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A2 Greek exam in Cyprus: format and how to prepare

Updated

The A2 Greek language certificate exam tests four skills: reading, listening, writing and speaking. The part people worry about most is speaking: you talk in a pair, and the examiners speak fast.

This page is about the Greek language certificate at A2 level, taken in Cyprus. It is not the Greek citizenship (naturalisation) test in Greece: that is a different exam in a different country. Here you’ll find what candidates share in Cyprus chat groups and what the official pages don’t tell you: how the speaking test goes, and where people slip in writing and listening. This is people’s experience, not the official rules. For dates and conditions, see the exam website.

Who runs it and when

The exam is run by the Centre for the Greek Language (Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, ΚΕΓ) in Thessaloniki, and it is held in Cyprus too. It usually takes place once a year, in mid-May. You apply roughly in February–March, and the exact dates are published at the start of the academic year on greek-language.gr/certification.

The University of Cyprus runs its own sessions in the same format (candidates mention January and September). People who took it say the listening there is harder and the writing is marked more strictly.

Which level you need for permanent residence or citizenship depends on the programme and changes over time: check with the authority that handles your application.

The four skills

Skill What you do
Reading Short texts with tasks: notices, letters, timetables
Listening Recordings with questions about them
Writing Two tasks: a letter to a friend (12 points) and a formal text, such as a complaint or a notice (13 points)
Speaking Three parts, in a pair with another candidate, 12–15 minutes

For the marking rules and the pass mark, see the official exam website: it is worth preparing for all four skills.

The speaking test

It goes in this order:

  1. Questions about yourself. Where you’re from, where you live, what you do, why you’re learning Greek. If your answer is short, you get more questions. More: Questions about yourself in the speaking test.
  2. A picture. You describe the people in a picture, then answer questions that bring the topic round to you: “Do you often go to the doctor?” Past candidates advise sticking to a plan: who they are and how many, where they are, what they’re doing, what they’re wearing, “I think that…”, and then the topic moves on to you.
  3. A dialogue in pairs. Each of you gets a card with role A or B: for example, phoning a shop about a broken appliance, losing a bag, or moving a hairdresser’s appointment. Greek has two ways to say “you”: an informal one and a polite one. With a colleague or a friend you use the informal “you”, with a shop assistant or a police officer the polite one.

The examiners speak fast, so the key skill here is not knowing everything but keeping hold of the conversation: being able to ask them to repeat. Phrases and tips: How to ask the examiner to repeat.

Dos and don’ts, according to past candidates

These are not the official regulations: before the exam, check what the exam centre tells you.

Writing

Past candidates describe the criteria the same way: answer every point in the task and show three tenses. If everything is in the present tense, it counts as a fail. The odd mistake is fine.

What lets people down most is time (they manage only 40–60 words) and the opening and closing of the formal letter: the greeting and the sign-off.

Reading and listening: where people slip

Materials repeat from past years, so it pays to work through the familiar task types in advance. The usual traps are:

Where to start

Start with the speaking test: it raises the most questions, and it is the easiest part to prepare for in advance.

If you can’t read Greek yet, start with the alphabet: it is the base for both the speaking and the written parts.