The Writing Exam: What to Expect on Paper — Writing A2

The A2 Schrijven exam is a pen-and-paper test. You will receive a booklet with four specific writing tasks: a form (formulier), a short note (briefje), an email (e-mail), and a short free text (vrije tekst). Because human examiners grade your paper, you must follow the printed instructions exactly.

Schrijf in hele zinnen

The most important rule to remember is Schrijf in hele zinnen (Write in complete sentences). If a question asks why you want to learn Dutch, answering 'Voor mijn werk' will score zero points. You must write the full sentence: 'Ik leer Nederlands voor mijn werk.'

Cover every bullet point

The examiners use a strict rubric. The very first thing they check is your content. If a writing prompt gives you three bullet points to answer, you MUST write about all three. If you write perfect Dutch but miss one bullet point, your score for that task immediately drops. Always read the bold text above the lines carefully.