Free Practice Questions for Estonian Basic-School English Exam

About the Estonian Basic-School English Exam Exam

The Estonian Basic-School Final Examination in English (põhikooli inglise keele valikeksam, B1 tase) is the national Grade 9 elective exam that Haridus- ja Noorteamet (Harno) administers each spring as one of nine valikeksam (elective) choices students separately pick from - alongside Vene keel ja kirjandus, Bioloogia, Keemia, Füüsika, Geograafia, Ajalugu, Ühiskonnaõpetus and Vene keel võõrkeelena (B1) - on top of the two exams every graduate must sit regardless of choice: an Estonian-language exam (Eesti keel or Eesti keel teise keelena) and Matemaatika. English is consistently the most popular of the nine elective choices by a wide margin - 9,663 students registered for it in spring 2025, more than ten times the 704 who chose Vene keel võõrkeelena - largely because most Grade 9 students already have substantial daily exposure to English outside the classroom, making it feel like a lighter lift than the science or history alternatives. The exam tests B1 CEFR-level competence across kuulamine (listening), lugemine (reading), kirjutamine (writing) and rääkimine (speaking): a single written paper of about 135 minutes combines a roughly 30-minute listening section with recorded audio and about 105 minutes for reading and writing tasks, while a separately scheduled 15-minute speaking component built around picture description and role-play is assessed individually across the following days. Scoring runs on a 0-100 point scale, and roughly 50 points are needed for the exam to count toward graduation - unlike the Eesti keel teise keelena exam in the same exam family, passing this elective does not additionally confer any separate nationally recognised language certificate. As of the 2025/2026 exam year the paper is still hand-marked on physical answer sheets, and Harno's own commentary on marking disputes confirms that non-standard answer marks (an X instead of a checkmark, for example) can cost real points under current rules; starting in 2026/2027 this exam is scheduled to become one of Estonia's first fully digital basic-school e-exams, which is expected to reduce exactly that kind of marking dispute. This free bank of 100 original multiple-choice questions is an English-language study adaptation covering the grammar, everyday vocabulary, reading, listening-judgement, writing-register and exam-format knowledge the valikeksam draws on. It is not a simulation of the official exam, which requires a timed listening recording, an extended written response and an interactive picture-description/role-play speaking component.

Exam sponsor: Haridus- ja Noorteamet (Harno) - the Estonian Education and Youth Board, under the Haridus- ja Teadusministeerium (Ministry of Education and Research). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

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.