The2026 upper secondary school-leaving exam reformintroduces an operational change that directly impacts instructional design: theupper secondary oral examfocuses on 4 subjects, with the selection communicated by the Ministry in January. For teachers, this means rethinking timing, assessments, and criteria, while keeping the educational horizon in view: skills, connections, argumentative autonomy. In this article you’ll find practical guidance, replicable within departments and class councils, and a focus on how AI can support simulations and feedback without replacing the educational relationship.
. Share it before the tests: it increases the perception of fairness and guides studying.
2) Question bank by levels. Organize the questions into three bands:basic(definitions, essential steps),intermediate(applications, examples, comparisons),
(problematization, limits, scenarios). This way you can differentiate without lowering the bar: every student knows what it takes to “level up.”
3) Micro-oral routines (5–7 minutes). In rotation, two students: one presents, the other asks one clarification question and one follow-up question. The teacher observes with the rubric and gives feedback in two moves:a strength+a next step(with an operational indication: “add an example,” “make the thesis explicit,” “define the terms”).3) communicate to students and families4) Managing anxiety and performance. Include micro-techniques: 30 seconds of planning (a 3-point outline), the right to have the question rephrased, and an allowed “strategic pause.” Anxiety drops when the environment is predictable and assessment is readable.new 2026 curriculum guidelinesHow to adapt when the 4 subjects are communicated in January? From September, plan a common “core” (key topics and oral skills) and keep a realignment window (2–3 weeks) to intensify simulations on the selected disciplines. If the question bank is already structured by levels, updating is quick: you expand the section for priority subjects without throwing away the work done.
Teaching impact: redesign preparation without “teaching to the test”
AI oral exam simulationcan lighten workload and inequalities, if used with clear criteria.StudierAI(who we are) can become an operational support forStudierAI upper secondary examin two directions: oral practice and consolidation with adaptive quizzes.becomes a consolidation pathway that remains valid even if the ministerial selection does not match initial expectations.
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- “Constraint-based explanation”: 2 minutes to define a key concept, 1 example, 1 connection, 1 limit or exception. Great for training precision and time control.
- Short authentic tasks: analysis of a source, commentary on a problem, guided reading of a document, with structured oral delivery (thesis–evidence–conclusion).
- “Bridge” interdisciplinarity: a single bridge question between two disciplines (e.g., method, language, model), assessed more on relevance than on the quantity of references.
On the assessment side, consistency is everything. A department-shared rubric reduces conflicts and the perception of arbitrariness. Recommended criteria:disciplinary accuracy,organization of the discourse,use of examples and evidence,handling questions(clarifications, rephrasings), andmetacognition(awareness of strengths and gaps). This framework is fully compatible with the new guidelines and makes it easier to “plug in” the 4 subjects when they become known.
Practical strategies to train for the oral exam (rubrics, questions, simulations)
To make training sustainable, short and frequent routines work well. A “package” proposal for the class (adaptable to any subject) includes: a single rubric, a graded question bank, micro-orals, and formative feedback.
1) Essential rubric (4 levels). Suggestion: 4 criteria × 4 levels, observable descriptors. Example criteria:content,argumentation,language,interaction. Share it before the tests: it increases the perception of fairness and guides studying.
2) Question bank by levels. Organize the questions into three bands:basic(definitions, essential steps),intermediate(applications, examples, comparisons),advanced(problematization, limits, scenarios). This way you can differentiate without lowering the bar: every student knows what it takes to “level up.”
3) Micro-oral routines (5–7 minutes). In rotation, two students: one presents, the other asks one clarification question and one follow-up question. The teacher observes with the rubric and gives feedback in two moves:a strength+a next step(with an operational indication: “add an example,” “make the thesis explicit,” “define the terms”).
4) Managing anxiety and performance. Include micro-techniques: 30 seconds of planning (a 3-point outline), the right to have the question rephrased, and an allowed “strategic pause.” Anxiety drops when the environment is predictable and assessment is readable.
How to adapt when the 4 subjects are communicated in January? From September, plan a common “core” (key topics and oral skills) and keep a realignment window (2–3 weeks) to intensify simulations on the selected disciplines. If the question bank is already structured by levels, updating is quick: you expand the section for priority subjects without throwing away the work done.
How StudierAI supports teachers and students: personalized oral simulations and adaptive quizzes
In this scenario, tools ofAI oral exam simulationcan lighten workload and inequalities, if used with clear criteria.StudierAI(who we are) can become an operational support forStudierAI upper secondary examin two directions: oral practice and consolidation with adaptive quizzes.
For the oral exam, the idea is simple: create targeted simulations on the priority subjects, with level-calibrated questions and follow-ups that train interaction management (clarifications, deeper probing, counterexamples). This makes it possible to increase the frequency of practice even when school time is limited, keeping the teacher in the role of director: choosing the key topics, quality control, integration with the rubric. Students canstart for freeand practice progressively, then bring the difficulties that emerged back to class for targeted work.
Adaptive quizzes, on the other hand, help consolidate prerequisites and identify gaps without overloading everyone with the same assignments. For teachers, the value lies in the signals: which concepts are fragile, which errors recur, which students need reinforcement on vocabulary or procedures. This kind of personalization is particularly useful when in January the shortlist of the 4 subjects is defined: you can quickly intensify work on the selected disciplines without leaving behind those who start further back.
In summary: the reform calls for more depth within a more defined perimeter. If the school responds with clear key topics, transparent rubrics, and frequent simulations, the oral exam becomes less unpredictable and more formative. AI, used with instructional intentionality, can reduce stress and disparities, freeing up time for what matters: discussion, course correction, and meaning-making.
