A1 speaking: 22 short answers in 30 minutes
A1 Spreken in the Basisexamen has 22 answers in 30 minutes, according to Naar Nederland (To the Netherlands) practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab). You answer 10 questions and complete 12 sentences. You need about 34 of 44 points to pass. Naar Nederland: taking the exam (External site, opens in a new tab) gives the official passing grade: 6 or higher. Give short Dutch answers that fit the task and are understandable.
Spreekvaardigheid (speaking proficiency) is the A1 speaking part of the Basisexamen inburgering buitenland (civic integration exam abroad). This page gives you original prompts to practise answering aloud.
If you are preparing for the exam alongside a family residence application, the family reunification in the Netherlands guide explains how to plan the application.
Everyday Dutch in the speaking exam
The exam checks whether you can speak simple Dutch in daily situations. You may say where you live, what you do, what you need, how you travel or what you eat. You also complete sentences about a picture. Your answer can be short, but it must fit the task and be understandable to a trained listener.
The two speaking task types
The speaking exam has two task types: questions to answer and sentences to complete. Naar Nederland practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab) describes both:
- Vraag en antwoord (question and answer): answer 10 everyday questions. You hear a person in a video and give your own answer.
- Zinnen afmaken (complete the sentences): complete 12 sentences. You see a picture, read and hear the prompt, then finish the sentence aloud.
You take the speaking exam on a computer with a headset and microphone. Each recording can be up to 60 seconds. A short answer can earn points when it fits the task.
For practice at home, use a microphone or a headset with a built-in microphone. The DUO (Dutch education service) A1 speaking practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) also gives you up to 60 seconds for each recording.
For questions, listen for wat (what), waar (where), wanneer (when), hoe (how), wie (who) or waarom (why). Start with a direct answer: Ik ga… (I go…), Ik woon… (I live…), Ik eet… (I eat…) or Mijn familie… (My family…).
For sentence completions, look at the picture first and finish the sentence start. A logical word group can be enough: naar school (to school), met de bus (by bus), warm (warm), in de tas (in the bag) or voor mijn moeder (for my mother). Start speaking within the first few seconds. Add one simple detail only if the task needs it.
The pass mark and scoring checklist
DUO (External site, opens in a new tab) (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service) reports each exam result as a grade from 1 to 10. A grade of 6 or higher passes the speaking part.
Across 22 tasks, you can earn 44 points. You need about 34 of 44 points (about 77%) to pass.
People mark your answers using the Beoordelingsmodel Spreekvaardigheid A1 (A1 speaking assessment model) (External site, opens in a new tab). Both task types earn 0 or 1 point for answer content and 0 or 1 point for pronunciation. Use these two checks when you listen to your practice recordings:
- Answer content: did you answer the question or complete the sentence logically?
- Pronunciation: can a trained listener understand you with some effort?
An absent, irrelevant or unintelligible answer gets 0 for content. A sentence completion with no useful meaning also gets 0. When content gets 0, pronunciation gets 0 too. A suitable answer may contain one word. An answer with grammar errors can still earn points. Use words you can pronounce clearly.
The speaking fee and booking
In 2026, the speaking exam costs €50. The full exam costs €150. To book your exam, follow the order on Naar Nederland registration and fees (External site, opens in a new tab):
- Register through Naar Nederland registration and fees (External site, opens in a new tab).
- Pay for the exam.
- Use the payment confirmation to make an appointment with the Dutch embassy or consulate.
The Basisexamen registration guide explains the booking steps in more detail.
A short-answer plan
Use these steps for each practice answer:
- Find the main word in the question or picture.
- Give the direct answer in simple Dutch.
- Add one detail only if a question-answer task needs it.
- If your answer is unclear, correct it within the remaining recording time.
- Stop when your answer or sentence completion is clear.
22 original speaking practice prompts
The prompts below are extra practice written by Inburgering.org. They use written questions and picture descriptions, so you can practise wording and pronunciation. Use the official computer practice to hear questions and see pictures.
Record each answer for up to 60 seconds. Give yourself 1 point for answer content and 1 for understandable pronunciation, using the checks above. If content gets 0, give 0 for pronunciation too. The set has 44 points; you need about 34 of 44 to pass.
Part 1: Vraag en antwoord
For Vraag en antwoord, give a direct answer in Dutch. The last column shows one possible answer. Use the English meanings to check your understanding.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Question | Prompt | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | U bent bij de apotheek. Wat koopt u? (You are at the pharmacy. What do you buy?) | Ik koop medicijnen en pleisters. (I buy medicine and plasters.) |
| 2 | U hebt een vrije dag. Wat doet u? (You have a day off. What do you do?) | Ik ga wandelen en ik bel mijn familie. (I go for a walk and I call my family.) |
| 3 | U ziet een kind vallen. Wat doet u? (You see a child fall. What do you do?) | Ik help het kind en ik vraag: gaat het? (I help the child and I ask: are you OK?) |
| 4 | U gaat naar de markt. Wat koopt u? (You go to the market. What do you buy?) | Ik koop tomaten, brood en appels. (I buy tomatoes, bread and apples.) |
| 5 | U bent moe. Wat doet u vanavond? (You are tired. What do you do this evening?) | Ik eet vroeg en ik ga naar bed. (I eat early and I go to bed.) |
| 6 | U wilt Nederlands oefenen. Met wie praat u? (You want to practise Dutch. Who do you talk to?) | Ik praat met mijn buurman en met mijn docent. (I talk to my neighbour and my teacher.) |
| 7 | U krijgt een brief. Wat doet u? (You receive a letter. What do you do?) | Ik lees de brief. Soms vraag ik hulp. (I read the letter. Sometimes I ask for help.) |
| 8 | Uw fiets is kapot. Hoe gaat u naar school of werk? (Your bicycle is broken. How do you get to school or work?) | Ik ga met de bus of ik loop. (I take the bus or I walk.) |
| 9 | U kookt voor uw familie. Wat maakt u? (You cook for your family. What do you make?) | Ik maak rijst met groente. (I make rice with vegetables.) |
| 10 | U moet om negen uur ergens zijn. Hoe laat vertrekt u? (You need to be somewhere at nine. What time do you leave?) | Ik vertrek om half negen. (I leave at half past eight.) |
Part 2: Zinnen afmaken
A short, logical completion can be enough. Imagine the scene described in the picture clue, then complete the Dutch sentence. The last column gives one possible answer.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Question | Picture clue | Sentence to complete | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | A bowl of hot soup. | Mira roert in de soep. De soep is... (Mira stirs the soup. The soup is...) | warm. (warm.) |
| 12 | A man looking under a chair. | Pavel zoekt zijn sleutel. Hij kijkt... (Pavel looks for his key. He looks...) | onder de stoel. (under the chair.) |
| 13 | A woman with a towel near the bathroom. | Yara pakt een handdoek. Ze gaat... (Yara takes a towel. She is going to...) | douchen. (have a shower.) |
| 14 | Bread in a school bag. | Sami doet brood in zijn tas. Hij neemt brood mee naar... (Sami puts bread in his bag. He takes bread to...) | school. (school.) |
| 15 | A woman at a cash register. | Lotte staat bij de kassa. Ze gaat... (Lotte stands at the checkout. She is going to...) | betalen. (pay.) |
| 16 | A dark room and a lamp. | Jin doet de lamp aan. Het is... (Jin turns on the lamp. It is...) | donker. (dark.) |
| 17 | A woman opening a refrigerator. | Amina opent de koelkast. Ze zoekt... (Amina opens the fridge. She looks for...) | eten. (food.) |
| 18 | A message on a phone. | Pavel leest een bericht. Het bericht staat op zijn... (Pavel reads a message. The message is on his...) | telefoon. (phone.) |
| 19 | A woman wearing a helmet beside a bicycle. | Nour draagt een helm. Ze rijdt op haar... (Nour wears a helmet. She rides her...) | fiets. (bicycle.) |
| 20 | Flowers on a table. | Diego legt bloemen op tafel. De bloemen zijn voor... (Diego puts flowers on the table. The flowers are for...) | zijn moeder. (his mother.) |
| 21 | A wet coat on a coat rack. | Yusuf hangt zijn jas op. Zijn jas is... (Yusuf hangs up his coat. His coat is...) | nat. (wet.) |
| 22 | A clock and a person running. | Iris kijkt op de klok. Ze is... (Iris looks at the clock. She is...) | te laat. (late.) |
Official materials and extra practice
Start with Naar Nederland practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab). Use them to learn the A1 vocabulary and question formats. The actual exam interface looks different from the practice exam.
After the official materials, use the free A1 speaking mock exam for extra timed practice from Inburgering.org.
Use these habits when you practise:
- Record your answers. If you cannot understand your own key words, make the sentence shorter.
- Prepare short answer phrases for family, home, food, travel, work, school, health, shopping and weather.
- Practise both task types. Give sentence completions equal practice time until you know their format.
For more examples, use the A1 speaking sample answers.
Your next practice choice
If you lose points for answer content, practise answering the exact question or completing the sentence logically. If your answer fits but is hard to understand, record a shorter version and listen again. Use the official computer practice before exam day to practise with audio and pictures.
A suitable short answer can earn points. Spend your practice time making the answer clear rather than filling all 60 seconds.
Choose a resource for your next step.
Official Sources
- Naar Nederland - Taking practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official speaking practice: 22 tasks in 30 minutes, with 10 questions and 12 sentence completions.
- Beoordelingsmodel Spreekvaardigheid A1 (A1 speaking assessment model) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Current model dated 10 August 2026: answer content and pronunciation each score 0 or 1; short answers can earn points.
- Examenreglement basisexamen inburgering (External site, opens in a new tab) - regulation on registration, exam parts, results, and resits.
- Naar Nederland - Examen doen (taking the exam) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Computer exam, human marking, grades from 1 to 10 and a passing grade of 6 for each exam part.
- Naar Nederland - Aanmelden voor het examen (registering for the exam) (External site, opens in a new tab) - 2026 fees: €50 for speaking and €150 for the full exam; register and pay before booking an embassy or consulate appointment.
- DUO A1 speaking practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official computer practice with video questions, sentence completions and a maximum recording time of 60 seconds per answer.
- Council of Europe - A1 basic language level (External site, opens in a new tab) - A1 is a basic language level for everyday expressions, personal details and short exchanges.
- Naar Nederland - Self-study manual (External site, opens in a new tab) - Speaking exam on a computer with a headset for hearing questions and recording answers (page 11).