How to prepare for the Greek citizenship exam: working on the essay

The Greek citizenship exam is an important stage, which candidates approach after months, and sometimes years, of preparation. It includes testing knowledge of the country’s history, culture, politics, and geography, as well as demonstrating proficiency in the Greek language. One of the key elements of the exam is the written part, and within it, the third section is the essay.

The maximum score for the essay is 12 points. It tests the candidate’s ability to formulate thoughts in Greek, to construct a coherent and grammatically correct text, to observe spelling rules, and at the same time to stay within the framework of the given topic. For successfully passing the exam, it is extremely important not to underestimate this section: it often becomes the stumbling block for many candidates.

Tasks of the written part

When writing an essay, it is required:

• to correctly understand the topic,
• to formulate an idea and develop it logically,
• to build the structure of the text, fully revealing the topic,
• to demonstrate literacy (grammar, spelling),
• to observe the genre format: friendly letter, official request, essay, etc.
  
  

For many candidates, the written part and especially the essay cause difficulties. The reasons are different: limited vocabulary, nervousness, fear of spelling mistakes, or lack of skills in structuring a text. All this can be compensated through systematic preparation.

The importance of preparation

Many focus exclusively on test questions about history, culture, and politics, leaving the essay “for later.” But teachers’ experience shows that it is regular work with writing tasks that allows one to feel confident during the exam.

Therefore, it is recommended:

• to practice all essay formats in advance,
• to write as many training texts as possible,
• to learn a set of universal phrases for each format,
• to work out spelling and grammar beforehand at levels B1–B2.

Repeated practice allows you not to get lost in a stressful situation and to find the right words more quickly.

Working with the draft

During the exam, all written tasks are filled out with a pen, and a draft sheet is provided, which is extremely important to use correctly. The draft is a tool that allows you:

• to compose a mini-plan,
• to write down key words,
• to test several options for developing the topic,
• to structure your thoughts before transferring them to the final version.

A good strategy is to spend about 10 minutes on the draft. Even a simple plan of three points (“what I see,” “what I feel,” “what I advise”) helps to avoid confusion.

And now let us examine the essay formats that appear in the exam materials.

Essay formats

The writing tasks are divided into several types:

1. Essay (argumentative text). It is required to express an opinion, argue it, and formulate a conclusion. Example topic: “Why is it important to do sports?”
   
   
2. Letter to a friend. The style is less formal, emotions, personal impressions, and a friendly tone are allowed. Example: “Describe your impressions from a trip to a Greek city or island.”
   
   
3. Letter to the editor / newspaper article. Here formality and a clear presentation of a position on a socially significant issue are important.
   
   
4. Complaint or official request. This format requires politeness, respectful forms of address, the use of set phrases, and logical argumentation.

The difference in styles is an important point in preparation. One and the same set of phrases will not be suitable for all formats, therefore it is recommended to prepare separate templates for each.

Volume and structure of the text

The required volume of the essay is from 80 to 100 words, which is approximately 10–12 lines of handwritten text. Despite the modest volume, within these limits the examiners expect to see a coherent and complete text.

The optimal structure:

• Introduction (greeting, stating the topic).
• Main part (arguments, impressions, description).
• Conclusion (summary or wish).

It is important to ensure logical transitions and the completeness of the text.

Topics: what you will have to work with

The exam program provides 100 essay topics, which are publicly available. They can be downloaded from the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece for preparation.

Approximately 60 of them will be related to a text that is offered for reading before writing the essay. This makes the task easier: part of the vocabulary can be borrowed directly from the text.

About 40 topics are not directly related to a text. These will require greater involvement and independence.

Examples of such topics:

• Why you decided to study the Greek language.
• Why you loved Greece and chose it for your life.
• Your impressions from visiting an archaeological museum.
• A story about the traditions of your country or Greek customs.
• A letter to a friend about summer holidays.
• Describe your impressions from attending a sports match.
  
  

When we talk about preparing for the essay in the Greek language exam, it is important to understand that the range of possible topics is unusually wide and covers many different spheres of life. It can be a task of a more academic character — for example, to write an essay about an outstanding personality of Greece or Russia, or to describe a building that made a strong impression on you.

Sometimes examiners may suggest turning to creative imagination: inventing a fairy tale for a contest, retelling the story of some fairy-tale hero, choosing a Greek or foreign legend, describing a wedding and the customs of your country, or telling about a Greek tradition that you especially like.

No less interesting are more personal topics: memories of a childhood adventure with friends, describing a funny story that still makes you smile, or reflections on serious life questions — for example, about proper nutrition and its role in our life, or about the importance of charity.

Alongside these, tasks often appear in the form of a letter to a friend: to share impressions from a two-day holiday in Greece, from visiting a Greek island or an archaeological museum, to describe emotions after a sports match, to talk about a landmark of your country, about a city in Greece where you live, or even to convey the atmosphere of a Greek restaurant. An important part of preparation is also practical skills: being able to compose a request about a sports section or an apartment for rent, to write an official letter to the mayor’s office with a complaint about parked cars, and to draft a newspaper article about a road accident in your area.

Preparation for these topics presupposes the creation of your own text templates, so that in a stressful situation you can rely on ready material.

Universal phrases

It is useful to learn universal expressions in advance that are suitable for different formats and to create several essay templates.

Set phrases for a letter to a friend

Phrases for an official letter or complaint

Please note that any “essay-letter” is signed by the candidate with an invented name, since it is important to preserve the anonymity of the works for their independent evaluation. Having a “bank” of ready-made phrases will allow you not to waste time thinking over wording and to focus on spelling and revealing the topic.

How to allocate time

Up to 150 minutes are allocated for the written part of the exam. Depending on how quickly you complete the test tasks of the first section, you may have 60–90 minutes left for writing the essay.

Rational time allocation:

• 40 minutes — test tasks,
• 40 minutes — reading the text and its questions,
• 40 minutes — working on the essay,
• 30 minutes — rewriting the finished essay onto the final copy,

the last 5 minutes are recommended to be left for a final check of the text before handing it in.

What examiners pay attention to

Here is what will be checked:

• The format of the essay. It must be оформлено (structured) according to the required format: if it is a letter to a friend, it must begin with a greeting and end with a signature.
  
  
• Spelling and grammar. Mistakes affect the score, so it is worth reviewing accents, endings, declensions, and conjugations. It is better to write a little more simply but without mistakes.
  
  
• Coherence of the text. Examiners want to see a logical narrative, not a set of unrelated sentences. For this it is useful to use “linking words”: από τη μία πλευρά (on the one hand), επιπλέον (in addition), τέλος (in conclusion).
  
  
• Correspondence to the topic. Even if your vocabulary is limited, it is important to remain within the framework of the given topic.
  
  
• Lexical diversity. Strict correspondence to some level in terms of vocabulary is not required. The main thing is to write correctly. Do not forget: simplicity and clarity are more important than complex constructions where it is easy to make mistakes.
  
  
• Neatness. The fewer corrections you make on the final version, the better.
  
  

For comfortable preparation it is useful to have a level of Greek not lower than B1, because at this level the main grammar has already been covered and learned, and the student is already familiar with essay templates and knows how to express their opinion.

If your level is below the recommended, you will need more time to prepare for the exam, in order to thoroughly work through all 100 language topics: to write essays in a notebook several times and, possibly, to memorize in advance the prepared templates.

It is important to remember: examiners do not expect literary works. Their task is to make sure that the candidate is able to express thoughts in Greek in written form.

The psychological aspect

The essay as part of the exam is not only a test of language knowledge, but also a test of the ability to remain calm under conditions of limited time and high responsibility. Very often candidates face a situation when thoughts seem to “freeze,” while time goes on.

What to do if your mind goes blank?

• First, rewrite the topic in your own words — this will create a reference point and help to start the thought process.
  
  
• Recall the universal phrases and begin to write the introduction and conclusion using a memorized template — this way you will at least start the text, and then it will be easier.
  
  
• Write 2–3 simple sentences expressing your attitude to the topic. Let them be elementary, but correct: this is enough to “unwind” the thought.
  
  
• Do not strive for complex expressions — simplicity and correctness are always more important than the risk of making mistakes. Even the most basic sentence, for example: “Μου αρέσει πολύ η πόλη μου γιατί έχει πάρκα και πλατείες” (“I like my city very much because it has parks and squares”) can become a good beginning, from which it is easy to develop a more detailed text.

To avoid being caught off guard by such situations, it is useful to include special exercises in your preparation.

Here are some practical techniques:

• Writing with a timer. Regularly practice writing mini-essays or letters within a strictly limited time (for example, 20 minutes). This helps to get used to working under pressure.
  
  
• Rewriting the topic and text in your own words. This skill is immediately activated in the exam and helps to “warm up” your thoughts.
  
  
• Imitating stress. Try writing under distracting conditions: with a timer, in a noisy place. This makes the training closer to the reality of the exam and reduces the surprise effect.
  
  
• Mini-plans in 5 minutes. Practice quickly composing a text plan (3–4 points) and immediately writing based on it. Over time, this becomes an automatic skill that saves valuable minutes.
  
  
• Do not be lazy to work through as many topics as possible in advance. It is much easier to “recall” an already prepared text than to compose it for the first time in the exam conditions.

And here we again return to the role of systematic preparation. In order for the exam not to be perceived as a threat but merely as a stage, it is important not to limit yourself exclusively to independent efforts. Sometimes the support of an experienced teacher is necessary, who will help to see weaknesses, suggest a strategy, and teach you to apply all techniques in practice.

At the online school Skype-Language.com you can take Greek lessons, where together with a teacher you will be able to strengthen your knowledge of grammar and spelling, practice writing essays on various exam topics, and practice universal phrases for different text formats.

In lessons you will also learn how to make a plan, confidently write both official and friendly letters. Each work is analyzed in detail, with recommendations that will help to avoid mistakes in the future. The format of the lessons is online, so you will be able to study at a convenient time, without unnecessary restrictions.

Preparation for the exam is a process that requires system and support. And with a professional teacher it is always easier, more reliable, and more effective.

Conclusion

Preparation for the essay as part of the Greek citizenship exam requires a comprehensive approach. It is necessary:

• to familiarize yourself with the topics in advance,
• to study essay formats,
• to compile and learn a set of universal phrases,
• to regularly write training texts based on templates,
• to plan time and use the draft,
• to remain calm and believe in success.

Proper preparation allows you to turn the exam not into a stressful situation, but into an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, your attitude to the Greek language and culture, as well as your readiness to become a full-fledged citizen of Greece.

We wish everyone success in passing the exam!