Failed the Polish B1 exam? What to do next

Updated 3 November 2026

How do you know you failed?

The exam centre where you sat the exam gives you the result in writing within 3 days of receiving the record from the examining board (§ 25 ust. 1 of the regulation). Points are counted separately for each module of the written part and for the oral part, and converted into percentages (§ 22 ust. 3).

At B1 you need at least 50 % in each module of the written part and in the oral part (§ 23 pkt 1 lit. b). There are four modules: listening, reading, grammar and writing; the fifth part is speaking. One part below 50 % is enough to fail, even if the rest are at 80–90 %.

This is the rule for the adult group. In the group for children and young people the pass mark is different: 50 % for the whole written part and 50 % for the oral part (§ 23 pkt 2).

Can you retake just one part?

No. Parts you passed do not carry over to the next attempt: at the new session you sit all five parts again. There is no waiting period — you can register for the next session at your level.

On the plus side, the result shows exactly where you fell short. The part below the pass mark is your main priority for the coming months. But keep the parts you passed in shape too, or a different one may slip next time.

How can you see your paper?

Within 21 days of receiving your result, apply to the centre that ran the exam: it must let you see a copy of your exam paper (§ 25 ust. 2). The centre keeps copies for only 3 months (§ 24 ust. 6), so do not put it off.

Points for each task are written on the paper itself (§ 22 ust. 1). Look beyond the total at where exactly you lost points: which task types in listening and reading, which forms in grammar, what was marked down in writing. Write it down — that list becomes your study plan.

For the oral part the board fills in an assessment sheet with points and reasons (§ 22 ust. 2). Ask the centre whether you can see it.

Can you appeal the mark?

Yes, but only for the written part. Within 21 days of receiving your result you can ask the Commission to re-check it. The fee is €20 or the equivalent in złoty at the NBP average rate (art. 11h ust. 4 of the Polish Language Act). The Commission marks the paper again and tells you the result, and the same pass marks apply to the new score (§ 26 of the regulation).

The law provides no re-check for the oral part: art. 11h ust. 4 covers only the written part.

From 1 January 2027 the procedure changes for candidates entered in the candidate database from that date (art. 11ha, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 676):

What	Entered in the database by 31.12.2026	Entered in the database from 1.01.2027
See your paper	a copy of the paper — apply to the centre within 21 days (§ 25 ust. 2)	the marked written paper — apply to the centre (art. 11c pkt 8)
Re-check of the written part	application to the Commission within 21 days	application to the Commission at the NAWA address within 21 days
Re-check fee	€20 or złoty at the NBP rate	20 % of the fee cap, roughly 129 zł for B1, to the NAWA account within 7 days
Who re-checks	the Commission (§ 26)	a Commission member or an expert who does not work at your centre

Checked on 3 November 2026. Confirm the address and form of the application on certyfikatpolski.pl or with your centre. Candidates entered in the database before 1 January 2027 are re-checked under the old rules (art. 3 of the amending act). More in the article changes in 2027.

Is a re-check worth it?

See your paper first: it shows whether there is anything to argue about.
It makes sense if you missed 50 % by a small margin and only in written modules — especially writing, where the mark depends on the examiner.
If you failed speaking, or several parts by a wide margin, a re-check is unlikely to change the outcome. Better to start preparing for the next session straight away.
A re-check and preparation do not get in each other’s way: keep studying while you wait for the answer.

When can you sit the exam again?

Upcoming adult sessions according to the Commission’s schedule (certyfikatpolski.pl):

Session	Levels
5–6 December 2026	B1
6–7 March 2027	B1, B2
24–25 April 2027	B1, B2, C1
12–13 June 2027	B1, B2
2–3 October 2027	B1
27–28 November 2027	B1, C1

You register through an exam centre. Lists of centres appear about two months before a session, and the centre must enter you in the Commission’s database at least a month before the exam. Registration for December 2026 is most likely already closed or closing these days. The realistic next date is March 2027: about four months to prepare.

How much does a new attempt cost?

A new attempt means a new registration at a centre and a new fee. The centre sets the price; the law only sets a cap:

registration by 31 December 2026 — no more than €150 for B1 (art. 11g ust. 5);
registration from 1 January 2027 — no more than 7 % of the average wage for Q3 2026. A rough estimate is about 646 zł; the exact figure will follow the GUS announcement;
certificate: until the end of 2026 — €20, which some centres include in the exam price; from 2027 — 100 zł, paid to the centre within 7 days of being told you passed (art. 11a ust. 4c).

A retake in March 2027 will most likely fall under the new rules: what counts is the registration date, not the exam date. Ask your centre for the exact price.

How to analyse your mistakes and rebuild your preparation?

Repeating the same preparation makes no sense — it already gave you this result. Start with what exactly went wrong.

Listening or reading. Often the problem is not vocabulary but strategy: reading the questions after the recording, getting stuck on an unknown word, running out of time. Do the listening and reading tests strictly against the clock and analyse every mistake: why you picked the wrong option.
Grammar. List the forms you got wrong: cases after prepositions, verb aspect, the past tense, transformations. Work through each topic in short sessions in the exercises.
Writing. Check why you lost points: the task was not fully covered, wrong length, wrong form or too many errors. Learn set phrases in written text forms and go through the B1 writing example, where the text is marked against the Commission’s three criteria.
Speaking. If you froze or went silent, you need practice out loud with a timer: describing a photo, a monologue, a dialogue with obstacles. What to say in each task is in the article B1 oral exam; you can practise with a voice examiner in the speaking tests.

Then make a plan. Take the diagnostic test, choose a session, and the trainer will spread the weeks until then with a focus on the parts below the pass mark. Two or three weeks before the exam, do a full B1 mock exam and the official samples with the answer key. If a month is left, use the plan from the article B1 in a month.

How to keep going?

Failing the exam is not a verdict on your Polish: often you are a few per cent short in one part while the rest are passed comfortably. And now you have what you lacked before the first attempt: you know the format, the atmosphere and your weak part.

Take a couple of days off, but write down your mistakes while you still remember the tasks.
Pick the date of the next session and count the weeks from it.
Keep the parts you passed in shape too — at least one test a week.

Take the free diagnostic B1 mock exam B1 exam: sessions and registration

Read also

Zdałem is an independent trainer, not affiliated with Państwowa Komisja. Rules change: before registering or filing documents, check certyfikatpolski.pl