Take this with you

  • CKE: the Polish matura marking rules did not change in 2026 and the exam guides remain valid.
  • At the extended level, essays must use the structure of literary works, not only their themes.
  • In 2026–2030 both the old and the new spelling rules are accepted.
  • CKE will look into complaints about score checks and arbitration decisions; nothing has changed yet.

What happened

On 26 October 2026 the Centralna Komisja Egzaminacyjna (CKE, Central Examination Board) published its director's reply to an open letter sent on 31 August 2026 by a group of Polish-language teachers. The teachers said that the criteria for marking essays on the matura (the secondary-school leaving exam) in Polish were applied inconsistently and that some explanations reached examiners only at training sessions held after the exam.

The reply runs to 26 pages. For students sitting the matura in 2027 the key point is its summary: in the 2026 session the marking rules did not change at either the basic or the extended level, and the informatory (official exam guides) remain valid.

What CKE says about the essay

At both levels the essay is marked on the same criteria as before: meeting the formal requirements of the task, literary and cultural competence, structure, coherence and style, and range and correctness of language, spelling and punctuation. CKE lists the pages of the guides where each criterion is explained.

At the extended level (poziom rozszerzony) a literary work counts as fully functional in the argument only if the student also refers to elements of its structure: how the fictional world, characters, plot and motifs are built, the narration, the lyrical situation, topoi, allusions or conventions. CKE stresses that this requirement has applied since the first session of the 2023 formula and that its reports in later years noted that students often neglect it.

The board also reminds readers that the detailed expectations for each topic depend on how that topic is worded. A way of organising an essay that worked for one topic will not necessarily earn full marks for another.

Spelling: old and new rules are both correct

Changes to Polish spelling rules introduced by the Rada Języka Polskiego (Polish Language Council) have applied since 1 January 2026. CKE confirms that in 2026–2030 exam answers are correct whether they follow the rules in force until 31 December 2025 or the new ones. This covers the matura, the eighth-grade exam and external (extramural) exams.

Mock exams, score checks and appeals

CKE writes that the law does not oblige it to prepare mock exam papers every year. In 2026 it prepared mock papers only for subjects where the way of marking answers to closed questions had changed; schools that asked for a mock extended-level Polish exam were given papers from earlier resit sessions.

The director also said he would look into teachers' reports of judgemental wording in replies to requests for a check of the point total (weryfikacja sumy punktów), and into their objections to decisions of the Kolegium Arbitrażu Egzaminacyjnego (exam arbitration panel), which hears appeals against the result of such a check. No change to this procedure has been announced so far.

What it means for the class of 2027

Prepare from the CKE guides and the marking schemes of recent sessions: according to CKE they still apply. In an extended-level essay, summarising what a work is about is not enough.

  • For every work you cite, name at least one element of its structure (for example the narration, how a character is built, a motif) and show how it supports your thesis.
  • Relate each work to the whole problem in the topic, not just one part of it.
  • Read the explanations of the criteria in the guide: CKE's letter gives the exact pages.
  • Do not worry about the new spelling: until 2030 both versions are accepted.

Sources & further reading

Prepared with AI assistance using the sources below. Editorial standards ↗