European Baccalaureate Language 3 exam-day guide
European Baccalaureate Language 3 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo identification document
Bring the original ID document your school or examination centre requires. Do not rely on a photocopy or a photo on your phone. Confirm with the provider which forms of ID are accepted for your session, since requirements can differ between centres and countries.
Admission slip or candidate number confirmation
If your centre issues an admission document, convocation notice, or candidate number confirmation, print it and keep it with your ID. If you are unsure whether your centre issues one, ask your L3 teacher or the examination secretariat before the last school day.
Black or blue ballpoint pens (at least two)
Write in dark ink so your script scans or photocopies cleanly. Bring a spare; a pen that runs dry mid-essay costs time you cannot recover. Pencil is normally only for diagrams or multiple-choice answer sheets, so check the instructions on the paper itself.
Pencil, eraser, and sharpener
Useful if your L3 paper includes a multiple-choice section, a matching task, or a diagram-based reading task. Keep them in a clear pouch if your centre enforces transparent-pencil-case rules.
Clear pencil case or transparent pouch
Many centres require transparent cases and forbid pencil cases with text or branding. Confirm with the provider whether a clear pouch is mandatory at your centre.
Analogue wristwatch
A simple non-smart watch helps you pace the writing and reading sections if the room clock is behind you or absent. Smart watches and anything with connectivity are almost always prohibited; leave them at home rather than risk a misconduct report.
Water in a clear, label-free bottle
Check with the provider whether drinks are allowed at your desk and whether labels must be removed. Keep it on the floor if desk space is tight so it cannot spill on your script.
Printed summary of the paper structure and timing
One page listing the sections, marks, and suggested minutes per section, plus the word-count expectations for each writing task. Revise it the night before, then leave it outside the exam room; only bring it if your centre explicitly permits notes during the pre-exam waiting period.
Language-specific reference points you have memorised
For L3, the paper usually tests reading comprehension, language accuracy, and written production. Before the exam, review your own list of connectors, tense or case paradigms, register conventions, and the format of the target text types (formal letter, article, report, summary) rather than trying to learn new grammar on the day.
Confirm the room, start time, and arrival margin
Check the exact building, room, and reporting time at least 24 hours ahead. Arrival margins and late-admission rules are set by the centre, so confirm with the provider what happens if you arrive after the start.
Confirm permitted equipment and dictionary policy
Monolingual or bilingual dictionary rules for L3 vary by language and by centre. Do not assume a dictionary is allowed or forbidden: confirm with the provider, and if it is permitted, check whether it must be unannotated.
Plan transport and a backup route
Identify one alternative route or earlier train or bus. Exam-morning delays are the most common avoidable cause of lost marks through stress and lost reading time.
Plan the day
Do one full timed past-paper or specimen paper under exam conditions, including handwriting the writing tasks in full. Mark it against the criteria you have been given, and list the three error types that cost you most marks: for example, verb endings, article or gender errors, register slips, or misreading the question focus. Spend the remaining days on those three, not on everything.
Re-read the official instructions for your specific L3 language: number of sections, marks per section, choice of questions, word limits, and whether a dictionary is permitted. Write a one-page timing plan with a clock-time schedule (for example, 0-10 minutes reading the whole paper, 10-45 comprehension, 45-60 language tasks, 60-105 writing, 105-110 checking). Confirm with the provider any detail the instructions leave unclear.
Prepare and rehearse your writing templates for the text types that appear on your paper: opening and closing formulas for a formal letter, a thesis-plus-two-arguments structure for an opinion article, and a neutral reporting structure for a summary or report. Memorise a small set of high-frequency connectors and discourse markers in the target language so you can deploy them without hesitation.
Do a light review only: your error list, your timing plan, your text-type templates, and a short list of vocabulary or structures you have repeatedly got wrong. Do not start a new grammar topic or a fresh full paper; late cramming tends to displace the fluent material you already have.
Pack your bag: ID, admission document if issued, two pens, pencil, eraser, clear pouch, analogue watch, label-free water, and any dictionary only if confirmed as permitted. Lay out clothes and check the transport timetable. Set two alarms.
Sleep a full night. Reading and writing stamina in a second or third language degrades sharply with fatigue, and the writing section is usually where the marks are concentrated. Eat a normal breakfast on the day; do not experiment with new food or excessive caffeine.
Eat a proper breakfast, arrive at the centre with a comfortable margin before the reporting time, and avoid last-minute discussion of content with other candidates, which tends to raise anxiety and can confuse structures you already know. Use the waiting time to re-read your own one-page timing plan only.
Switch off your phone completely and put it away in your bag before entering the room, not in your pocket. Keep only permitted items on the desk. Listen to the invigilator's instructions and fill in every identification field on the answer booklet or cover sheet before you open the question paper.
Read the whole paper before writing. Identify which questions are compulsory and which involve a choice, note the marks per task, and allocate minutes proportionally: a task worth twice the marks deserves roughly twice the time. Decide your question choices now, not with ten minutes left.
Read the questions before the passage so you know what to look for. Answer in the language and format the question requires (full sentence, single word, quotation from the text). For gap-fill, grammar, or transformation tasks, read the whole sentence or paragraph first to establish the tense, register, and agreement context before filling anything in.
Spend two to three minutes planning each writing task: audience, register, purpose, and the three or four points you will make. Write the task, then reserve the last five to eight minutes to check agreement, tense consistency, verb forms, spelling of high-frequency words, and that you have met the word limit and the required text-type conventions.
Check that every answer is transferred to the correct place, that no question is blank, and that your candidate details are complete. If a task is unfinished, write a brief concluding sentence so the response has a clear ending rather than stopping mid-sentence. Stop writing immediately when instructed.
Rules to check
Bring the original identity document required by your centre and keep it on the desk if instructed. If you are unsure which documents are accepted, or what to do if yours is lost or expired, confirm with the provider before exam day rather than on the morning.
Follow the centre's rules on permitted equipment exactly. Phones, smart watches, and any device with connectivity or storage are normally prohibited; possession in the exam room can be treated as misconduct even if unused, so leave them in your bag. Confirm with the provider how bags and devices must be stored.
Do not communicate with other candidates once you enter the exam room, and do not look at another candidate's script. If you need something, raise your hand and wait for the invigilator. Talking during the exam, even to ask for a pen, can be recorded as a breach of conduct.
Dictionary and reference-material policy for L3 differs by language and session. Do not bring a dictionary, glossary, or annotated text unless you have confirmed with the provider that it is permitted and unannotated. If it is permitted, use it for checking, not for composing whole sentences.
Breaks are controlled by the centre. If you need to leave the room for medical reasons, raise your hand and follow the invigilator's instructions; you will normally be accompanied, and time lost is not usually added back. Confirm with the provider in advance if you have a documented need for adjustments.
Marks are awarded against the published assessment criteria for the paper: comprehension accuracy, language accuracy and range, and task achievement in the writing (content, organisation, register, and text-type conventions). Answer the question actually asked, respect word limits, and do not pad with memorised material that does not address the task.
If you believe there is an error in the paper, or a condition that affects your performance, tell the invigilator at the time and report it to your school afterwards. Procedures and deadlines for special consideration are set by the provider, so confirm with the provider what to do and how soon.
Academic honesty applies to the whole session. Do not bring in prepared essays, notes, or unauthorised aids, and do not attempt to continue writing after the invigilator says to stop. Penalties can affect the whole subject result, not just the paper.