State language exams can be taken by all candidates who possess the language proficiency levels set out in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Candidates may choose between the basic state language examination (level B2), the general state language examination (level C1) or the specialised state language examination (level C2) – for the translation or interpreting specialism – to assess their language proficiency.

State language examinations are held twice a year, in the autumn and spring. The examination dates are always the same and apply throughout the Czech Republic.

The fee for the Basic SLE B2 is 4,000 CZK. If a candidate does not pass the written part of the Basic SLE and is therefore not invited to the oral part of the SLE, 500 CZK will be refunded. The fee for the General SLE is 4,700 CZK. If a candidate does not pass the written part of the General SLE and is therefore not invited to the oral part of the SEL, 600 CZK will be refunded.

State language examinations are certificates approved by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport; their organisation is governed by Decree No. 33/2005 Coll., as amended. Owing to their level of difficulty and, above all, their comprehensiveness, they are highly regarded, particularly by employers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, even though they do not yet have official international recognition.

You can read about how B2 and C1 state language examination certificates are used in practice HERE.

Yes, candidates who have not attended language courses may also register for the exam.

State language examinations may only be organised by institutions listed in the register of schools and educational establishments. These are the so-called language schools authorised to conduct state language examinations. PELICAN Language School is a language school authorised to hold state language examinations – we therefore organise the examinations directly at our school, and if you register for an examination, you will sit it in our classrooms with our teachers.

The content of the basic B2 language proficiency test focuses on topics relating to everyday life in the relevant language area and in the Czech Republic.
Through the examination, candidates are required to demonstrate their ability to understand both spoken and written texts and to express themselves independently, both orally and in writing, on the given topics, within the scope of the language resources specified by the framework and school curriculum for the basic course at the language school. A knowledge of 2,000 to 2,500 lexical items is required.

In the written part of the examination, the candidate is assessed on:

a) the level of comprehension of a foreign-language text totalling approximately 700–1,000 words
b) the ability to compose a text in the foreign language totalling approximately 300 words
c) the level of comprehension of a foreign-language audio text lasting 35–40 minutes in total
d) the ability to use selected grammatical and lexical structures in a foreign language

A time limit of 4 hours is set for the written part of the examination.
When assessing the skills listed under (a) and (b), only a printed dictionary may be used.

a) ability to respond promptly in everyday situations
b) ability to speak fluently on given topics

The content of the general C1 foreign language examination focuses on topics relating to everyday life and on issues concerning political, economic and cultural developments in the relevant language area and in the Czech Republic.

Through the examination, candidates are required to demonstrate a deeper knowledge and a higher level of proficiency in the foreign language, within the scope of the language skills set out in the framework and school curriculum for the basic and intermediate courses at the language school. Knowledge of approximately 4,000 lexical items is required.

a) the level of comprehension of a foreign-language text totalling approximately 1,200–1,400 words
b) the ability to compose a text in the foreign language or to discuss a given topic freely in the foreign language, totalling approximately 500 words
c) the level of comprehension of a foreign-language audio text lasting between 40 and 45 minutes
d) the ability to use selected grammatical and lexical structures in a foreign language.

A time limit of 4 hours is set for the written part of the examination.
When assessing the skills listed under (a) and (b), only a printed dictionary may be used.

No sooner than 14 days after successfully completing the written part, the oral part of the examination takes place; this lasts 25–30 minutes and assesses the candidate’s:

a) the ability to respond promptly and spontaneously in a foreign language in everyday situations, and to speak fluently and correctly in that language on given topics
b) knowledge of the cultural context of the language area in question and of the Czech Republic, expressed in the foreign language
c) the ability to speak fluently and correctly in a foreign language about one’s own reading of fiction in the original language, comprising at least 500 pages

The use of a printed dictionary is permitted in the first two sections of the written state language examination – the reading comprehension and free writing sections.

The oral part of the examination may be taken no earlier than 14 days after the written part has been successfully completed. Candidates are invited to the oral examination after completing the written part; the dates for the oral examination are set by the state language schools.