At the end of June, your child in 2nd year of secondary school sits the CE1D, and the maths test is often the one that worries families most. The good news: it is also the one that responds best to preparation. Here is how it is structured, where to find past papers and their answer keys, and how to practise topic by topic.
The CE1D maths test at a glance
The CE1D (certificat d’études du premier degré, the lower secondary certificate) is a common external test set by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, which runs French-speaking education in Belgium. All pupils in the common 2nd year of secondary school take it, on the same day and with the same questions, in four subjects: French, maths, science and modern languages.
For the 2026-2027 school year, the maths test takes place on Monday 21 June 2027. It lasts 200 minutes of actual work, split into three blocks of 15, 85 and 100 minutes.
An important change applies to this session: from June 2027, pupils need at least 60% in each test to obtain the CE1D, up from 50% before. In maths, where results vary widely, it pays to start practising early.
How is the maths test structured?
Each block comes with its own booklet. In recent tests, the layout is as follows:
- Booklet 1 (15 minutes): calculations and short questions, without a calculator. Mental and written arithmetic, fractions and the order of operations need to be solid.
- Booklets 2 and 3 (85 and 100 minutes): longer exercises, with a calculator, that require reasoning, constructing figures and justifying answers.
Equipment matters too: calculator, set square, protractor, compasses, ruler, pencil, eraser and coloured pencils. Check the list a few days before, and let your child practise with their own instruments.
The topics assessed in the CE1D maths test
The test covers what pupils learn in the first two years of secondary school, grouped into four broad areas. It makes a good framework for revising “topic by topic”:
- numbers: negative numbers, fractions, powers, order of operations, algebra, equations, proportionality and percentages;
- solids and shapes: geometric constructions, properties of triangles and quadrilaterals, transformations (reflections, translations, rotations), angles, nets of solids;
- measurement: perimeter, area, volume, unit conversions, scales;
- data handling: reading and drawing tables and graphs, calculating a mean.
Questions often combine several areas in a single problem. Revising topic by topic helps fill a specific gap, but your child then needs to practise on full tests.
Practising with past CE1D maths papers
Past papers are the best practice there is. The Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles publishes them on its education portal: the question booklets (the pupil’s three booklets), the answer keys and the marking guides.
Several sessions are available, including the CE1D maths tests from 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. There was no test in 2020 because of the pandemic. The most recent ones are closest to the current format: start with them, and keep the older ones for practising by topic.
To save you time, we have gathered the CE1D maths 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 maths papers for free
Many schools also hold a mock CE1D (“CE1D blanc”) in spring. You can recreate one at home with a full printed test, in real exam conditions.
A simple method for using past papers and answer keys
1. Recreate exam conditions
Print the three booklets and have your child do them in order, timed, without help. The first booklet is done without a calculator: put it away for real.
2. Mark with the official answer key
The answer key (“correctif”) gives the expected answers, and the marking guide explains how points are awarded. Go through it together, question by question, and note the type of mistake:
- a calculation or sign error;
- a concept not understood (a rule, a formula, a property);
- an instruction misread, or an answer without the required unit;
- a correct answer but with the working missing or unclear;
- a question skipped for lack of time.
3. Work on weak points
After two or three tests, the same topic often keeps coming up in the mistakes. That is where to focus, with targeted exercises. Retaking a test a few weeks later shows the progress made.
Common mistakes in the CE1D maths test
Year after year, the same pitfalls catch many pupils:
- not showing the working: when the question asks for a justification or for the calculations, the final answer alone does not earn full marks;
- forgetting units or getting conversions wrong (cm², m³, litres);
- careless constructions: an inaccurate figure or an erased line makes the answer hard to assess;
- trusting the calculator blindly without checking whether the result is a sensible size;
- getting stuck on one question: better to move on and come back to it at the end of the block.
When should you start preparing for the CE1D maths test?
Ideally from the second term of 2nd year. One test every two or three weeks, then a faster pace in May and June, leaves time to go back over weaker topics without burning out.
If the gaps go back to 1st year, such as fractions or negative numbers, it is best to tackle them even earlier: everything else builds on them. Every pupil also learns at their own pace, and a few well-targeted sessions are sometimes enough.
The CE1D includes other tests too: we have written tips for preparing the CE1D French test, the CE1D Dutch test and the CE1D English test.
How can you support your child?
Your role as a parent is mainly to set a routine and to reassure. Plan fixed times for practice tests, praise progress rather than marks, and talk about the test calmly.
If your child struggles with maths, private maths tutoring for secondary school can help close the gaps before June. At My Sherpa, an educational adviser assesses your child’s needs and chooses the right coach. Lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online.
