The CE1D French exam comes at the end of the 2nd year of secondary school, and many parents wonder how to help their child prepare for it. The best method is well known: practise with past exam papers, then compare the answers with the answer key. Here is how to go about it, step by step.
What is the CE1D French exam?
The CE1D (certificat d’études du premier degré) is a common external exam organised by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the French-speaking education system in Belgium. All pupils in the common 2nd year of secondary school sit it, on the same day and under the same conditions, in four subjects: French, mathematics, science and modern languages.
For the 2026-2027 school year, the French exam takes place on Tuesday 22 June 2027. It lasts 200 minutes of actual working time, split into two 100-minute blocks with a break in between.
An important change applies to this session: from June 2027, pupils need at least 60% in each exam to obtain the CE1D, compared with 50% before. One more reason to start practising early.
How is the French exam structured?
The CE1D French exam assesses three main skills: listening, reading and writing. The exact format varies slightly from year to year, but it usually includes:
- a listening task: the pupil listens to an audio document, often an extract from a radio programme, and answers comprehension questions;
- reading a fiction text: a short story or an extract from a novel, with questions about the characters, the sequence of events and the author’s intentions;
- reading informative texts: a file of several documents in which pupils must find, sort and cross-check information;
- a writing task: continuing a fiction story, or writing an argumentative text to convince a reader.
Grammar, spelling and vocabulary count in all of these tasks: to understand the instructions, to write clear answers and above all in the writing task.
Why practise with past CE1D papers?
Past exam papers are the best practice there is. The Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles publishes them on its education portal, together with their answer keys and, for the listening task, the audio tracks.
Your child will find exactly the kind of texts, questions and instructions they will face in June. They also learn to manage their time over 100 minutes, which is often the real difficulty.
Several sessions are available, including the CE1D French papers from 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, as well as the most recent ones. There was no exam in 2020, because of the health crisis. The most recent papers are closest to the current format: start with those.
To save you time, we have gathered the CE1D French 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 French papers for free
A simple method for using past papers and answer keys
Redoing exams is only half the job: it is the correction that brings progress. Here is a method that works well at home.
1. Recreate exam conditions
Print the paper and have your child complete a full block, timed and without help. For the listening task, play the audio track once or twice, as the exam instructions specify.
2. Mark with the official answer key
The answer key (corrigé or correctif) gives the expected answers and the marking criteria for the writing task. Go through it together, question by question, and note the type of mistake:
- instruction misread or only partly followed;
- information poorly located in the text;
- correct answer, but poorly justified;
- running out of time at the end of the block.
3. Work on weak points
After two or three papers, the same mistakes come back. That is where to focus the work: reading strategies, planning an argumentative text, proofreading for spelling. Redoing a paper a few weeks later shows how much progress has been made.
Common mistakes in the CE1D French exam
Year after year, many pupils fall into the same traps:
- answering from memory instead of going back to the text to justify the answer;
- skimming the instructions: “cite deux éléments” (give two elements) really does ask for two elements, in the words of the text;
- getting lost in the informative file: pupils need to learn to spot the right document quickly using titles, sources and keywords;
- writing without a plan: in the writing task, a few minutes of drafting produce a clearer, better structured text;
- forgetting to proofread: spelling and punctuation count in the assessment of the writing task.
When should preparation for the CE1D start?
Ideally, from the second term of the 2nd year of secondary school. One paper every two or three weeks, then a faster pace in May and June, leaves time to correct mistakes without burning out.
Online exercises can complement the preparation, for spelling or vocabulary for example. Full papers remain essential, though: they alone reproduce the length and sequence of the tasks.
The CE1D also includes other exams: we have written tips for preparing the CE1D Dutch exam and the CE1D English exam.
How can you support your child?
As a parent, your role is above all to set a rhythm and to reassure. Plan fixed times for practice papers, praise progress rather than marks, and talk about the exam calmly.
The CE1D matters, but it can be prepared for. Pupils who have redone several papers arrive in June on familiar ground, and that often makes the difference on the day.
If your child has gaps in reading comprehension or written expression, private French lessons can help close them before June. At My Sherpa, an educational advisor assesses your child’s needs and chooses the coach who suits them. Lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online. Find out more about our support in secondary school.
