Free Practice Questions for Schleswig-Holstein ESA English

Exam-style questions and explanations by OpenExamPrep.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card

100+ Questions

100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More Schleswig-Holstein ESA

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

Schleswig-Holstein First General School Leaving Certificate (ESA) German

Practice Questions100 questions

Schleswig-Holstein First General School Leaving Certificate (ESA) Mathematics

Practice Questions100 questions

Exam Review

Key Facts: Schleswig-Holstein ESA English Exam

CEFR A2

Target proficiency level for the ESA Anforderungsebene under the Fachanforderungen Englisch

Fachanforderungen Englisch Sekundarstufe I/II, IQSH/MBWFK

105 min

Written Bearbeitungszeit for the ESA Englisch exam (Hörverstehen, Leseverstehen, Schreiben)

Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Erlass MBWFK 14.11.2025 - III 334

30 min

Separate sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (oral): mediation, presentation and paired dialogue

Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Abschnitt 10.3.3

29.04.2026

Written ESA Englisch exam date in the 2025/26 Prüfungsdurchgang; Nachschreibtermin 21.05.2026

Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Termine 2026

1:1

Written and oral parts are weighted equally in the overall Englisch grade

schleswig-holstein.de, Zentrale Abschlüsse ESA/MSA overview

since 2009

Central ESA/MSA examinations have run statewide in Schleswig-Holstein

schleswig-holstein.de, Zentrale Abschlüsse ESA/MSA overview

Free 100-question English-language MCQ study bank for the Schleswig-Holstein ESA Englisch exam, targeting the CEFR A2 level confirmed for the ESA Anforderungsebene and weighted across grammar (~26%), vocabulary (~20%), reading comprehension (~20%), everyday communication (~16%), writing/mediation (~10%) and anglophone culture (~8%). Official exam: 105-minute written part (Listening/Reading/Writing) plus a separate 30-minute paired oral exam (mediation, presentation, dialogue), weighted 1:1; written date 29 April 2026, Nachschreibtermin 21 May 2026, oral windows 18-20 May and 27-29 May 2026. Not an official-format simulation — no audio component and no oral exam reproduced; no fee for regular school candidates.

Sample Schleswig-Holstein ESA English Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Schleswig-Holstein ESA English exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Look! The children ___ football in the garden right now.

A.play

B.plays

C.are playing

D.played

Explanation: The action is happening at the exact moment of speaking, signalled by 'right now', so the present continuous (are + verb-ing) is the correct form.

2My sister usually ___ to school by bike, but today she is walking because it broke.

A.goes

B.go

C.is going

D.went

Explanation: 'Usually' signals a habitual action, so the present simple ('goes', third person singular) is needed to describe the general routine that is contrasted with today's exception.

3We ___ a great time at the beach last weekend.

A.have

B.had

C.has

D.having

Explanation: 'Last weekend' is a clear past-time marker, so the past simple form 'had' is required.

4While I ___ my homework, the phone rang.

A.do

B.did

C.was doing

D.am doing

Explanation: The past continuous ('was doing') describes a longer action in progress in the past that was interrupted by a shorter, completed action ('rang') in the past simple.

5Look at those dark clouds! It ___ rain soon.

A.is going to

B.will

C.is

D.rains

Explanation: 'Going to' is used to predict something based on present evidence you can see now, such as dark clouds, which is exactly the situation here.

6A: 'The phone's ringing.' B: 'I ___ answer it.'

A.am going to

B.will

C.do

D.am

Explanation: 'Will' is used for a decision made at the exact moment of speaking, which is the case here as speaker B reacts instantly to the ringing phone.

7My little brother is only three, so he ___ read yet.

A.can't

B.mustn't

C.doesn't have to

D.shouldn't

Explanation: 'Can't' expresses a lack of ability, which fits a three-year-old who has not yet learned to read.

8All students ___ wear a helmet when they ride a bike to school; it's a safety rule.

A.can

B.must

C.might

D.would

Explanation: 'Must' expresses an obligation or rule that has to be followed, which matches the described safety rule.

9You look tired. You ___ go to bed earlier tonight.

A.must

B.should

C.can

D.need

Explanation: 'Should' is used to give friendly advice or a suggestion, which fits telling a tired friend what might help them.

10This bag is ___ than that one, so I'll buy this one.

A.cheap

B.cheaper

C.the cheapest

D.more cheap

Explanation: 'Cheaper' is the comparative form, correctly used because exactly two bags are being compared with 'than'.

About the Schleswig-Holstein ESA English Exam

Schleswig-Holstein's Erster allgemeinbildender Schulabschluss (ESA) English exam is the central Jahrgangsstufe-9 Abschlussprüfung in Englisch, the erste Fremdsprache, sat alongside central exams in Deutsch and Mathematik under the MBWFK's annual Durchführungsbestimmungen (most recently the Erlass vom 14.11.2025 - III 334 for the 2025/26 Prüfungsdurchgang). Central ESA and MSA exams have run in Schleswig-Holstein since 2009. Content follows the Fachanforderungen Englisch Sekundarstufe I, targeting CEFR A2 for the ESA Anforderungsebene: functional communicative competence (Hör-/Hörsehverstehen, Leseverstehen, Sprechen, Schreiben, Sprachmittlung), Verfügung über sprachliche Mittel (Wortschatz, Grammatik, Aussprache, Orthografie), interkulturelle Kompetenzen and methodische Kompetenzen, built across four compulsory Themenbereiche — Persönliche Lebensgestaltung; Schule, Ausbildung und Beruf; Teilhabe am gesellschaftlichen Leben; and Kultur und Geschichte. The official assessment has two parts: a 105-minute written exam (Hörverstehen, Leseverstehen, Schreiben) and a separate 30-minute sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (mediation, presentation, paired dialogue), weighted equally 1:1 in the overall Englisch mark. This free bank of 100 original multiple-choice questions is an English-language study adaptation covering grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, everyday functional communication, basic writing/mediation skills and elementary anglophone-culture knowledge at the targeted A2 level. It is not a simulation of the official exam: it has no audio Hörverstehen component and does not reproduce the paired oral exam.

Exam sponsor: Ministerium für Allgemeine und Berufliche Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur (MBWFK), Schleswig-Holstein, with exam tasks developed by subject Fachkommissionen and the Fachanforderungen maintained via IQSH. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Official ESA Englisch Abschlussprüfung in Schleswig-Holstein: a 105-minute written part with three Hörverstehen tasks, three Leseverstehen tasks (closed and half-open item formats) and one Schreiben task requiring a connected, cohesive text, plus a separate 30-minute sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (usually a paired Zweierprüfung) covering mündliche Sprachmittlung, a short prepared presentation from a topic list issued at least 14 days in advance, and a paired dialogue at one of two ESA dialogue levels. Listening and Reading are scored in whole-number points per Teilaufgabe on content alone; Schreiben and the oral part are judged on both content and language against the ESA-Niveau A2 descriptors. This 100-question bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation only — it does not reproduce the audio Hörverstehen component or the paired oral exam.

Time Limit

105 minutes for the written part, beginning once procedural questions are clarified, plus a separate 30-minute sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (45 minutes for a rare three-candidate Dreierprüfung). For the 2025/26 Prüfungsdurchgang: written exam 29 April 2026, state-wide Nachschreibtermin 21 May 2026, and sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil in one of two school-chosen windows, 18-20 May 2026 or 27-29 May 2026.

Passing Score

Graded on the German 1-6 scale (1 = sehr gut, 6 = ungenügend; whole grades only, no +/- marks). Written Hörverstehen and Leseverstehen are scored in whole-number points per Teilaufgabe purely on content accuracy; the Schreiben task allows half points and is judged on content and language (sprachliche Mittel, Wortschatz, Grammatik, Orthografie); the oral sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (worth an equal 1:1 share of the overall Englisch mark) is judged the same way. All language performance is benchmarked against the ESA-Niveau A2 descriptors of the GeR. To be awarded the ESA overall, final grades must include no more than one grade worse than 'ausreichend' and none 'ungenügend', with a permitted 3.0-average offset within the Deutsch/Mathematik/Englisch subject group.

Exam / Certification Fees

No exam fee for regularly enrolled school candidates; the ESA is a state school-leaving qualification administered by the MBWFK as part of compulsory schooling. Externenprüfungen follow separate school-administered rules and no Englisch-specific external fee is published in the sources reviewed.

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

Study emphasis ~26%

Grammar and Sentence Structures (Verfügung über sprachliche Mittel)

Present/past tenses, future forms, modal verbs, comparatives/superlatives, prepositions, articles, pronouns, connectors, present perfect, passive voice and first conditional at A2 level.

Study emphasis ~20%

Vocabulary in Context (Wortschatz)

Topic vocabulary from the four compulsory Themenbereiche: family, school, hobbies, jobs, town and country, transport, environment, technology, food and feelings.

Study emphasis ~20%

Reading Comprehension (Leseverstehen)

Short everyday texts — emails, notices, adverts, articles, personal letters, brochures — testing specific-detail and main-idea comprehension.

Study emphasis ~16%

Everyday Communication (mündliche Kompetenz)

Functional language for requests, directions, phone calls, opinions, agreement/disagreement, invitations, shopping and small talk, mapped to the Sprechen competencies tested orally.

Study emphasis ~10%

Writing and Mediation (Schreiben und Sprachmittlung)

Study emphasis ~8%

Anglophone Culture (interkulturelle Kompetenzen)

Elementary sociocultural facts about the UK, US, Canada and Australia woven through the Kultur-und-Geschichte Themenbereich.

Preparing for the Schleswig-Holstein ESA English Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Graded on the German 1-6 scale (1 = sehr gut, 6 = ungenügend; whole grades only, no +/- marks). Written Hörverstehen and Leseverstehen are scored in whole-number points per Teilaufgabe purely on content accuracy; the Schreiben task allows half points and is judged on content and language (sprachliche Mittel, Wortschatz, Grammatik, Orthografie); the oral sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (worth an equal 1:1 share of the overall Englisch mark) is judged the same way. All language performance is benchmarked against the ESA-Niveau A2 descriptors of the GeR. To be awarded the ESA overall, final grades must include no more than one grade worse than 'ausreichend' and none 'ungenügend', with a permitted 3.0-average offset within the Deutsch/Mathematik/Englisch subject group.
Assessment: Official ESA Englisch Abschlussprüfung in Schleswig-Holstein: a 105-minute written part with three Hörverstehen tasks, three Leseverstehen tasks (closed and half-open item formats) and one Schreiben task requiring a connected, cohesive text, plus a separate 30-minute sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (usually a paired Zweierprüfung) covering mündliche Sprachmittlung, a short prepared presentation from a topic list issued at least 14 days in advance, and a paired dialogue at one of two ESA dialogue levels. Listening and Reading are scored in whole-number points per Teilaufgabe on content alone; Schreiben and the oral part are judged on both content and language against the ESA-Niveau A2 descriptors. This 100-question bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation only — it does not reproduce the audio Hörverstehen component or the paired oral exam.
Time limit: 105 minutes for the written part, beginning once procedural questions are clarified, plus a separate 30-minute sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (45 minutes for a rare three-candidate Dreierprüfung). For the 2025/26 Prüfungsdurchgang: written exam 29 April 2026, state-wide Nachschreibtermin 21 May 2026, and sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil in one of two school-chosen windows, 18-20 May 2026 or 27-29 May 2026.
Exam / certification fees: No exam fee for regularly enrolled school candidates; the ESA is a state school-leaving qualification administered by the MBWFK as part of compulsory schooling. Externenprüfungen follow separate school-administered rules and no Englisch-specific external fee is published in the sources reviewed. Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Schleswig-Holstein ESA English: Suggested Study Strategy

1Drill the core A2 tenses (present simple/continuous, past simple/continuous, present perfect, and the going-to/will future forms) until choosing the right one is automatic — grammar accuracy is graded directly in the Schreiben task.

2Build topic vocabulary around the four compulsory Themenbereiche (personal life, school and careers, community life, culture) rather than random word lists, since exam texts and tasks are drawn from exactly these areas.

3Practise reading short, real-world text types — emails, adverts, notices, brochures, simple articles — and focus on picking out specific details and the main idea quickly, the two skills the official Leseverstehen tasks reward most.

4Learn functional phrases for everyday situations (making requests, giving directions, agreeing and disagreeing, shopping, phone calls) since these map directly onto the paired sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil, even though this bank tests them in written form.

5Rehearse basic English-German Sprachmittlung both ways with short everyday sentences, since mündliche Sprachmittlung is one of three graded parts of the oral exam.

6Since Listening and Reading are marked purely on content while Schreiben is marked on both content and language, make sure your writing practice pays as much attention to grammar and spelling accuracy as to getting your message across.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the official ESA Englisch exam multiple-choice?

No. The official exam has a 105-minute written part (three Hörverstehen tasks, three Leseverstehen tasks, and one Schreiben task) plus a separate 30-minute sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (mediation, a prepared presentation and a paired dialogue), weighted equally. This bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation for practising the underlying grammar, vocabulary, reading and communication skills, not a simulation of the official mixed written/oral format.

What CEFR level does the ESA target in English?

The Fachanforderungen Englisch set CEFR A2 as the standard Anforderungsebene for the ESA, compared with B1 for the Mittlerer Schulabschluss and B1+ for transition into the gymnasiale Oberstufe. This bank is written and calibrated to that A2 level.

Why are the questions in English when the exam is taken in a German school?

This bank is an English-language study aid for building the grammar, vocabulary and communication skills tested in the ESA Englisch exam itself, which is conducted in English. It is not a translation of the exam into German and does not replace practising in English.

Does this bank include the listening (Hörverstehen) exam?

No. The official written part includes three audio-based Hörverstehen tasks, but this MCQ bank has no audio component. Listening-style comprehension is instead practised through short written dialogues and scripts, alongside dedicated reading, grammar and vocabulary items.

How is the ESA Englisch grade combined with the oral exam?

The written part and the separate 30-minute sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil (mediation, presentation, and paired dialogue) are weighted equally 1:1 to produce the overall Englisch grade, reported on the German 1-6 scale.

When is the ESA Englisch exam held in 2026?

Per the Durchführungsbestimmungen (Erlass vom 14.11.2025), the written exam is scheduled for 29 April 2026, with a state-wide Nachschreibtermin on 21 May 2026. The oral sprachpraktischer Prüfungsteil runs in one of two school-chosen windows: 18-20 May 2026 or 27-29 May 2026.

Is there an exam fee?

No. The ESA is a state school-leaving qualification within compulsory schooling in Schleswig-Holstein, and regularly enrolled candidates pay no fee. Externenprüfungen are handled separately by individual schools under state rules.