Official practice for all three A1 parts
Naar Nederland (To the Netherlands) (External site, opens in a new tab) links to official online practice for all three parts of the A1 Basisexamen. The KNS sample has 5 questions. Lezen (reading) has 19 questions in 35 minutes. Spreken (speaking) has 22 prompts in 30 minutes. The real exam screen looks different from the practice screen.
If you are preparing for the A1 basisexamen inburgering buitenland (basic civic integration exam abroad), start with the three official practice exams. The exam parts are Kennis van de Nederlandse Samenleving (KNS, knowledge of Dutch society), Lezen and Spreken.
Official practice exams for the three A1 parts
The official practice exams need a desktop or laptop with internet. For Spreken, use a built-in microphone or connect a microphone or headset with a microphone. In October 2026, Naar Nederland’s practice page (External site, opens in a new tab) lists these question counts, time limits and limits on feedback.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Part | Official practice | Practice tasks | Real exam and feedback |
|---|---|---|---|
| KNS | KNS practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) | 5 photo-based questions | The real exam has 30 questions in 30 minutes. |
| Lezen | A1 Lezen practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) | 19 questions in 35 minutes | The real exam has the same count and time, with different questions. You can review correct answers after practice. |
| Spreken | A1 Spreken practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) | 10 questions to answer and 12 sentences to complete in 30 minutes | The real exam has the same count and time, with different questions. Practice gives no correct-answer feedback. |
Pass marks for the three A1 parts
You pass when you get at least 6 out of 10 in each part (External site, opens in a new tab). These approximate pass marks help you check your practice results:
- KNS: you need about 21 of 30 correct to pass. For the 5-question official sample, aim for about 4 correct.
- Lezen: you need about 14 of 19 correct to pass.
- Spreken: you need about 34 of 44 points to pass.
The official KNS sample has 5 questions. Use the photo book to study the full set.
For Spreken, use the assessment model below to review your recordings.
Question list and assessment model for A1 Spreken
Naar Nederland publishes the complete speaking question list and assessment model as separate PDFs. Use the list for personal practice and the model to review your answers.
Open Spreken A1 Maart 2024 (A1 speaking, March 2024) (External site, opens in a new tab) (PDF, 300 KB). Naar Nederland describes it as all speaking questions and sentences to complete. The file is a prompt list without answers or interactive tasks.
Open Beoordelingsmodel Spreken A1 (A1 speaking assessment model) (External site, opens in a new tab) (PDF, 254 KB). The model checks whether your answer fits the prompt. It also checks whether an experienced listener can understand your pronunciation. You apply the criteria to your recording yourself.
Zelfstudiepakket (self-study package) for A1
The Naar Nederland self-study package (External site, opens in a new tab) supports all three exam parts. You can choose your instruction language and download the package free or purchase it.
The KNS photo book contains all official KNS questions and answers (External site, opens in a new tab). The Naar Nederland film (External site, opens in a new tab) teaches the society topics covered by KNS. The package also includes A1 language material for Lezen and Spreken.
A routine for A1 practice
Use the official material in this order to find what you need to study:
- Choose your instruction language on the self-study package page.
- Study the film, photo book and A1 language material.
- Set up your computer and microphone for the practice exams.
- Take the three official practice exams. Keep to 35 minutes for Lezen and 30 minutes for Spreken.
- Note what slowed you down: reading instructions, choosing an answer or recording speech.
- Review your Lezen answers.
- Record separate Spreken answers from the question-list PDF.
- Compare your recordings with the two criteria in the assessment model.
- Choose one gap to work on in your next study session.
The real exam uses a different screen. Lezen and Spreken also use different questions. Use practice to learn the tasks and check your skills.
Extra free A1 practice from Inburgering.org
Inburgering.org’s exercises are extra practice written by our team. Use the official material first, then choose the part that needs work in the free mock exam selector.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Part | Study resource | Timed practice |
|---|---|---|
| KNS | Free KNS resources | Free KNS mock exam |
| Lezen | Free A1 reading summary | Free A1 reading mock exam |
| Spreken | Free speaking resources | Free A1 speaking mock exam |
For untimed reading practice, use the A1 reading workbook. For more guidance on one part, use the A1 KNS guide, A1 Lezen guide or A1 Spreken guide.
If you need a different exam level, use the free official practice-tests directory.
Your choice after A1 practice
If your KNS result is below about 4 of 5, return to the photo book and film. If your Lezen result is below about 14 of 19, review the questions you missed. If you cannot give an understandable Spreken answer that fits the prompt, practise with the question list and assessment model.
Use the KNS sample to check a few topics, then study the full photo book.
The Spreken practice exam gives no correct-answer feedback. Use the assessment model to review your recordings.
For registration, exam-day and result steps, return to the Basisexamen preparation guide. If you are preparing to join family in the Netherlands, the family-reunification guide explains the application steps beyond the exam. Choose the A1 course page if you want structured preparation.
Official Sources
- Naar Nederland: Taking practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official links, equipment requirements, question counts, time limits and feedback for the three A1 practice exams.
- Official KNS practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) - Direct official browser practice with 5 example KNS questions.
- Official A1 Lezen practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) - Direct official browser practice with 19 questions and a 35-minute limit.
- Official A1 Spreken practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) - Direct official browser practice with 10 answer questions and 12 sentence completions in 30 minutes.
- Spreken A1 Maart 2024: complete speaking question list (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official PDF that Naar Nederland describes as all Speaking questions and sentence-completion prompts.
- Beoordelingsmodel Spreken A1: speaking assessment model (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official model for assessing whether an answer fits the prompt and an experienced listener can understand it.
- Naar Nederland: Self-study package (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official multilingual package that can be downloaded free or purchased.
- Naar Nederland: Oefenexamens maken (taking practice exams) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Dutch source for practice and real exam counts, time limits, equipment and feedback.
- Naar Nederland: Examen doen (taking the exam) (External site, opens in a new tab) - A grade of at least 6 out of 10 in each of the three parts is required to pass.
- Naar Nederland: Leren voor het examen (studying for the exam) (External site, opens in a new tab) - The three A1 parts and the film, photo book and language material in the self-study package.