How many points you need to pass the A2 check — 9 out of 15 in every skill

The rule in one sentence

The pass rule for the state language proficiency check is short, and it is set out in paragraph 47 of Cabinet Regulation No. 157: the check is passed if the person's result in each skill — listening, reading, writing and speaking — is not lower than 60 % of the maximum number of points.

At A2 each of the four parts is worth 15 points, so 60 % is 9 points. That gives the only arithmetic you actually need to remember:

Pass = at least 9 points out of 15 in listening, in reading, in writing and in speaking — each one separately.

The overall maximum is 60 points, but there is no threshold on the total. There is no average, and a strong skill does not compensate for a weak one.

Why the total decides nothing

The clearest way to see it is two candidates with an identical total.

Skill	Candidate A	Candidate B
Listening	12	14
Reading	11	13
Writing	11	8
Speaking	11	10
Total	45 / 60	45 / 60
Outcome	pass	fail

Both scored 45 out of 60 — 75 % of the maximum. Candidate A passes because no skill is below 9. Candidate B fails by a single point in writing, and the other three parts do nothing to offset it.

By the same logic, 15 + 15 + 15 + 8 = 53 points is a fail, even though it is almost 90 % of the maximum. Latvia assesses the skills separately rather than as a pool, and this is the detail most often got wrong by people comparing the check with exams in other countries.

The practical consequence follows directly: when you prepare, your weakest skill matters more than your strongest. Work that lifts writing from 8 to 10 is worth more than work that lifts listening from 12 to 15.

All four parts must be sat

The second condition is just as categorical: the check is graded only if the candidate sits all of its parts. If a part is skipped or abandoned, nothing at all is assessed — you do not get a partial result for the parts you did complete. For anyone tempted to leave after a discouraging listening section, that means something simple: leaving preserves nothing and makes nothing easier.

There is one exception. Candidates with the functional limitations listed in Annex 2 of the regulation may sit an adapted version of the check, and in that case the 60 % requirement applies to the skills actually sat.

How each part is marked

Listening and reading are marked automatically in the information system in which they are taken.

Writing is marked by two independent raters. If their scores differ by more than 3 points, a third rater is brought in, and the final mark is the average of the third rater's score and whichever of the first two it is closest to. What is assessed: how fully the task is covered, whether the required genre and language functions are present, whether the text is coherent, whether the vocabulary is sufficient, and the extent to which the errors made do or do not impede comprehension of the text.

Speaking is rated by two raters, either live during the conversation or from the recording. Raters must meet qualification requirements, and they may not be under contract to companies that teach Latvian to people who need the check for a residence permit or for EU long-term resident status.

What the decision records

The decision on the result records the points and the percentage for each skill separately, the total in points and percent, and — only if the check was passed — the level and degree obtained. If it was not passed, the decision states that it was not passed, and no level is awarded at all. There is no consolation award of a lower level: you sit the level you applied for.

This makes the decision a useful document even after a fail. It shows exactly which skill fell below 9 points, and by how much.

When and where results appear

The result is available in the e-service on the state services portal latvija.gov.lv from the 7th working day after the sitting. A paper copy sent by post is a paid service, so most people simply view the result in the portal.

If you disagree with the marking

The result can be contested. The submission is examined by an appeal commission made up of an official and at least two specialists in the field, none of whom sat on the commission that produced the original mark. The procedure follows the Administrative Procedure Law, and after the appeal commission's decision the matter can be taken to the administrative court. The deadlines are short, so if you are considering an appeal, start with the text of the decision as soon as you receive it.

If one skill fell below the line

A failed check is not a final status: you can register again in the same way as the first time, filing a new application at least 7 working days before the sitting you choose. Three things are worth knowing.

First, you will sit all four parts again, not just the one that went badly, because only a complete check is graded.

Second, the state fee is not refunded for a failed check, and failing to turn up without a valid reason counts as a fail — in that case too, you register afresh.

Third, it matters which decision remains in force. The regulation provides that the chronologically last decision governs, with one exception: an earlier decision survives if the person sat a higher level or degree and did not pass it. In practice this means a pass you already hold at A2 is not lost because you later attempt a higher level and fail.

The regulation sets no general waiting period after an ordinary fail; the only bar it imposes is six months for a candidate expelled from a sitting for breaching the rules of conduct. In practice the timing of a retake is governed by the published schedule of sittings, so always check the actual dates on latvija.gov.lv before planning around a deadline.

Naturalisation uses different arithmetic

If citizenship is also on your mind, do not carry these numbers over. Naturalisation involves a different examination under different rules — Cabinet Regulation No. 973 — in which the language test is passed with at least 16 points out of 25 in each skill, and where a separate test on the basics of the Constitution (Satversme), the text of the national anthem and the basics of Latvian history and culture must also be taken. The law names no CEFR level for that examination, so claims that it "equals B1" do not come from the legislation.

Practising so that no skill stays under 9

Because the threshold applies to each skill on its own, practice should be split the same way and should follow the real format — the same task types, the same point split, the same time limits. Exercises for all four parts are available on this site free of charge: start practising. If the structure of the check itself is still unclear, begin with what the A2 state language check is; the most common mistakes are collected in why people fail the A2 check. Short questions are answered in the FAQ.

This article is not legal advice. Marking rules and deadlines can change over time — before applying, confirm the current rules at the primary source, namely the version of Cabinet Regulation No. 157 in force and the state services portal latvija.gov.lv.