Exploring Change. Matura meets CEFR

The study offers insights into the recently changed National Polish Examination (Matura) and sets it against the background of the Common European Framework of References (CEFR) acting as a driving force of, and at the same time the basis for, those changes. Its purpose is to establish the extent to which the CEFR has influenced the construction, marking criteria as well as text and task choices in the Matura. The analysis reveals a vast magnitude of changes made to the examination, both driven by as well as resulting in political and educational shifts in the country. The study sets out to compare two versions of the examination, a decade apart, before scrutinising individual components of the latest version. It takes into account various potential users of the Matura and evaluates it through the lens of diverse parties and their roles in the project. It therefore evaluates this from different perspectives looking more closely not only at the administered components but also at the marking criteria and their adherence to the CEFR. The study is supported by nine research participants’ writing samples.