How can I help my child prepare for the CEB if I don’t speak French?
You can help a great deal without speaking French. The CEB is sat in French on 21, 22, 24 and 25 June 2027, but your part is organising short regular practice, spotting where marks are lost, and keeping in touch with the teacher. The French itself stays your child’s job, and they are usually better at it than they let on.
What will my child actually sit in June 2027?
The CEB is the external exam at the end of primary school in French-language schools of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. In 2027 it runs over four mornings — Monday 21, Tuesday 22, Thursday 24 and Friday 25 June — starting between 8.15 and 8.45. It covers four subjects: French, mathematics, science and history and geography (the last two are called « éveil » at school).
To pass, a child needs at least 50% in each of the four subjects and, from 2027, an overall average of at least 60%. The school jury can still award the certificate on the strength of the child’s wider record. We explain the new threshold in The CEB gets harder in 2027.
If your child is at a Dutch-language school in Brussels, none of this applies: they sit the Vlaamse toetsen instead. Our guide to Belgian exams sets out the difference.
What can I do without understanding the questions?
More than most parents expect. Three jobs work in any language.
- Keep the rhythm. Ten to fifteen minutes a day, at the same time, beats a long session at the weekend. Your role is to protect that slot, not to run it.
- Ask for the explanation, in English. When your child gets something wrong, ask them to explain the mistake to you in English. If they can explain why it was wrong, they have understood it. If they cannot, that is the thing to practise.
- Keep a list of repeat mistakes. One line per mistake that comes back. After a few weeks the list tells you which subject needs the time — and with a 60% average to reach, the weakest subject counts twice.
Should we practise in English instead?
No. The exam is in French, so the practice should be too. What works well is practising in French and talking about it in English. Your child does the exercise in the language of the exam, then explains it to you in the language of home. Switching between the two is not a handicap; putting an idea into a second language is one of the best ways to check it is really understood.
Which French words trip up maths homework?
Maths is where an English-speaking parent can help most directly, as long as the vocabulary does not get in the way. A short list of words that appear constantly in 6th-year exercises:
- l’aire — area · le périmètre — perimeter
- la moyenne — the average (mean)
- le numérateur / le dénominateur — numerator / denominator
- un multiple / un diviseur — a multiple / a divisor
- la somme / la différence / le produit / le quotient — sum / difference / product / quotient
- arrondir — to round · une fraction irréductible — a fraction in its simplest form
Watch out for one trap: in Belgium the comma is the decimal separator, so « 3,5 » means three and a half. Children are taught to write it that way, so practise with the comma too.
How do I talk to the teacher about it?
You can have this conversation in English or in simple French; what matters is asking early. Three useful questions, ideally at the autumn parents’ evening rather than in May:
- Which of the four subjects looks weakest for my child at the moment?
- Which days of the CEB week will cover which subject, once the school knows?
- Is there anything you would like us to practise at home?
What about reading in French at home?
French reading carries weight well beyond the French paper, because every part of the CEB starts with reading the question in French, maths problems included. Anything your child reads in French for pleasure counts — library books, comics, children’s magazines. You do not need to follow the story. Asking « what happened in that chapter? » in English is enough to make them think about what they read.
A realistic plan from now to June
- October to December: set up the daily slot and start the mistake list.
- January to March: spend most of the time on the subject the list points to.
- April to June: timed practice, one morning at a time, so the real thing feels familiar.
Practising with Hopla6
On Hopla6 your child practises in French, the language of the exam, and every mistake is explained in three steps. The parent area is in English, so you can see which subject is losing marks without translating anything. Two quiz sets a day are free, with no card needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is my child at a disadvantage if we speak English at home?
The exam is the same for every child and is marked the same way. What helps most is regular practice in French; talking about that practice in English at home is a strength, not a weakness.
When is the CEB in 2027?
On the mornings of Monday 21, Tuesday 22, Thursday 24 and Friday 25 June 2027, starting between 8.15 and 8.45.
My child is at a Dutch-language school in Brussels. Do they sit the CEB?
No. Pupils in Dutch-language schools sit the Vlaamse toetsen, which are diagnostic and have no pass mark. See our guide to Belgian exams for the details.
Sources: Ligue de l’Enseignement, « CEB, CE1D et CESS de juin 2027 : les dates et infos pratiques des épreuves » (5 September 2026, citing circular no. 9788 of 27 August 2026) · Bruxelles-J, « Le CEB : le certificat d’études de base » (updated 28 August 2026). Checked on 13 October 2026.