Estonian Basic-School English Exam study guide
Estonian Basic-School English Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Estonian basic-school English final examination (põhikooli inglise keele lõpueksam) is the school-leaving assessment taken at the end of Grade 9, typically by students around age 15. It checks whether a learner has reached the English level expected by the national basic-school curriculum, and the result feeds into the school-leaving certificate and into applications to upper-secondary school (gümnaasium) or vocational study. The Estonian Basic-School English Exam study guide has 5 sections and about 2,199 words.
01Listening Comprehension
The listening comprehension part of the Estonian basic-school English exam (põhikooli inglise keele eksam) checks whether you can pull specific facts out of spoken English, follow the main idea of a longer recording, and notice how speakers feel about what they are saying. Recordings are played twice, are usually read at near-natural speed, and cover everyday situations: short dialogues, announcements, interviews and monologues.
428 words, about 2 min02Reading Comprehension
The reading comprehension part tests whether you can locate information in written English, understand the writer’s purpose, and follow how a text is organised. Texts are authentic-style: notices and signs, adverts, short articles, blog posts, letters and instructions.
457 words, about 2 min03Language Use: Grammar and Vocabulary
The language use part (keelekasutus) tests grammar and vocabulary inside short texts rather than as isolated rules: you complete a cloze, choose between similar words, change word forms, and put verbs into the right tense. Typical tasks are a multiple-choice cloze, an open gap-fill and a word-formation exercise.
422 words, about 2 min04Writing
The writing part asks for one or two short texts, most often an informal e-mail or message to a friend, sometimes a short article or notice. You get a situation and a list of content points - usually three things you must include - plus a word limit.
469 words, about 2 min05Speaking
The speaking part is assessed at school and checks whether you can keep interaction going: answering questions about yourself, describing a picture or a topic, and taking part in a short dialogue or role-play with a partner or the teacher. Marks are for communicating and interacting, not for the most difficult grammar, so a simple answer that continues scores better than a brilliant sentence followed by silence.
423 words, about 2 min