Common Polish B1 exam mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Reading only half the instructions

A familiar task tempts you to start before checking the number of answers, example or required form. You may understand the text but complete a different task.

First ask: what must I do, how many answers are needed and where do they go? Read the example. Do not assume the instructions match a previous paper.

2. Leaving out a point in writing

Your text sounds correct but omits a request, explanation or detail required by the prompt. Writing about a similar topic does not mean completing the task.

Turn the prompt into a short checklist before writing. Afterwards, locate the passage covering each point. If you cannot find it, add the missing content.

3. Using the wrong style for the reader

You open a letter to an institution as though chatting to a friend, or make a private invitation excessively formal. A memorised template may not suit the situation.

Write above your plan: who am I addressing, and why? Match the greeting, requests and closing. “Cześć!” suits a friend; a formal letter can begin “Szanowni Państwo,”.

4. Writing too much and overcomplicating sentences

You add digressions and structures you cannot control to show your vocabulary. This takes time and makes the actual answer less clear.

Follow the length specified in the task. First express the necessary information in simple, connected sentences. Then reduce repetition; do not add topics just to make the text seem more ambitious.

5. Choosing an answer from one familiar word

In reading, you find a word from the question and select an answer. A negative, changed date or another person’s opinion may change the meaning completely.

Compare the whole statement with the text. Find evidence, not just a matching word. If the task distinguishes false from not stated, do not treat them as identical.

6. Getting stuck on a missed part of the recording

You mentally replay one sentence while the recording continues. One gap can then make you miss information for later questions.

Read the questions during the time provided. After a difficult passage, refocus on the current audio instead of translating everything. Use any further playback according to the instructions.

7. Choosing grammar without reading the sentence

You look only at the gap or nearest word and miss the tense, negative, preposition or agreement with other words.

Read the whole sentence, establish its meaning, then choose the form. Read it again afterwards. In revision, record your error alongside the correct sentence and a short explanation.

8. Reciting instead of responding in speaking

A rehearsed monologue sounds fluent but misses the topic. A one-word answer is another trap when the task calls for description, reasoning or conversation.

Address the actual topic, add a reason or example, and respond to your partner in dialogue. Explain a missing word using simpler language. Practise different topics instead of memorising one text.

9. Spending all your time on one task

You struggle with one answer and never reach the remaining tasks. Planning to return later does not work after the component ends.

Practise dividing your time within each component. Where you can return to a question, mark your uncertainty and move on. Do not rely on the next component’s time: completed component papers are collected.

10. Handing in without checking the written answers

You know the answer but put it beside the wrong number, leave two conflicting versions or forget to put a correction in the right place.

Reserve a moment to check numbering, blanks and legibility. Follow the paper’s instructions for marking and correcting answers. Change an answer for a specific reason, not simply because you feel anxious.

A quick check before handing in

Practise this checklist with a sample paper so you already have a routine on exam day.

• Have I completed the exact task requested?
• Have I covered every required point?
• Do text type, reader and length match the prompt?
• Are answers numbered and placed correctly, and easy to read?
• Have I checked errors that recur in my own practice?

How can you turn an error into useful practice?

Choose one error from your work. Record what you did, why it does not fit and how you will check it next time. Then attempt a new task of the same type without looking at a model.

If you omit instruction points, first practise planning three different texts. If you lose the thread of recordings, compare your answers with the transcript after the attempt and find where you got lost. Ask a teacher for specific feedback on writing and speaking.

• Practise common grammar errors
• Reading with explained answers
• Writing tasks and examples
• Check your readiness for B1
• When only 3 days remain

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

Sources checked on 20 October 2026. This guide concerns adult B1. The pitfalls, examples and practice methods are editorial material from MyPolishExam, not a Commission ranking or a result guarantee. Always follow the paper’s instructions and the examination board’s announcements.

• State Commission: guidance for candidatescertyfikatpolski.pl
• State Commission: sample testscertyfikatpolski.pl

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MyPolishExam, a platform operated by Artur Starosz AS Project, is responsible for these guides. We use AI to help develop the texts and translations. We compare information about the exam format with the official sources listed in each article. Examples, exercises and explanations are learning materials; we do not present them as assessments or recommendations from an examination board.