What the B1 writing tasks look like
Schrijven in Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I has 12 tasks in 100 minutes. You type every answer on a computer, and two trained assessors mark your work.
CvTE describes three kinds of task:
- Zinstaak (opgaven 1 to 8): write one sentence or finish a sentence, usually in a short e-mail.
- Deelschrijftaak (2 tasks): write a short message, complete a text or fill in a form.
- Korte schrijftaak (2 tasks): write a short text, usually an e-mail.
In the 2025 paper, the last four tasks were one form and three e-mails. The 2024 paper had no form. A zinstaak is worth 2 points, a form 7 and an e-mail 8, so the paper totals 47 or 48 points. In 2024 and 2025 you needed about 53 to 54% of them to pass, the lowest share of the four parts.
The examples below are our own. They follow the task shapes of the published exams, but the situations and wording are new.
Example 1: zinstaak with want
Situation: Your neighbour asks if you can feed her cat on Saturday. You cannot. Finish the message:
Sorry, zaterdag lukt het niet, want ...
Good answer: Sorry, zaterdag lukt het niet, want ik ga met mijn familie naar Utrecht.
Why it works: it gives a reason. After want comes a main clause in normal word order: subject ik, then the verb ga.
Example 2: zinstaak with omdat
Situation: You will be late for work tomorrow. Explain why to your team leader:
Ik ben morgen pas om tien uur op mijn werk, omdat ...
Good answer: Ik ben morgen pas om tien uur op mijn werk, omdat ik eerst naar de huisarts moet.
Why it works: omdat starts a subordinate clause, so the verb moet goes to the end.
Example 3: zinstaak with inversion
Situation: The lift in your building has been broken for a week. Write to the building manager about the consequence:
De lift doet het al een week niet. Daardoor ...
Good answer: De lift doet het al een week niet. Daardoor moet mijn oude buurman elke dag de trap nemen.
Why it works: it names a consequence. After Daardoor, the verb moet comes before the subject mijn oude buurman.
Example 4: zinstaak with om ... te
Situation: Your Dutch class is having a dinner. Ask your classmates for help:
Heeft iemand tijd om ...
Good answer: Heeft iemand tijd om na het etentje te helpen met opruimen?
Why it works: it asks the question the situation needs, with te plus the infinitive helpen.
Example 5: zinstaak without a set construction
Situation: Your sports club needs volunteers for a tournament. Fill the gap:
Ik wil graag helpen bij het toernooi. ... Is dat goed?
Good answer: Ik kan 's ochtends de koffie en thee verzorgen.
Why it works: the sentence after the gap shows you must offer something concrete. Any correct sentence that does that scores both points.
Example 6: a form
Situation: Your employer offers a first-aid course. Fill in the registration form completely.
- Waarom wilt u deze cursus volgen? Ik werk met kinderen en ik wil weten wat ik moet doen bij een ongeluk.
- Heeft u al ervaring met EHBO? Nee, ik heb nog nooit een EHBO-cursus gedaan.
- Op welke dagen kunt u niet? Op woensdag kan ik niet, want dan haal ik mijn dochter van school.
Why it works: every field has an answer that fits the question. A form has no point for cohesion, so it is worth 7 instead of 8.
Example 7: a complaint e-mail
Task: You bought a washing machine online. It arrived damaged. Write an e-mail to the shop. In your e-mail you:
- say what you bought and when
- describe the damage
- explain what problem this causes for you
- suggest at least two solutions
Good answer:
Geachte heer of mevrouw,
Op 3 maart heb ik in uw webwinkel een wasmachine gekocht. Gisteren is hij bezorgd, maar de deur is beschadigd en gaat niet goed dicht. Daardoor kan ik de machine niet gebruiken. Ik heb twee kleine kinderen, dus nu moet ik elke dag naar de wasserette.
Ik zie twee oplossingen. U kunt deze week een nieuwe wasmachine brengen en de kapotte meenemen. U kunt ook een monteur sturen die de deur repareert. Ik hoor graag snel welke oplossing u kiest.
Met vriendelijke groet,
Amina Haddad
Why it works: it covers all four points, including two solutions, in plain Dutch. Words like maar, daardoor and dus link the sentences, which helps the cohesion point.
Some e-mail tasks give you pictures or a table instead of a list. If the task says they do not go with your e-mail, write the facts into your own text, because the reader cannot see them.
Where candidates lose marks
Most lost points come from missed content, not from small language errors.
- A missing required point. One solution when the task asks for two caps your content score at 2 of 3.
- The wrong construction after the gap. Word order after omdat or daardoor breaks easily.
- Copied sentences. Sentences copied from the task score nothing.
- Extra sentences with errors. They count against you; extra sentences without errors earn nothing.
- An answer that misses the task. If the content point is 0, the assessors stop there.
Gender errors with de and het are tolerated, but a missing article counts as a grammar error.
How to practise NT2 Schrijven
For staatsexamen nt2 schrijven oefenen, train by task type. Do sets of eight zinstaken first, then forms, then e-mails with a fixed list of points. After each answer, check two things: did you cover every required point, and does the sentence after the gap use the right word order?
CvTE publishes complete past exams and loose tasks in the official Facet practice environment. Our B1 writing practice adds more tasks with feedback, and our Schrijven tips cover the exam day itself.