At the end of June, your child in 2nd year of secondary school sits the CE1D, and one of its four tests covers modern languages. If your child chose English, here is how the test works, what it assesses, where to find past papers and answer keys, and how to help them prepare without stress.
The CE1D English test at a glance
The CE1D (certificat d’études du premier degré, the certificate for the first stage of secondary school) is a common external exam set by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. All pupils in the 2nd common year and the additional 2nd year take it, in every school, on the same day and with the same questions.
It covers four subjects: French, mathematics, science and modern languages. For modern languages, pupils are tested in the language they study in the first stage: English, Dutch or German.
For the 2026-2027 school year, the written part of the modern languages test is scheduled for Friday 18 June 2027. The oral part takes place between 18 and 24 June 2027, on a day chosen by the school.
How does the CE1D English test work?
The test is marked out of 100 points and has a written part, taken as a group, and an individual oral part.
The written part
- Booklet 1, listening comprehension (30 points) and reading comprehension (20 points): 100 minutes to understand recorded material and written texts.
- Booklet 2, writing (20 points): 50 minutes to write two texts of about 60 words each, based on specific communication situations.
Two details often surprise pupils. In the comprehension tasks, they answer in French. And no dictionary is allowed, either in the written or the oral part.
The audio tracks
Each listening document is played three times: once without pauses, then twice with pauses at set points. Before the first listening, pupils get two to three minutes to read the context and the task.
This is the time to identify what to listen for: a place, a time, a reason, a price. A pupil who has learned to use this reading time approaches the listening much more calmly.
The oral part (30 points)
The pupil draws a card at random, then has 10 minutes to prepare with a sheet of scrap paper. The performance then lasts 5 minutes, in two stages:
- spoken production: a short presentation on the topic of the card;
- spoken interaction: a simulated conversation with the teacher, who responds to what the pupil has just said.
With 30 points for listening and 30 points for speaking, the test gives spoken language a lot of weight. This is often where success is decided.
Which skills are assessed?
The CE1D English test assesses the ability to communicate in everyday situations, rather than knowledge of isolated grammar rules. In practice, your child needs to be able to:
- understand the gist and specific details of a spoken message (announcement, dialogue, voicemail);
- find the information needed for a task in a written text;
- write a short, clear message suited to the situation (an email, an invitation, a reply);
- talk about themselves, their interests and their daily life, and answer the other person’s questions.
Vocabulary from first-stage topics (family, school, hobbies, food, home, travel) and a few basic structures (present, past, questions) are more than enough, as long as they are well mastered.
Passing the CE1D: what changes in June 2027
Until June 2026, the pass mark for each CE1D test was 50%. A decree passed in March 2026 raises it to 60% in each of the four tests, from the June 2027 session onwards.
For this year’s 2nd year secondary pupils, English can therefore no longer be used to make up for weaker subjects. It is best to start preparing early in the school year rather than in the last few weeks.
Where can you find CE1D English past papers and answer keys?
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation publishes past papers from 2013 onwards on its enseignement.be portal (there was no test in 2020). For English, you will find the question booklets, the audio tracks and the marking guides.
To save you time, we have gathered the CE1D English papers from 2017 to 2026 and their answer keys in the My Sherpa student area. Access is free: you just need to create an account.
Access past CE1D English papers for free
Redoing these past papers remains the best practice: the format generally stays very similar from one year to the next, so your child gets to know the type of instructions, the timing and the expected level.
The answer key does have its limits, though. For comprehension, it gives the expected answers. For writing and speaking, it provides a set of assessment criteria, not a model answer to copy. An adult with good English can review your child’s texts using these criteria and help them improve.
How can you help your child prepare?
Several weeks before the test
- Have your child sit a full past paper under real conditions, with a timer, to see where they stand.
- Identify the weakest skill: listening, reading, writing or speaking.
- Plan short, regular sessions of 20 minutes several times a week, rather than one long revision session the night before.
For listening and speaking
- Encourage daily exposure to English: series or videos in the original version with subtitles, songs, podcasts suited to their age.
- Practise introducing themselves and talking about their hobbies for two minutes, without reading from notes.
- Role-play the conversation: ask simple questions in English and let them rephrase when they get stuck.
For writing
- Have them write 60-word messages that follow every instruction in the task.
- Teach them to proofread with a short checklist: capital letters, verbs in the right tense, linking words, instructions followed.
Your child also sits the other tests in the same week. For languages, you will find similar advice for the CE1D Dutch test and the CE1D French test.
An English coach to prepare for the CE1D
Some pupils mainly need to speak more, others to structure their writing or fill gaps in the basics. One-to-one support makes it possible to work on exactly what is holding them back, using official past papers.
At My Sherpa, an educational advisor chooses a coach for your child who matches their level and goals. Private English lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online.
