Polski B1

Books for learning Polish — 20 titles reviewed

Which book should you use to learn Polish — and which one actually gets you ready for the B1 certificate exam? Below are the 20 paper books most often recommended by teachers, schools and learners: coursebooks that take you from scratch, grammar workbooks, and titles written specifically for the B1 exam.

They are ordered by how useful they are for an adult preparing for the B1 exam. Each review explains who the book suits, who should choose something else, what is inside, and what learners and teachers say about it.

  1. Cover of Zdaj się na polski! — B1 exam coursebook by START Polish

    1.Zdaj się na polski!

    B1 exam coursebook · Level: B1 · START Polish

    Best for: Learners at A2+ who want one course that teaches every part of the B1 exam, ideally with a teacher or group.

  2. Cover of Pisz po polsku! — B1 writing workbook by Małgorzata Januszewicz

    2.Pisz po polsku!

    B1 writing workbook · Level: B1 · Pozdrowienia z Polski

    Best for: B1 candidates whose weak point is the writing part — models, phrases and keyed exercises for every exam genre.

  3. Cover of Polski na B1 by Berenika Wilczyńska — B1 Polish exam practice

    3.Polski na B1

    B1 mock exams · Level: B1 · HelloPolish

    Best for: Candidates already close to B1 who want realistic, timed rehearsal of the whole exam — seven full mock papers with answers and audio.

  4. Cover of Bądź na B1 — practice tests for the B1 Polish exam (Universitas)

    4.Bądź na B1

    B1 practice tests · Level: B1 · Universitas

    Best for: Candidates who have finished a course and want more full exam-format tests, with answers and audio, in the last weeks before the exam.

  5. Cover of Gramatyka dla praktyka — Polish grammar workbook for A1–B1

    5.Gramatyka dla praktyka 1–3

    Grammar workbook (3 volumes) · Level: A1–B1 · Kolleg für polnische Sprache und Kultur / START Polish

    Best for: Learners heading for B1 who want systematic grammar practice with answer keys — buy the volume that covers your weak area.

  6. Cover of Hurra!!! Po polsku 1 — Polish coursebook by Prolog

    6.Hurra!!! Po polsku 1–3

    Coursebook series · Level: A1–B1 · Prolog

    Best for: Learners in a course or with a tutor who want a full, all-Polish course from zero up to B1.

  7. Cover of Polski krok po kroku 1 — Polish coursebook

    7.Polski krok po kroku 1–2

    Coursebook with online platform · Level: A1–B1 · polish-courses.com (Glossa)

    Best for: Beginners who want a modern, lively course and are happy to use the online version with click translations and flashcards.

  8. Cover of Complete Polish — Teach Yourself course by Gotteri and Michalak-Gray

    8.Complete Polish

    Self-study course in English · Level: A1–B1 · Teach Yourself (John Murray Learning)

    Best for: English speakers studying alone who want one broad course from beginner to lower-intermediate, with free audio.

  9. Cover of Colloquial Polish — Routledge course for beginners by Bolesław Mazur

    9.Colloquial Polish

    Self-study course in English · Level: A1–A2 · Routledge

    Best for: English-speaking beginners who want a gradual, self-study course with translations of the dialogues and a full answer key.

  10. Cover of START 1 — Survival Polish coursebook

    10.START 1–3

    Beginner coursebook series · Level: A1–A2 · START Polish

    Best for: Beginners who are ready to learn in Polish only, from the first lesson, with cheap books and free audio.

  11. Cover of Polish: An Essential Grammar by Dana Bielec (Routledge)

    11.Polish: An Essential Grammar

    Grammar reference in English · Level: A1–B2 · Routledge

    Best for: Learners who read English and want one place to look up cases, verb forms, aspect and numerals while using a coursebook.

  12. Cover of Polish Tutor — grammar and vocabulary workbook by Joanna Michalak-Gray

    12.Polish Tutor

    Grammar and vocabulary workbook in English · Level: A2–B2 · Teach Yourself (John Murray Learning)

    Best for: Learners who already have a main course and want lots of grammar and vocabulary drills explained in English.

  13. Cover of Speak Polish — a practical self-study guide by Justyna Bednarek

    13.Speak Polish 1–2

    Speaking drills with audio · Level: A1–B1 · Preston Publishing

    Best for: Learners who understand more than they can say and want to make correct sentences automatically, out loud, with audio.

  14. Cover of Gramatyka polska w ćwiczeniach dla obcokrajowców (Prolog)

    14.Gramatyka polska w ćwiczeniach dla obcokrajowców

    Grammar workbook · Level: A1–A2 · Prolog

    Best for: A1–A2 learners with a teacher who want grammar explained on one page and practised on the facing page, with an answer key.

  15. Cover of Polish For Dummies by Daria Gabryanczyk

    15.Polish For Dummies

    Phrase-based beginners' book in English · Level: A1–A2 · Wiley

    Best for: Newcomers to Poland who need practical everyday and workplace Polish fast, explained in English.

  16. Cover of B1 – piszę, mówię i zdaję! — model texts for the B1 Polish exam

    16.B1 – piszę, mówię i zdaję!

    Model texts for the exam · Level: B1 · Fundacja Linguae Mundi

    Best for: Candidates who already practise and want to see what a good exam answer looks like, form by form, with its length.

  17. Cover of Słowo daję! — A1 Polish vocabulary workbook by Anna Kowalczuk

    17.Słowo daję!

    Vocabulary workbook · Level: A1 · START Polish

    Best for: True beginners who find it hard to remember words and like creative, picture-based exercises with audio.

  18. Cover of Mówię po polsku — speaking exercises for foreigners, A1 and A2 (Prolog)

    18.Mówię po polsku (A1 i A2)

    Speaking workbook · Level: A1–A2 · Prolog

    Best for: A1–A2 learners who freeze when speaking and want structured conversation practice, ideally with a teacher or a partner.

  19. Cover of Język polski? Chcę i mogę! Część I — A1 coursebook (Universitas)

    19.Język polski? Chcę i mogę! (cz. I, A1)

    Coursebook with workbook · Level: A1 · Universitas

    Best for: Beginners in a classroom course who want grammar made explicit from the very first lesson.

  20. Cover of RAZEM po polsku A2 — coursebook and workbook (Avalon)

    20.RAZEM po polsku (A2)

    Coursebook with workbook · Level: A2 · Avalon

    Best for: A2 learners in a course or with a tutor who want modern, real-life tasks as the step before B1 preparation.

These reviews are independent. We are not paid by any publisher or bookshop, and we do not sell these books. Descriptions are based on the publishers' information, the books' contents and publicly available reviews by learners and teachers.

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