scope and assessment

The structure of the FE depends on the qualification. The list of qualifications is published on the website of the Ministry of Education.

The FE in lower vocational education is a practical exam (a product or service with defence).

The FE in secondary vocational education consists of:

• written and oral exams in Slovene or, in ethnically mixed areas, Hungarian or Italian and
• a practical exam (a product or service with defence).

Despite it being called a product or service with defence, the practical exam differs from qualification to qualification. In the practical exam, candidates demonstrate theoretical and practical knowledge and vocational competencies.

Practical exams are administered in accordance with the requirements of the qualification and the exam specification in question and take place in a school or in the workplace. As a rule, candidates who are doing an apprenticeship take the practical exam in their workplace.

The written part of the exam in the mother tongue is supervised by at least two invigilators. The exam is marked by a single examiner. An exam office can appoint a second examiner to mark the written exam. The oral part of the exam in the mother tongue is performed in front of an assessment board. As a rule, the assessor is the teacher who taught the candidate sitting the exam in the final year of schooling.

The product or service section of each practical exam is supervised and assessed by the candidate’s supervisor, while the defence is conducted in front of an assessment board. In the defence, the assessor is the candidate’s supervisor or a teacher from the appropriate subject area. Only the assessors are allowed to put questions to candidates.

The FE is marked in accordance with the assessment criteria as established by exam specifications and based on marking sheets with established assessment criteria.

The final grades for individual exams are determined by assessment boards based on the achieved marks following the oral exam (for mother tongue) and the defence (for the practical exam). The chairs of assessment boards inform candidates about their grades.

Candidates who pass the FE receive a report on the FE and a report card on their achievement. Candidates who obtain the highest available score are awarded a certificate for outstanding achievement. If the candidate fails the FE, they receive a report card on their achievement.

Exemption from sitting exams in the mother tongue

Candidates who sit the FE do not have to sit the exam in the mother tongue if they achieved Grade 5 (Excellent) in the subject in their final year of schooling.