The CE1D science exam marks the end of the 2nd year of secondary school in French-speaking Belgium, and it often worries pupils more than the others: biology, physics and chemistry all appear in the same booklet. The good news is that it can be prepared for very well. The most reliable method is to work through past CE1D science papers, then mark them with the official answer key.
What is the CE1D science exam?
The CE1D (certificat d’études du premier degré, the certificate for the first stage of secondary school) is a common external exam organised by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. All pupils in the common 2nd year of secondary school sit it on the same day, under the same conditions, in French, mathematics, science and modern languages.
For the 2026-2027 school year, the science exam takes place on Wednesday 23 June 2027. It lasts 150 minutes of actual working time, in two blocks separated by a break: a first block of 100 minutes, then a second of 50 minutes.
Another change worth knowing: from June 2027, pupils need at least 60% in each exam to pass the CE1D, compared with 50% before. The margin is therefore narrower than when the past papers were sat.
What does the CE1D science exam cover?
The exam assesses science skills from the first stage of secondary school. Questions draw on several areas:
- living things: classification, nutrition, respiration, relationships within an ecosystem;
- energy: forms of energy, transformations, heat and temperature;
- matter: states of matter, mixtures, mass and volume;
- air, water and soil;
- humans and the environment;
- the history of life and of science.
The format varies from year to year. What almost always comes up is the scientific method: reading an experimental procedure, formulating a hypothesis, interpreting a table of results or a graph, drawing a justified conclusion. A large share of the marks is therefore earned by reasoning about documents, and not only by recalling a lesson.
Note that the 2026 session dropped the experiment video that featured in some older papers. If your child comes across a question about a video in an old paper, they can skip it.
Why practise with past CE1D science papers?
Past papers are published by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles on its education portal, together with their answer key (in French: « corrigé », « correctif » or « guide de correction »). They are the best practice material there is.
Your child gets to know the wording of the instructions, the type of documents used and the real length of the exam. Above all, they learn to manage their time, because a 100-minute block goes by quickly when you get stuck on a graph.
Many sessions are available, including the CE1D science 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 COVID-19 crisis. Start with the most recent papers: they are the closest to the current format.
To save you time, we have gathered the CE1D science 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 science papers for free
How to use a past paper and its answer key
Redoing a paper is not enough. Careful marking is what leads to progress.
1. Recreate exam conditions
Print the paper and have your child do a complete block, timed, without notes or help. Keep a calculator if the exam instructions allow it, and a ruler for graphs.
2. Mark with the official answer key
The answer key gives the expected answers and often shows what earns marks: a unit, a justification, a scientific term. Mark it together, question by question, and note the type of mistake:
- a concept forgotten or confused;
- a graph or table misread;
- a correct conclusion without justification;
- a missing unit or a wrong conversion;
- running out of time at the end of the block.
3. Revise the specific topics
After two or three papers, a pattern emerges. If the mistakes are about concepts, revise the relevant chapter. If they are about reading documents, practise with graphs and experimental procedures. A paper redone a few weeks later shows how far your child has come.
Common mistakes in the CE1D science exam
Year after year, many pupils fall into the same traps:
- answering from general knowledge instead of using the document provided, when the question asks them to interpret the results of the experiment;
- confusing hypothesis and conclusion, or suggesting an experiment in which several factors change at once;
- misreading a graph: axes, units and scale must be checked before answering;
- forgetting units or mixing up grams and kilograms, millilitres and litres;
- giving an answer that is too vague: « it changes » is not enough; pupils need to say what increases or decreases, and why.
When should preparation for the CE1D science exam 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 close the gaps without cramming everything into the revision period.
Revision sheets and online exercises are a good complement, for example to learn vocabulary or review a concept. They do not replace full papers, which alone reproduce the length and sequence of the questions.
The CE1D includes other exams too: read our advice for the French CE1D.
How can you support your child?
Your role is mainly to set a routine and offer reassurance. Plan regular slots for practice papers, praise progress more than marks, and talk about the exam calmly.
If science remains a weak point, targeted support can make the difference before June. Private physics or chemistry lessons help rebuild the basic concepts and the scientific method. At My Sherpa, an educational adviser assesses your child’s needs and chooses the right coach for them. Lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online. Find out more about our support in secondary school.
