A1 Reading Exam Summary PDF
Download a concise A1 reading exam summary for the Basisexamen abroad: 35-minute timing, technical reading practice, short text strategy, signal words, and examples.
- Fact
- 35 minutes
- Fact
- 19 questions
- Fact
- 14/19 points to pass
What A1 Reading Texts Look Like
A1 reading uses very short practical Dutch. The task is usually to find one simple fact, action, place, time, or object.
- Technical reading: choose the exact written word or the matching picture.
- Signs and notices: open, gesloten, ingang, uitgang, wachten, melden.
- Short messages: a friend, teacher, employer, doctor, or family member writes one small request.
- Simple tables: opening hours, rooms, activities, prices, or days of the week.
- Short stories: one everyday situation with a clear order of actions.
What the Questions Usually Ask
Most A1 questions ask for one clear detail. You do not need to understand every word if you can find the useful detail.
- Which word did you hear or see?
- Where is something?
- When can someone come, call, or start?
- What must someone bring or do?
- Who visits, works, calls, or helps?
- Which picture matches the word or object?
35-Minute Timing Plan
| Time | Phase | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0-3 min | Start with word recognition | Read or listen carefully. Compare every letter before choosing the word. |
| 3-24 min | Answer the short texts | Read the question first. Then scan for a day, time, place, name, price, or object. |
| 24-31 min | Do the longer story calmly | Follow the order of the story. Who is there? What happens first? What is found or forgotten? |
| 31-35 min | Check marked questions | Only change an answer when you find clear Dutch evidence in the text. |
Signal Words
Mark these words when you see them. They often tell you the time, place, rule, or order of actions.
- op
- om
- tot
- van
- naar
- bij
- open
- gesloten
- vandaag
- morgen
- vrij
- moet
- mag
- niet
- eerst
- daarna
- extra
- meenemen
Fast Table Check
Tables are easy when you use the row and column names before reading all cells.
- Find the person, day, room, activity, or object from the question.
- Point to the row first, then read the matching column.
- Watch small differences: maandag is not dinsdag; 12.00 is not 20.00.
- If a question asks waar, look for the place. If it asks wanneer, look for the day or time.
Common A1 Traps
The wrong option often copies a word from the text but answers a different question.
- vrij can mean someone is free, not that an event is in the weekend.
- tot means until. If the text says tot 12.00, 14.00 is too late.
- eerst and daarna show order. Do not skip the first action.
- A similar-looking word can be wrong: brief, bril, broek; fiets, vis, vies.
- If someone loses something, the first step may be different from the final step.
Example 1: Technical Reading Words
Context: In the real exam, you may hear or see short words. In this PDF, the prompt is printed so you can practise exact recognition.
Woorden oefenen
Luister of kijk goed naar het woord. Kies het woord of plaatje dat precies past.
Let op: korte woorden kunnen veel op elkaar lijken. Lees alle letters.
Vraag 1
Je hoort: fiets. Welk woord is goed?
“The printed prompt is fiets.”Why A is correct
- Read the question: it asks which printed word matches the spoken word fiets, so compare every letter carefully.
- The prompt says “Je hoort: fiets” — look for a word with the letters f, i, e, t, s in that order.
- Options B, C, and D differ in at least one letter, so the match is — A.
Vraag 2
Je ziet het woord: bril. Welk plaatje past?
“The word is bril.”Why A is correct
- Read the question: it asks which picture matches the written word bril, so look for an exact spelling match.
- The word in the text is “Je ziet het woord: bril” — bril, broek, brief, and brug all start with br, so the middle letters decide.
- Only option A names a bril directly — A.
Example 2: Sign At A Community Centre
Context: Aisha reads a sign at a community centre.
Buurtcentrum De Brug
Vandaag: 09.00-10.00 koffie voor ouders.
10.30-11.30 Nederlandse les in lokaal 2.
12.00 gesloten voor lunch.
13.00-15.00 spreekuur gemeente bij de balie.
Vraag 3
Waar is de Nederlandse les?
“Nederlandse les in lokaal 2.”Why B is correct
- Read the question: it asks waar (where) the Dutch lesson is, so scan for the place after Nederlandse les.
- The sign says “10.30-11.30 Nederlandse les in lokaal 2” — the place is named right after the activity.
- The answer is lokaal 2 — B.
Vraag 4
Hoe laat is het buurtcentrum gesloten voor lunch?
“12.00 gesloten voor lunch.”Why B is correct
- Read the question: it asks hoe laat the centre is closed for lunch, so scan for the signal words gesloten and lunch.
- The sign says “12.00 gesloten voor lunch” — both signal words appear together next to the time 12.00.
- The answer is om 12.00 uur — B.
Example 3: Message From A Friend
Context: Samir gets a short message from Noor.
Bericht van Noor
Hoi Samir, ik ben morgen vrij. Kom je om drie uur?
Neem je boek mee. Ik heb thee en koekjes.
Groetjes, Noor
Vraag 5
Wanneer kan Samir komen?
“Ik ben morgen vrij. Kom je om drie uur?”Why B is correct
- Read the question: it asks wanneer Samir can come, so you need both the day and the time.
- The message says “Ik ben morgen vrij. Kom je om drie uur?” — two details that must both appear in the answer.
- Option A uses vandaag, not morgen, so the correct match is morgen om drie uur — B.
Vraag 6
Wat moet Samir meenemen?
“Neem je boek mee.”Why C is correct
- Read the question: it asks what Samir must meenemen, so scan for the instruction word neem mee.
- The message says “Neem je boek mee.” — that is the only bring-instruction in the text.
- Thee and koekjes are things Noor already has, not things Samir brings, so the answer is zijn boek — C.
Final Checklist
- I can read A1 days: maandag, dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag, vrijdag, zaterdag, zondag.
- I can read simple times like 8.00, 12.30, and 15.00.
- I can recognize common words for places: school, winkel, dokter, balie, lokaal, bus.
- I compare similar words before choosing an answer.
- I read the question before I read the whole text.
- I find evidence in the Dutch text for every answer.
- I know that the practice target is 14 correct answers out of 19.
Practise this skill in the app
Download the PDF, then jump into interactive practice for grading and feedback.