The KPG is an official examination system established by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports in Greece. Its aim is to certify different levels of proficiency in a foreign language, assessing both written and spoken comprehension and production. The examinations are overseen by the Ministry of Education, which, through the Directorate of Foreign Language Knowledge, is responsible for administering the exams and issuing the respective certificates.
The Central Examination Committee (CEC), appointed by ministerial decision, designs, prepares, and supervises the exams. The CEC is a seven-member body composed of experienced university professors from foreign language departments and serves for a term of two years. This committee also provides guidance on examination format, grading criteria, and advises the Ministry on further system development, legislative amendments, and regulation changes. Additionally, there are two exam subject proposers for each language, also appointed by ministerial decision, who may be university professors, school counselors, or highly qualified educators.
The scientific responsibility for the KPG exams in various languages is assigned to the language departments of the University of Athens and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Specifically, the University of Athens oversees exams in English, German, Spanish, and Turkish, while the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki handles French and Italian. Each department appoints a supervisor responsible for overseeing assessment processes and training examiners and graders.
Exam dates are announced by the Minister of Education, typically held in the first half of November and May. The exams take place in designated examination centers, which are public schools equipped with the necessary infrastructure. The number of centers is determined based on the number of candidates and the geographical and transport conditions of each region. Special examination centers for candidates with disabilities are also available in Athens and Thessaloniki.
During the examinations, a committee, consisting of a president, secretaries, and invigilators, ensures smooth operation and optimal conditions for candidates. Oral exams are assessed by appointed examiners. The transmission of exam materials uses the infrastructure of the Panhellenic exams system, ensuring confidentiality through the VBI (Vertical Blanking Interval) system.
After the exams, two grading centers operate: one in Athens, within a special Ministry facility, and another in Thessaloniki, housed in a school building. The CEC president heads the Athens center, while the vice president leads the Thessaloniki center. Grading coordinators oversee the scoring process, ensuring that evaluators use correct criteria for written and open-ended answers. A secretariat manages the grading logistics, organizing exam booklets and answer sheets into packages.
The data collected from the grading centers are processed by the Ministry's IT department and forwarded to scientific teams, the CEC, and the Directorate of Foreign Language Knowledge Certification. The final results are published by the Ministry, and successful candidates receive the State Certificate of Language Proficiency, which can be collected from the relevant Directorate or Secondary Education Office. Candidates can access their detailed scores online using a personal code.
