Practice tests B1
Required for a Polish citizenship application and for EU long-term resident status.
145 tasks
The tasks are our own, written in the format of the Commission sample papers of 2017-2020. The papers are copyrighted; we reproduce only the task type and the scope of the material.
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1. Vocabulary: home, family and everyday life
Jesteś w sklepie i chcesz poznać cenę. Co powiesz?
Poloniusz explains:
„Ile to kosztuje?” is the phrase people actually use. „Ile to kosztować?” has an infinitive instead of a finite verb - in Polish the verb has to be conjugated here. „Ile stoi to?” is a calque from East Slavic („сколько стоит”) and in Polish does not mean what it was meant to mean, and its word order is inverted too.
Source of the task: Our own task based on the catalogue of intentions and topics, B1 requirement standards
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2. Speaking: format and strategies
Nie zrozumiałeś urzędniczki. O co poprosisz?
Poloniusz explains:
You address a stranger with „pani” or „pan”, never with „ty”. The other two options are grammatical, but in an office they sound rude, because they assume a familiarity that is not there.
Source of the task: Our own task based on the catalogue of intentions and topics, B1 requirement standards
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3. Vocabulary: health and the body
Dzwonisz do przychodni, żeby umówić wizytę. Jak zaczniesz?
Poloniusz explains:
„Chciałbym” is the polite form and is how you open a call to a clinic, an office or a school. „Chcę” sounds like a demand, and „potrzebuję teraz” suggests an emergency, which is a different route from ordinary booking.
Source of the task: Our own task based on the catalogue of intentions and topics, B1 requirement standards
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4. Vocabulary: home, family and everyday life
Zgubiłeś się i pytasz przechodnia o dworzec. Co powiesz?
Poloniusz explains:
You open an approach to a stranger with „przepraszam”; without it the question sounds abrupt. „Jak dojść” asks about the way on foot and gets a precise answer, while „pokaż mi” is an order you do not give a stranger.
Source of the task: Our own task based on the catalogue of intentions and topics, B1 requirement standards
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5. Speaking: format and strategies
Kolega zaprasza cię w piątek, ale nie możesz. Co odpowiesz?
Poloniusz explains:
A polite refusal opens with thanks and includes „niestety”. A bare „nie” sounds blunt in Polish, and „nie chcę” says something quite different from „nie mogę” and may offend the person inviting you.
Source of the task: Our own task based on the catalogue of intentions and topics, B1 requirement standards
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