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Scoring

How writing and speaking are actually marked

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Schrijven and Spreken are not counted, they are rated: an assessor scores every task against a fixed list of criteria. At A2 that is five criteria and 10 points per writing task, six and 12 per spoken answer. At B1 the criteria are budgeted across the whole paper instead. In all four, adequaatheid is a gate: an answer that does not do what the task asked scores zero on every other criterion too.

The rule that runs through all four

Adequaatheid is not one criterion among several. It decides whether the others are marked at all. The A2 writing model says so in as many words: if execution of the exercise gets 0 points, the other aspects are automatically graded with score 0. Which means the highest-value habit in either exam is not better Dutch. It is reading every instruction in the prompt, including the second one after Vertel ook, before you start.

Common questions

Why is there no pass mark for writing and speaking?

Because there is nothing to count. These parts are judged against criteria by a trained assessor, not marked against an answer key, so there is no number of correct answers to reach. The parts that are counted (reading, listening and KNM) do have marks.

What is the adequaatheid gate?

The rule that makes every other criterion conditional. The A2 writing model states it outright: if execution of the exercise gets 0 points, the other aspects are automatically graded with score 0. A fluent, well-spelled answer to a question nobody asked scores zero overall.

Who writes these models?

Not DUO, which only administers the inburgeringsexamen. Schrijven is developed by Bureau ICE and Spreken by Cito; at B1 the CvTE owns both. None of them publishes its model as a public document.

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