Two task types in 30 minutes
In Spreken (speaking) A1 of the Basisexamen (civic integration exam abroad), you answer 10 Vraag en antwoord (question and answer) tasks in your own words. You also finish 12 Zinnen afmaken (sentence completion) tasks with help from a picture. The exam takes 30 minutes. Recognise which task you hear before choosing your answer. A short answer can earn full points if it fits the task and is understandable.
A1 speaking format and pass mark
You record your A1 answers on a computer, using a microphone. Human assessors mark them. The Naar Nederland (To the Netherlands) official practice page (External site, opens in a new tab) confirms the 22-task format and 30-minute duration. For the other exam parts, see the Basisexamen A1 exam abroad guide.
You need about 34 of 44 points to pass A1 speaking. You get a grade from 1 to 10; a grade of 6 or higher passes. Naar Nederland’s explanation of exam results (External site, opens in a new tab) gives the grading rules. For the full speaking format, see the Basisexamen A1 speaking guide.
The A1 speaking assessment model (PDF, 254 KB) (External site, opens in a new tab) gives up to 1 point for an answer that fits the task. It gives up to 1 more point for pronunciation that a trained listener understands with some effort. If the answer is missing, cannot be understood or does not fit the task, both scores are 0. One word can be enough. Grammar errors are allowed if the answer still fits the task and is understandable.
Questions and answers about everyday life
In Vraag en antwoord, you hear a short question about daily life and give your own answer. It may ask about your life, plans, opinion or an everyday action. Listen to the full question to choose the kind of answer it asks for. The table gives common patterns and original examples with English meanings.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Question word | Give | Example answers |
|---|---|---|
| Wat? (What?) | An action, thing or opinion | Ik koop brood. (I buy bread.) Ik drink water. (I drink water.) Ik vind Nederlands leuk. (I like Dutch.) |
| Waar? (Where?) | A place | Ik woon in Den Haag. (I live in The Hague.) Ik ga naar de winkel. (I go to the shop.) |
| Wanneer? (When?) | A time or day | Morgen. (Tomorrow.) Om acht uur. (At eight o’clock.) |
| Hoe? (How?) | A way, transport or how you feel | Met de bus. (By bus.) Ik loop. (I walk.) Goed. (Fine.) |
| Hoe laat? (What time?) | A time | Om acht uur. (At eight o’clock.) |
| Wie? (Who?) | A person | Mijn partner helpt mij. (My partner helps me.) |
| Waarom? (Why?) | A simple reason | Omdat ik in Nederland wil wonen. (Because I want to live in the Netherlands.) |
| Hoeveel? (How many? or How much?) | A number or amount | Ik heb drie kinderen. (I have three children.) |
| Hoe vaak? (How often?) | How often | Twee keer per week. (Twice a week.) |
Short answers by topic
Use these original examples to practise six everyday topics. Choose an answer that fits your situation and the question:
- Home and family: Ik woon met mijn partner. (I live with my partner.) Mijn familie woont in ... (My family lives in ...)
- Work and school: Ik werk in een winkel. (I work in a shop.) Ik leer Nederlands op internet. (I learn Dutch online.)
- Food and shopping: Ik koop rijst en groente. (I buy rice and vegetables.) Ik eet graag soep. (I like eating soup.)
- Travel: Ik ga met de trein. (I travel by train.) Ik loop naar school. (I walk to school.)
- Plans: Morgen ga ik studeren. (Tomorrow I will study.) In Nederland wil ik werken. (I want to work in the Netherlands.)
- Opinion: Ik vind Nederlands moeilijk, maar leuk. (I find Dutch difficult, but fun.)
Sentence completion
In Zinnen afmaken, you hear a short situation and the start of a second sentence. A picture helps you understand the situation. Finish the second sentence aloud. A word or short phrase can be enough if it makes sense after the sentence start. These original examples show possible completions; the exam also gives you a picture.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Completion | Sentence start | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Samir pakt zijn jas. Hij gaat... (Samir picks up his coat. He goes...) | naar buiten. (outside.) |
| Object | Lina heeft dorst. Ze drinkt een glas... (Lina is thirsty. She drinks a glass of...) | water. (water.) |
| Action | Omar pakt een pan. Hij gaat... (Omar picks up a pan. He is going to...) | koken. (cook.) |
| Person | Sara koopt bloemen. De bloemen zijn voor... (Sara buys flowers. The flowers are for...) | haar moeder. (her mother.) |
| Feeling or description | De kamer is donker. De kamer is niet... (The room is dark. The room is not...) | licht. (light.) |
| Transport | Rayan staat bij de halte. Hij wacht op... (Rayan is at the stop. He is waiting for...) | de bus. (the bus.) |
The right answer for each task
Choose your answer from the task you hear. Use these checks while you practise:
- For a question, give only your answer. A question about where you live needs a place.
- For a sentence start, finish the idea in that sentence. You only need to say the missing ending.
- For a picture, identify the person, place, object, action or feeling before you speak.
- If you are unsure, give a short answer that fits the question or sentence start.
- Speak clearly as soon as you have an answer.
A word or short sentence can earn full points.
A practice session with both task types
Start with the official A1 speaking practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab). For extra free practice, use the Inburgering.org A1 speaking mock exam. To practise your own set, follow these steps:
- Group your prompts by topic: home and family; work and school; shopping and food; travel; health; weather; free time.
- Record answers to 10 questions and 12 sentence completions in one session.
- Play each answer back and check whether it answers the question or completes the sentence.
- Give a fitting answer 1 point, then up to 1 more point for understandable pronunciation. Give 0 points in total if the answer is missing, unrelated or cannot be understood.
- Add the points out of 44 and compare your total with the pass mark of about 34.
- Record the answers you need to improve again.
If you need to correct a word, use Sorry, ik bedoel... (Sorry, I mean...) or Ik zeg het nog een keer... (I will say it again...) before your corrected answer.
Your next speaking practice
If you confuse the task types, practise questions and sentence completions separately first. Once you can recognise both, record a full 22-task set. Check that each answer fits the task before checking pronunciation: an unrelated answer earns 0 points even when you say it clearly.
- Author
- By Inburgering.org team
- Reviewer
- Reviewed by Kirill Svavolia
Official Sources
- Naar Nederland: Taking practice exams (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official speaking practice: 22 tasks in 30 minutes, split into 10 questions and 12 sentence completions.
- Spreken A1 Maart 2024 (A1 speaking, March 2024) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official public list of speaking questions and sentence completions. The examples in this article are original.
- Beoordelingsmodel Spreken A1 (A1 speaking assessment model) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Current assessment model, version 10 August 2026: points for meaning and pronunciation; one-word answers and grammar errors can be accepted.
- Examenprogramma basisexamen inburgering (External site, opens in a new tab) - Legal programme: everyday questions, sentence completions with pictures, computer recordings and human assessment.
- Naar Nederland: Taking the exam (External site, opens in a new tab) - Computer delivery, human marking of speaking answers and results from 1 to 10, with a passing grade of 6 or higher.
- Official A1 speaking practice exam (External site, opens in a new tab) - Public practice exam with both task types in 30 minutes.