ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author describes and compares sociocultural ideas relating to the Polish language matura and the French baccalauréat between 1946 and the present. According to Bourdieu, native language examinations can be treated as the main device for assessing the political, cultural, and ethical formations of the examinee. Although in the case of both the Polish and French final secondary school native language examination, there is a long-form essay, different political and cultural contexts are reflected in the topics and organization of the examinations. The author highlights these differences in the context of the little-known history of examination systems in Poland since the twelfth century by indicating the three main sources that have contributed to the creation of these systems: namely, the Catholic Church, the university sector, and the school system. Special attention is paid to issues surrounding examinees’ and examiners’ ability in relation to overt and covert ways in which the Polish language matura and the French baccalauréat examinations were conducted over many years.
