What happens on exam day
You take the A2 Spreken exam on a computer at a DUO exam location. You wear a headset with a microphone. There is no live examiner and no conversation partner. You hear each question through the headset and answer out loud.
Other candidates sit in the same room and speak at the same time. That is normal, so it helps to practise with some noise around you.
The exam itself takes 35 minutes. Before it starts, staff explain the rules; DUO plans 15 minutes for that. You may not take paper, a pen, a phone or a watch into the exam room (DUO exam rules).
Your answers are recorded. Later they are scored, partly by computer and partly by certified assessors, so nobody reacts to you during the test.
How the A2 speaking exam is built
Since 1 March 2025, there are 16 inburgering speaking exam questions, in four parts of four. The old multiple-choice part is gone. You never pick a, b or c: every answer is your own spoken Dutch.
Most questions have two parts. First you answer the main question. Then you answer a follow-up that often starts with Vertel ook ... (also say ...).
Waar koopt u meestal brood? Vertel ook waarom.
Where do you usually buy bread? Also say why.
Part 1: a video question (questions 1-4)
A person in a short video asks you a question about your own life. You listen and answer.
Met wie oefent u Nederlands? Vertel ook wat u samen doet.
Who do you practise Dutch with? Also say what you do together.
Part 2: one picture (questions 5-8)
You see one photo and hear a question about it. Say what you see, then answer the second prompt with a detail, a reason or your opinion.
Wat doet de man? Vertel ook wat u van zelfscannen vindt.
What is the man doing? Also say what you think of self-scanning.
Part 3: two pictures (questions 9-12)
You see two pictures side by side. Choose one, say why, and answer the follow-up (why or when).
Welke jas koopt u liever? Vertel ook wanneer u die draagt.
Which jacket would you rather buy? Also say when you wear it.
Part 4: three pictures in a row (questions 13-16)
You see three pictures about one person. Say something about all three. Link them with simple words such as eerst, daarna, dan and tot slot.
Vertel wat Jamal doet. Vertel iets over alle plaatjes.
Say what Jamal is doing. Say something about all the pictures.
How your answers are scored
The scoring model comes from the DUO speaking exam practice package. Each question is worth up to 12 points, split over six criteria:
- Adequaatheid (0-3): do you answer this question, including the Vertel ook part?
- Woordenschat (0-2): do your words fit the topic?
- Grammatica (0-2): how many grammar mistakes do you make?
- Vloeiendheid (0-2): do you speak without long pauses?
- Coherentie (0-1): do you link ideas with words like en, maar, want and omdat?
- Uitspraak (0-2): can a listener understand you without effort?
That makes 192 points for 16 questions. DUO does not publish a pass mark for Spreken, so treat any number you read online as a guess. One rule is clear: you must pass Spreken on its own. A high score in another part cannot make up for it.
The weights tell you what matters. Answering the full question counts most. A small grammar mistake, or an accent that people still understand, costs little. Silence, an answer to a different question, or a skipped follow-up costs a lot.
Timing: about one minute per answer
You have roughly one minute for each answer. That is enough for three to five short sentences: a direct answer, one or two details, and the follow-up.
In Part 4 you share that same minute across three pictures. Spend a few seconds on each one, and do not stop at the first picture.
Tips for the inburgering speaking exam
- Answer the first question straight away. If it asks waar, start with a place.
- Always answer the follow-up. That is where many candidates lose points.
- Use short sentences. One clean sentence beats a long one that breaks in the middle.
- Link your ideas with en, maar, want, omdat, eerst and daarna.
- Use everyday words that fit the picture: bakker, supermarkt, huisarts, apotheek, bus, werk.
- Keep talking. A short pause is fine, a long silence is not.
For ready-made sentence frames for each part, see our A2 speaking sentence templates. DUO also has free A2 practice exams; the speaking one does not work in Safari. You can practise the same four question types in our Spreken practice.