Good news for students willing grade 10 ex officio in foreign language baccalaureate exam: Moldovan Education Ministry updates methodology

Candidates for the baccalaureate who want to get grade of “10” ex officio in the foreign language baccalaureate exam will benefit from more facilities. This will be possible after the Education and Research Ministry (MEC) and the National Agency for Curriculum and Assessment (ANCE) updated the methodology for awarding the grade “10” ex officio.

Thus, starting with the 2026 baccalaureate session, certificates or diplomas got following modular examinations or more testing sessions will also be accepted, provided that they are for the same type of exam and are combined in a single document, officially issued by the organizing institution.

At the same time, the list of recognized exams forgiving the grade of “10” ex officio in English has been extended by including the Oxford Test of English and Oxford Test of English Advanced.

Candidates who, at the time of submitting their file, do not have the original certificate or diploma will be able to submit their file based on a copy of the electronic version of the document.

In addition, starting with the 2027 baccalaureate session, candidates who will take international language proficiency certification exams starting from 1 September 2026 will have to get a minimum level or score not only overall, but also separately for the writing and reading skills – skills that are also assessed at the national baccalaureate exam.

“Through these updates, the methodology aims to provide real benefits to students, to recognize the efforts and achievements obtained in diverse educational contexts and, at the same time, to maintain high standards for assessing the language skills required for completing upper secondary education,” said ANCE director Lilia Ivanov.

According to statistics data, at the 2025 baccalaureate session, a record number of 3,138 baccalaureate candidates received grade of “10” ex officio at the foreign language exam. This practice was introduced in 2015, when 229 pupils were awarded a grade of 10 at the foreign language exam on the basis of certificates attesting their language skills.