Staatsexamen NT2 Schrijven at a glance
| Item | Programma I Schrijven (B1) |
|---|---|
| Tasks | 12: 8 zinstaken, then 4 longer tasks |
| Time | 100 minutes |
| Format | On a computer: you read the tasks on screen and type your answers |
| Task order | You choose it yourself |
| Dictionary | Van Dale Pocketwoordenboek NT2 only, and you bring it yourself |
| Marking | Two trained assessors, with a scoring model per task |
| Pass mark | Scaled score 500 (25 of 47 points in 2025) |
Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I, the B1 staatsexamen, is made by CvTE. DUO handles registration and results. The official page says: "De opdrachten verschijnen op het beeldscherm en u typt uw tekst daarbij." (The tasks appear on the screen and you type your text.)
The eight zinstaken (tasks 1 to 8)
A zinstaak (sentence task) is a short e-mail with a gap. You write one sentence, or a few, to fill it. The sentence after the gap tells you what your answer must say.
In four of the eight tasks, the word just before the gap forces a grammar pattern:
- want asks for a main clause (hoofdzin)
- a conjunction such as zodat asks for a subordinate clause, with the verb at the end
- Daarom asks for inversion: the verb comes before the subject
- om asks for te + infinitive
A real 2025 example: Ik kan dan helaas niet, want ... Ik hoop dat dit geen probleem geeft. (Unfortunately I can't come then, because ... I hope this is not a problem.) You give a reason, in a main clause.
The other four tasks have no forcing word. You still have to do what the message needs, such as propose a solution or tell customers what to do.
The four longer tasks (tasks 9 to 12)
CvTE calls tasks 9 and 10 deelschrijftaken (part-writing tasks) and tasks 11 and 12 korte schrijftaken (short writing tasks). Most of them are e-mails. Each one lists the points you must cover. These often come with a number, such as minimaal twee oplossingen (at least two solutions) or ten minste twee redenen (at least two reasons).
One task is often a form. The 2023 and 2025 exams had a form; the 2024 exam had none. With a form, you fill in every field.
Some tasks give you pictures or a table. The task then says whether they go with your message.
In the published exams they did not: De tabel komt niet bij de e-mail. (The table is not included with the e-mail.) So your text has to make sense on its own.
Most tasks are about work or education, and a few are about daily life. You may make up details, such as a date or a reason.
How B1 writing is scored
Two trained assessors score your work separately, and if their totals differ by three points or more, a third assessor scores it too.
Each zinstaak is worth 2 points: 1 for the message and 1 for grammar. If your message gets 0, assessors do not score the grammar. Sentences copied word for word from the task get no points.
The longer tasks are worth up to 8 points each:
- adequaatheid: does the text do what the task asks? (up to 3)
- grammaticale correctheid: grammar (up to 2)
- spelling (1)
- woordgebruik: word choice (1)
- samenhang: does the text hang together? (1)
A form has no samenhang point, so its maximum is 7.
The total was 47 points in 2023 and 2025, and 48 in 2024. You pass with a scaled score of 500. That took 25 of 47 points in 2025, about 53%.
Schrijven had the lowest cut-off of the four parts in 2024 and 2025. Our guide to the Staatsexamen NT2 cesuur compares all four parts.
Two rules surprise many candidates. The assessors do not judge whether your content is true. And extra sentences can cost points if they contain mistakes.
How many words should you write?
CvTE publishes no word count for B1 writing, and the "60 to 80 words" you see on some sites is not in the official scoring model.
What counts is the list of required points. Cover every point the task asks for, in clear sentences, and stop, because a longer text only gives you more chances to make errors.
How this differs from A2 writing
Schrijven B1 is a different exam, not a harder version of A2. The A2 writing exam is 4 tasks in 40 minutes, written by hand on paper: a form, a short article and two messages. B1 is 12 tasks in 100 minutes, typed on a computer.
At B1 you also turn a table or pictures into your own text, a step that does not exist at A2.
For your inburgering, Schrijven is one of the four language parts. You pass and retake each part separately, and you still need KNM.
Where to practise B1 writing
Try the real exam player in the official practice environment at oefenexamensnt2.nl. It works on a computer or laptop, not on a phone. CvTE says loose writing tasks from that environment can appear in the real exam.
Our B1 writing practice gives you new tasks with feedback on each answer. For task strategy, read our Schrijven B1 tips.