ECL exam explained: the August 2026 switch to 60% in every module, why Hungary still uses 40% and a 60% average, and what older certificates show
The ECL is a paper-based language exam developed and run by the Foreign Language Centre of the University of Pécs for the European Consortium for Language Certificates. It is offered in 15 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Bulgarian and Hebrew, at A2, B1, B2 and C1. Which languages you can actually sit depends on the local exam site.
Its pass rules changed in August 2026, and certificates issued under the old and new rules now sit side by side. Exams taken in Hungary follow their own rules, set out separately below. Everything here is from ECL's own pages (eclexam.eu's Successful exam page and FAQ, and the Hungarian exam centre's A sikeres vizsga page on ecl.hu), read on 4 November 2026.
The new rule: 60% in every module
This is the rule on ECL's international site, eclexam.eu. From August 2026, the complex ECL exam is passed only with at least 60% in each of the four modules: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Each module is marked by two assessors.
If you sit the complex exam and reach 60% in only one, two or three modules, you get a certificate for each module you passed in that exam period. You can also register for single modules from the start.
Modules can be combined. If you pass all four within one year, counted from the date of your first successful module, you can ask for a complex certificate. ECL's own example: a candidate passes B1 Reading, then registers for Writing, Listening and Speaking in the next exam period.
In Hungary: still 40% per skill and a 60% average
The rule above is not what ecl.hu publishes for exams taken in Hungary. There, a candidate still sits a complex exam or a written or oral partial exam, and passes the state-recognised certificate with at least 40% in each skill and an average of at least 60%. Averaging only works between parts taken in the same exam period. State-recognised ECL certificates exist in English (B1, B2, C1), Hungarian (A2–C1) and German (A2–C1).
The international ECL certificate for an exam taken in Hungary follows the same 40% / 60% rule in English and in the languages without Hungarian accreditation.
Only in Hungarian and German, and only from the September 2026 exam period, does the international certificate issued in Hungary need 60% in each skill, with no averaging. So a candidate can meet the state-recognised rule and still not qualify for the international certificate. Certificates issued earlier are not affected.
ecl.hu does not mention single-module certificates or the one-year combination, so do not plan on them for an exam taken in Hungary without asking your exam site. A Hungarian teacher pointed us to this page after we had first published the international rule as if it applied everywhere.
The old rule, and why it still matters
Until 31 July 2026, a complex exam was passed with at least 40% in each skill and an overall average of 60%. Written and oral partial exams worked the same way in pairs: 40% in each of the two skills and a 60% average.
So a pre-August certificate can be valid with a skill below 60%. ECL's FAQ says plainly that a university, employer or authority may require 60% in every skill anyway, and gives the example of a certificate showing Listening 45%, Speaking 76%: check with whoever will receive it.
The new rules are not retroactive. A module result from an exam taken before August 2026 cannot be combined with modules passed afterwards. ECL's FAQ example: 60% in Listening in a June 2026 complex exam, the other three passed in August, and no complex certificate can be issued. If you failed before August, you register again for every module the certificate needs.
There is one bridge. If you passed a written partial exam in June 2026 with Writing below 60%, ECL says to take Writing, Listening and Speaking in a later period; those module certificates together with the June written certificate are treated as equivalent to a complex certificate.
Our reading: under the old rule a strong skill could carry a weak one as long as the weak one reached 40%. Under the new rule nothing carries anything, but a failed module no longer costs you the ones you passed. The exam got stricter per skill and more forgiving per sitting.
On the day
Reading, Writing and Listening are on the announced exam day; Speaking can be scheduled from 1–2 days before up to 14 days after the written modules.
Speaking is with two trained examiners, usually in pairs (sometimes three), with no preparation time and no notes, and it is audio or video recorded.
A printed dictionary is allowed in the Writing module only; no thematic dictionaries, and nothing in the other modules.
You can register if you turn 14 during the calendar year of the exam. Registration usually closes about four weeks before the exam. You cannot take two languages at the same level in one period, and the B1 and C1 written papers run at the same time.
Fees, results, validity
Fees are set by each local exam site, so ECL publishes no single price. Fees are generally non-refundable; in exceptional cases such as illness, up to 40% can be refunded on a written request made at least one day before the exam. A postponement can only move to the next exam period, once.
Results come by email within 30 days of the written modules. Certificates go to your exam site; a digital PDF certificate can be requested and has the same official value.
ECL certificates do not expire. ECL notes that some institutions ask for the first successfully completed module to be no older than one year, so check before you rely on combined modules.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Expecting a strong speaking score to lift a weak listening score.
Getting every module to 60% on its own.
Since August 2026 the complex ECL needs 60% in each module outside Hungary; there is no averaging.
Applying the 60%-per-module rule to an English ECL taken in Hungary.
Aiming for 40% in every skill and a 60% average, the rule ecl.hu publishes.
In Hungary only the Hungarian and German international certificates need 60% in each skill, from September 2026.
Counting a module passed in June 2026 towards a complex certificate.
Starting the one-year combination window with a module passed from August 2026.
ECL says the modular rules are not retroactive.
Assuming every institution accepts an older certificate with a skill under 60%.
Asking the receiving institution before you apply.
ECL's FAQ says universities, employers and authorities may require 60% in every skill.
Questions
What score do you need to pass the ECL exam?
Outside Hungary, from August 2026, at least 60% in each of the four modules; until 31 July 2026 it was 40% in each skill and a 60% average. In Hungary it is still 40% in each skill and a 60% average, except the Hungarian and German international certificates, which need 60% in each skill from September 2026.
Do the new ECL rules apply in Hungary?
Not for English. ecl.hu says exams taken in Hungary still pass with 40% in each skill and a 60% average, for both the state-recognised and the international certificate. Only Hungarian and German international certificates need 60% in each skill, from September 2026.
Can I combine ECL modules from different exam periods?
Outside Hungary, yes, for modules passed from August 2026 onwards: pass all four within one year of the first successful module and request a complex certificate.
Does an ECL certificate expire?
No. ECL certificates have no expiry date, though some institutions set their own limits.
How much does the ECL exam cost?
Each local exam site sets its own fee; ECL does not publish a single price.
When do ECL results come out?
By email, no later than 30 days after the written modules.
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