rules for filling them in are laid down in the relevant regulations).

Vocational secondary school graduates receive a school leaving certificate (świadectwo ukończenia szkoły). Those who have finished the school ‘with distinction’ receive a school leaving certificate with distinction.

Pupils finishing a technical secondary school or a stage II sectoral vocational school who have passed the maturity exam are awarded a maturity certificate (świadectwo dojrzałości). The certificate includes the results of the written and oral parts of the exam. Those who have re-taken the exam and improved their results in one or more subjects, or have taken the exam in additional subjects, receive an annex to the certificate. The certificate and its annexes are issued by the Regional Examination Boards. The maturity certificate provides access to higher education.

Vocational school leavers receive vocational qualification certificates (certyfikaty kwalifikacji zawodowej), issued by the competent Regional Examination Board. Once they have obtained certificates for all the qualifications identified for a given occupation and have finished the school, they are awarded a vocational diploma (dyplom zawodowy). 

At the holder's request, a vocational diploma can be issued together with a Europass Certificate Supplement, based on a description of the holder's qualifications or a description of the occupation as provided in the core curriculum for a given occupation. The document defines the range of competences of the diploma holder, makes it easier to understand the contents of the diploma, describes the skills and qualifications of the holder, and is closely linked to a given occupation (all diploma holders receive the same supplement in a given country). The document has the same structure as in all other EU countries. Diplomas and certificate supplements are issued by the Regional Examination Boards.