Answer the task before checking language errors
Answer every point in the task before checking grammar. Use complete sentences when the task asks for them. Copy personal details carefully into forms. Connect ideas with simple words and keep the message clear.
The first check: answering the task
A clear sentence can still miss a required reason, date or request. Use short sentences that answer each point.
The A2 Schrijven exam has 4 tasks in 40 minutes. You write with pen and paper, as DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service) (External site, opens in a new tab) explains.
The scoring rules
You need about 65% of the points to pass A2 Schrijven.
Adequaatheid/begrijpelijkheid (task fit and understandability) is the score for answering the task with an understandable message. A missing or unreadable answer scores 0 here. An answer also scores 0 if it cannot be recognised as a response to the task. All other categories then score 0 too.
An incomplete or partly unclear answer can receive 1 point for task fit and understandability. A small grammar mistake can still leave the message understandable. Grammar mistakes can cost points in the separate grammar category for texts.
Use DUO’s assessment model for texts (PDF, 154 KB) (External site, opens in a new tab) and assessment model for forms (PDF, 152 KB) (External site, opens in a new tab) to check your practice answers. A text task has a maximum of 10 points. A form task has a maximum of 7 points. The marking details depend on the task.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Task | Points by check | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| E-mail, note, or short text | Task fit 0–3; grammar 0–2; spelling 0–2; vocabulary 0–2; connection between ideas 0–1. | 10 points |
| Form | Task fit 0–3; spelling 0–2; vocabulary 0–2. | 7 points |
Examples of mistakes and clearer answers
The examples below show incomplete answers and language errors, followed by clearer versions. They use want (because), omdat (because) and daarom (so) (External site, opens in a new tab) to connect ideas. The doctor example uses huisarts (family doctor). Other answers can also meet the task.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Mistake | Weak answer | Better A2 answer |
|---|---|---|
| Missing the reason or new time when changing an appointment | Ik kan morgen niet. Sorry. (I cannot come tomorrow. Sorry.) | Ik kan morgen niet komen, want ik moet werken. Kunnen wij vrijdag om 14.00 uur afspreken? (I cannot come tomorrow because I have to work. Can we meet on Friday at 14:00?) |
| Giving no reason for your choice on a sports-club form | Ja. (Yes.) | Ik kies yoga, omdat ik rustiger wil worden en beter wil bewegen. (I choose yoga because I want to feel calmer and move better.) |
| Writing loose words in a text about your weekend | Weekend park kinderen leuk. (Weekend park children fun.) | In het weekend ga ik met mijn kinderen naar het park. Wij spelen en eten samen broodjes. Dat vind ik gezellig. (At the weekend I go to the park with my children. We play and eat sandwiches together. I enjoy that.) |
| Using the wrong word order after daarom | Ik heb afspraak bij dokter, daarom ik kan niet werken. (I have a doctor’s appointment, so I cannot work.) | Ik heb een afspraak bij de huisarts. Daarom kan ik niet werken. (I have an appointment with the family doctor. That is why I cannot work.) |
| Leaving out the day you can work instead | Ik wil ruilen. Ik heb een feest. (I want to swap. I have a party.) | Ik wil graag ruilen, want ik heb zondag een familiefeest. Ik kan maandag voor jou werken. (I would like to swap because I have a family party on Sunday. I can work for you on Monday.) |
| Misspelling a place name or copying a phone number incorrectly | Roterdam, 3012AB, 061234567 (The city name is misspelled and the phone number has a digit missing.) | Rotterdam, 3012 AB, 06 12345678 (Rotterdam, postcode 3012 AB, phone number 06 12345678.) |
In the doctor example, daarom starts a new sentence. Put kan before ik: Daarom kan ik niet werken (That is why I cannot work). Taaladvies.net (Dutch language advice) explains this word order (External site, opens in a new tab).
The final three-minute check
Keep the final three minutes for these checks. Check the task first, then the sentences and details.
- Underline each point in the task that your answer covers.
- Add any missing person, reason, date or request that the task asks for.
- Check each statement for who or what it describes, a verb and the right word order.
- Check names, dates, postcodes, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
- Add a connecting word where it makes the message clearer: want, omdat, maar (but), en (and) or daarom.
- Finish once the answer is complete and clear. A difficult extra sentence can make your meaning harder to understand.
The practice to choose
If you miss task points, rewrite one answer using the task’s bullets as a checklist. If your answer is complete but hard to understand, use the examples above to check sentences and word order. A missing reason or date needs fixing before you add extra detail.
For extra practice, choose one of these resources:
- Sample A2 e-mails, forms, notes and short texts to compare answers.
- Free A2 writing summary for a final checklist.
- Free A2 writing practice set for full tasks.
- Author
- By Inburgering.org team
- Reviewer
- Reviewed by Kirill Svavolia
Official Sources
- DUO: A2, B1 and B2 language exam content (External site, opens in a new tab) - A2 Schrijven has 4 writing tasks in 40 minutes, completed with pen and paper.
- DUO: official practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab) - Free official A2 Schrijven practice exams.
- DUO: A2 Schrijven assessment model for texts (PDF, 154 KB) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Task fit and understandability, the whole-task zero rule, and five scoring categories totalling 10 points.
- DUO: A2 Schrijven assessment model for forms (PDF, 152 KB) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Task fit and understandability, the whole-task zero rule, and three scoring categories totalling 7 points.
- Taaladvies.net: word order when a sentence starts with another word (External site, opens in a new tab) - The verb comes before the subject when another part of a main sentence comes first.
- Taaladvies.net: the meaning of daarom (External site, opens in a new tab) - Daarom gives a reason, with examples of its use in connected sentences.