A sample letter for the B1 exam – a learner's text with commentary
On this page we show a sample formal email at B1 level – based on a task we wrote ourselves – in the version a learner might write before the exam, together with a commentary by the four areas of assessment: carrying out the task, coherence, range and linguistic accuracy. The text is understandable, but it omits one point of the task, mixes formal and informal style and has a dozen or so mistakes in cases, aspect and spelling. At the end you will find a corrected version to study. You can have your own text assessed by a teacher at a mock exam.
The task
The task was prepared by the Pol-Langua editorial team on the basis of the forms of expression in the requirements for the B1 level – it is not an instruction from a State Commission paper. You will find the general rules in our guide to writing in the B1 exam, and a description of the whole exam in the guide to the B1 exam.
Polecenie: Wynajmujesz mieszkanie. Od tygodnia nie działa w nim pralka. Napisz e-mail do właściciela mieszkania, pana Nowaka. W e-mailu: (Task: you are renting a flat. The washing machine in it has not worked for a week. Write an email to the owner of the flat, Mr Nowak. In the email:)
- opisz, co się dzieje z pralką; (describe what is wrong with the washing machine;)
- napisz, od kiedy jest problem i co już zrobiłeś / zrobiłaś; (say since when there has been a problem and what you have already done;)
- zaproponuj termin wizyty fachowca; (suggest a date for a visit from a repairman;)
- poproś o odpowiedź i napisz, jak można się z Tobą skontaktować. (ask for a reply and say how you can be contacted.)
The learner's text
We wrote the text below to resemble typical learners' work at a level close to B1 – with the mistakes that recur most often in teaching practice.
Dzień dobry Pan Nowak,
Piszę do pana bo mam problem z pralka w mieszkaniu. Pralka nie działa od tygodnia. Kiedy ja włączam pralkę, ona robi bardzo duży hałas i potem stop. Potem jest woda na podłoga w łazience.
Ja próbowałem zrobić coś sam, ja wyczyściłem filtr, ale to nie pomógł. To jest duży problem, bo my mamy małe dziecko i dużo prania. Teraz ja muszę chodzić do pralni na inna ulica i to kosztuje dużo pieniądze.
Czy może pan przysyłać fachowca? Ja jestem w domu w poniedziałek i w środę po 17.
Cześć,
Andrij
Commentary by criteria
We assess the text descriptively, in the four areas that are taken into account when assessing a written response. We do not award points – the official scoring is applied by the examination board according to the criteria of the State Commission.
| Area | What is good | What lowers the score |
|---|---|---|
| Carrying out the task | a description of the problem, how long it has lasted, an attempted repair, a suggested date | no request for a reply and no contact details (point 4); the date is unclear – we do not know which Monday; the greeting and the sign-off do not suit a formal email |
| Coherence | a logical division into paragraphs: problem – attempted repair – request | potem twice in a row, a broken-off sentence i potem stop, no linking expressions between paragraphs |
| Range of language | apt words filtr, fachowiec, pralnia | poor vocabulary and repetitions (problem, pralka, ja); only simple sentences with bo and i |
| Accuracy | the correct past tense (próbowałem, wyczyściłem) and the word order of most sentences | mistakes in the instrumental, locative and genitive, in gender and aspect; no comma before bo; a small letter in the form Pan |
Summary: this is a typical text by a learner just below B1 level. The owner of the flat will understand what has happened and what you expect from him – communication has succeeded. What costs the most, however, is the omitted point of the task and the inconsistent style, and only in second place the grammatical mistakes. Each of these problems can be removed with a specific habit, described below.
Mistakes and corrections
Below is each mistake from the learner's text, the correct form and a short rule. Note that most of the mistakes concern case endings – this is the most common reason for losing points for accuracy.
| Learner's text | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dzień dobry Pan Nowak, | Szanowny Panie, | when addressing someone, we use the vocative (Panie, not Pan); in a formal email we do not add the surname to the opening phrase |
| Piszę do pana bo… | Piszę do Pana, ponieważ… | the polite form with a capital letter; a comma before bo / ponieważ; ponieważ sounds more official |
| problem z pralka | problem z pralką | z meaning "with something" requires the instrumental |
| ona robi bardzo duży hałas i potem stop | bardzo głośno hałasuje, a potem się wyłącza | stop is not a verb; the sentence has to be finished with a Polish verb |
| woda na podłoga | woda na podłodze | na + place = locative; the alternation g : dz |
| to nie pomógł | to nie pomogło | to is neuter, so the verb is too |
| Ja próbowałem…, ja wyczyściłem… | Próbowałem…, wyczyściłem… | the verb ending already shows the person; repeating ja sounds unnatural |
| do pralni na inna ulica | do pralni na innej ulicy | where is the launderette? – locative |
| kosztuje dużo pieniądze | kosztuje dużo pieniędzy | after dużo, mało, trochę – genitive |
| Czy może pan przysyłać fachowca? | Czy mógłby Pan przysłać fachowca? | one visit = perfective aspect; the conditional mood is more polite |
| w poniedziałek i w środę po 17 | w poniedziałki i środy po godzinie 17.00 | a precise date and a full way of writing the time |
| Cześć, Andrij | Z poważaniem + first name and surname | Cześć is informal; after Z poważaniem we do not put a comma |
The corrected version
The version below carries out all four points of the task, keeps a formal style and uses constructions typical of the B1 level: the conditional mood, complex sentences and linking expressions. It is not an "ideal text for C1" – it is a model that a learner at B1 is able to write on their own.
Szanowny Panie,
piszę w sprawie pralki w mieszkaniu przy ulicy Słonecznej, które od Pana wynajmuję. Od tygodnia pralka nie działa prawidłowo: po włączeniu bardzo głośno hałasuje, a po kilku minutach się wyłącza. Na podłodze w łazience zostaje wtedy woda.
Próbowałem rozwiązać problem samodzielnie – wyczyściłem filtr i sprawdziłem wąż odpływowy, ale to nie pomogło. Sytuacja jest dla nas dość uciążliwa, ponieważ mamy małe dziecko i dużo prania. Obecnie korzystamy z pralni samoobsługowej na sąsiedniej ulicy, co zajmuje sporo czasu i dużo kosztuje.
Czy mógłby Pan przysłać fachowca? Jestem w domu w poniedziałki i środy po godzinie 17.00, a w soboty przez cały dzień. Jeśli żaden z tych terminów Panu nie odpowiada, chętnie dostosuję się do innego.
Bardzo proszę o odpowiedź e-mailem albo SMS-em na numer, który ma Pan w umowie najmu.
Z poważaniem
Andrij Kowalenko
What changed in the corrected version
The corrected version is better not because it is longer, but because in each area of assessment a few specific things have changed.
- Carrying out the task: point 4 added (a request for a reply and a way of making contact), precise dates, a consistent formal style from the opening phrase to the signature.
- Coherence: linking expressions (wtedy, ale, ponieważ, co, jeśli), a colon introducing the description of the problem, one topic in one paragraph.
- Range: topic words (wąż odpływowy, pralnia samoobsługowa, umowa najmu) and replacing repetitions with synonyms (problem → sytuacja, uciążliwa).
- Accuracy: case endings, the perfective aspect in the request, a capital letter in Pan, commas before ponieważ and które.
An exam habit: before you hand in your work, read the task once more and tick off each point in your text. This is the quickest way not to lose points for carrying out the task.
How to use this example
You will benefit most if you first write the email yourself according to the task, and only then compare it with the commentary. Check your text in the same order: the points of the task, style, linking words, endings. You will find vocabulary related to housing and tenancy agreements in the guide to renting a flat in Polish, and more models of letters in our guide to formal letters.
You usually cannot see your own mistakes – so it is worth having your text assessed by a teacher. You get such an assessment by the same areas at a mock exam and on the writing course. If you are not sure where to start, book a trial lesson with a level diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
Why is "Dzień dobry Pan Nowak" a mistake?
When addressing someone, we use the vocative: Panie, not Pan. In a formal email we also do not add the surname – Szanowny Panie, or a neutral Dzień dobry, is enough.
How long should a letter in the B1 exam be?
The length is always given in the instructions on the exam paper. Our corrected version is a model of content and style, not a norm for length – in the exam, fit your text to the limit in the task.
Can I write in simple sentences in a letter so as not to make mistakes?
Simple sentences are safe, but a text made up only of them does poorly on range of language. Add a few complex sentences with conjunctions you know well, e.g. ponieważ, jeśli, który.
Sources
- Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 14 February 2025 on exams in Polish as a foreign language (Rozporządzenie w sprawie egzaminów z języka polskiego jako obcego), Dz.U. 2025 item 217 – § 8(4), Annex 1 (B1 level, writing – forms of expression, spelling and punctuation)
A full online B1 exam. A teacher marks your writing and speaking against the State Commission's criteria, and you get a report with recommendations.
See also
- Formal letter and e-mailLetter layout, polite phrases, punctuation and two ready examples.Read →
- Writing courseYou write, the teacher corrects with comments, you write a second version – until the mistakes stop coming back.from 99 PLN / lessonRead →
- B1 mock examA full timed B1 exam, then the teacher marks your writing and speaking and gives a report on what to improve.199 PLNRead →