European Baccalaureate Language 2 exam-day guide
European Baccalaureate Language 2 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid photo ID
Bring the identity document your school or examination centre requires for admission to the written and oral components. The exact accepted documents are set by your centre, so confirm with the provider which form of ID is valid rather than assuming a student card suffices.
Exam admission or convocation document
Check whether your school issues a convocation, timetable slip, or candidate number sheet and bring it if required. Confirm with the provider whether it must be printed or may be shown on a phone; some centres prohibit phones in the room entirely.
Black or blue ballpoint pens (at least two)
Write in ink unless your centre instructs otherwise. Bring spares, since running out mid-essay wastes time you cannot recover. Pencil is normally for diagrams or annotations only; confirm any subject-specific stationery rules with the provider.
Pencil, eraser, and sharpener
Useful for planning notes and for any annotation the paper permits. Keep planning on the pages the paper designates; work outside designated areas may not be marked.
Clear pencil case or transparent bag
Many centres require stationery to be visible in a clear container. Confirm with the provider what is permitted; if unsure, carry items loose and ask the invigilator before the start.
Analogue watch
A simple wristwatch lets you pace the reading, writing, and checking phases without relying on a room clock. Smart watches and any device with connectivity are typically banned; confirm the provider's device policy before relying on one.
Water in a clear, label-free bottle
Hydration helps in a long writing paper, but bottle and label rules vary by centre. Confirm with the provider whether drinks are allowed at the desk and whether labels must be removed.
Approved dictionary or reference materials, if permitted
Language 2 papers may or may not allow a monolingual or bilingual dictionary depending on the component and the school's arrangements. Do not bring one unless you have confirmed with the provider that it is allowed for that specific paper; bringing a prohibited item can lead to confiscation or misconduct procedures.
Know your seat, room, and start time
Confirm the venue, reporting time, and whether you must arrive early for ID checks. Arrive with margin for transport delays; late admission rules are set locally, so confirm with the provider what happens if you are delayed.
Review the paper's structure and mark allocation in advance
Know how many questions or tasks there are, whether there are choices, and roughly how many minutes each section deserves. This is preparation rather than an item to bring, but it is the single most useful thing to settle before the day.
Plan for the oral component separately
If Language 2 includes an oral, confirm with the provider the format, preparation time, and whether any notes or texts are provided. Bring the same ID and arrive early, since oral schedules can shift.
Leave prohibited items at home or in your bag
Phones, smart devices, notes, and unauthorised dictionaries should not be on your person at the desk. Confirm with the provider where bags are stored and what the procedure is if a device is found.
Plan the day
Shift from learning new content to consolidating what you already know. Re-read your own summaries of the texts, topics, and language functions covered in the course, and rehearse the formats you will actually face: comprehension questions, guided writing, essay, translation, or oral discussion as applicable to your programme. Confirm with the provider the exact components, their weightings, and their durations so your revision matches the real papers rather than assumptions.
Do at least one full timed practice under exam conditions, writing by hand if the exam is handwritten. Timekeeping in a Language 2 paper is usually the main risk: candidates over-invest in reading or in one long writing task and lose marks elsewhere. After the practice, note the two or three specific weaknesses to address, such as register, tense control, or structuring an argument, and work only on those.
Prepare the practical side: confirm the venue and reporting time, check your ID is valid and not expired, assemble stationery and a clear case, and settle travel arrangements. If you intend to use a dictionary or any reference material, confirm with the provider now whether it is permitted for your specific papers, because the answer may differ between components.
Protect sleep. Move revision to daytime blocks and stop intensive study early enough that you are not rehearsing vocabulary at midnight. Two well-slept nights before a writing paper are worth more than an extra hour of cramming.
Do light consolidation only: skim your summaries, review a short list of high-frequency errors you personally make, and look over model structures for the writing tasks. Do not start new topics or attempt to memorise long lists; the return is poor and the anxiety cost is high.
Lay out everything the night before: ID, convocation if required, pens, pencil, eraser, clear case, watch, water bottle, and any material you have confirmed is allowed. Put them by the door. Re-check the start time and journey, including any buffer for ID queues.
Write a one-page plan for the exam itself: the order in which you will tackle sections, the approximate minutes for each, and your fallback if a task is too hard. Decide in advance that you will leave a fixed block at the end for checking, and that you will not exceed your per-section time even if a question feels unfinished.
Eat a normal breakfast and avoid last-minute cramming of new material; a brief skim of your error list is enough. Arrive at the venue with time to spare so that ID checks and seating do not eat into your composure. Keep conversation with other candidates light rather than comparing preparation, which tends to raise anxiety without improving performance.
Before entering the room, switch off and stow your phone and any smart device as the centre directs. Use the washroom beforehand, since bathroom breaks during the paper may be restricted and cost you time. Once seated, check that your paper is the correct subject and level and that all pages are present, and raise a hand immediately if anything is missing or misprinted.
Read the instructions and the whole paper or task list before writing. Note the mark allocation and any choice of questions, and decide which optional task you will answer before you begin, so you do not waste minutes deciding mid-paper. Check whether rough work must go in a designated area and whether it is marked.
Follow your time plan. For reading and comprehension, locate the relevant passage before drafting the answer and answer in the form the question asks for, whether full sentences or short phrases. For writing tasks, spend a few minutes planning structure and key vocabulary, then write, keeping register and text type consistent with the brief. If a task stalls, leave space, move on, and return if time allows.
Reserve the final block for checking, and check strategically: agreement and tense endings, verb forms after prepositions, word order, accents and spelling, and whether you have answered every part of every question. Confirm the number of tasks required and that you have not answered too many or too few, since extra answers are usually not credited. Write legibly and cross out clearly rather than overwriting.
If you finish early, do not leave unless the rules permit it and you are confident. Use remaining time to re-read your longest piece of writing as a reader would, checking that the argument or narrative is coherent and that the opening and closing do what the task requires. Hand in all materials the invigilator asks for and leave quietly without discussing content with candidates who have yet to sit the paper.
Rules to check
Bring and present the identity document your centre requires, and be ready for checks at the door and at the desk. The accepted forms of ID are set locally, so confirm with the provider in advance rather than assuming any photo card will do.
Follow the invigilator's instructions on seating, materials, and timing without argument. If you believe an instruction is wrong or a paper is defective, raise it calmly at the time; disputes are far harder to resolve after the paper has been collected.
Do not bring unauthorised material into the room. Dictionaries, notes, and electronic aids are permitted only where the provider has confirmed they are allowed for that specific component, so check before the day and ask the invigilator if you are unsure.
Switch off phones and any smart or wearable devices and stow them as directed; do not keep them on your person at the desk. Possession of a device during the paper may be treated as misconduct regardless of whether you used it, so confirm the provider's device policy in advance.
Breaks and washroom visits are usually restricted and accompanied, and lost time is not normally added back. Confirm with the provider what the arrangements are, and plan fluid intake accordingly before the paper starts.
Work only within the time allowed and stop writing immediately when instructed. Writing after the signal, or continuing during a pause, can be treated as misconduct and may affect the marking of your paper.
Answer only the number and combination of tasks the paper requires. Extra answers are generally not credited and may waste the time you need for the tasks that count, so read the rubric carefully before starting.
Marks are awarded for what is written in the designated answer areas, so keep rough work separate and ensure your final answers are clearly placed and legible. If you are uncertain about the marking or grading arrangements for your programme, confirm with the provider rather than relying on second-hand accounts.