Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I
How speaking is actually marked
Spreken
Last updated
Sixteen tasks split into two halves that are scored quite differently: eight short ones worth 3 points each, eight medium ones worth 13. Before any of that, each answer passes a preconditie: a gate that is not itself part of your score.
The gate
Wanneer de preconditie een '0' oplevert, mag de reactie van de kandidaat niet verder beoordeeld worden.
The preconditie asks only whether the answer is intelligible, in Dutch, and related to the situation sketched. It is deliberately tolerant: fitting the situation even slightly earns the point. Fail it and nothing else on that task is marked.
Points across the whole paper
What the assessor scores
Short tasks
Korte spreektaak · 3 points per taskOpgaven 1–8, 20 seconds of speaking. Three criteria, one point each.
InhoudGate
Content
0–1
Task-specific: the model names the content this particular answer must carry.
- 0The required content is missing.
- 1The required content is there, for example a clear explanation of what the person could do.
Woord- en zinsvorming
Word and sentence formation
0–1
One point, with a stated tolerance for small errors.
- 0More than one small error, or an error of the larger kind.
- 1No errors, or a single small one.
Woordkeus
Word choice
0–1
Whether the words chosen serve the task.
- 0Word choice is poor or does not fit.
- 1Good and/or varied word choice.
Medium tasks
Middellange spreektaak · 13 points per taskOpgaven 9–16, 30 seconds of speaking. Five criteria, up to 13 points.
InhoudGate
Content
0–3
For an argument task, how many arguments you gave, how clear they were, and whether you used the speaking time.
- 0Refers to the situation, but is otherwise wholly unclear.
- 1The required language act is not achieved, or at least one argument, but with many unclarities.
- 2One argument with at most a few unclarities and the speaking time not fully used, or at least two arguments with some unclarities.
- 3One clear argument with the speaking time fully used, or at least two clear arguments.
Woord- en zinsvorming
Word and sentence formation
0–3
Separates small errors (articles, plurals, diminutives) from larger ones (verb conjugation, word order), and judges long and short answers on different scales.
- 0Many errors, including of the larger kind.
- 1Several errors.
- 2A few errors, mostly small.
- 3No errors, or only small ones.
Woordenschat
Vocabulary
0–3
Range, not just accuracy.
- 0Insufficient for the task.
- 1Limited.
- 2Adequate.
- 3Varied and precise.
Uitspraak
Pronunciation
0–3
Intelligibility to a listener, as at A2, on a wider scale.
- 0Hard to understand.
- 1Understandable with effort.
- 2Readily understandable.
- 3Clearly understandable throughout.
Tempo
Pace
0–1
One point for speech that runs at a workable rate.
- 0Pace impedes understanding.
- 1Pace is workable.
Worth knowing
- The preconditie is scored per task and excluded from your total. When it fails, the other criteria are recorded as 9 and left out of the sum entirely.
- Using the speaking time is part of the content score on medium tasks: one clear argument and stopping early scores 2, the same argument still running when time ran out scores 3.
- Two clear arguments score 3 even if you finish early.
- Long answers (three sentences or more) and short ones (two or fewer) are judged on different error scales, so a longer answer is not punished merely for containing more.
- Two trained assessors mark every exam independently, with a third brought in when their totals differ by three points or more.
Common questions
How is the B1 speaking paper scored overall?
Out of 128 raw points, excluding the precondities: eight short tasks at 3 points and eight medium tasks at 13. Those convert to a scaled score, and you pass at 500. The raw cut moves per sitting, with 75 of 128 the most recently published cesuur.
Should I keep talking until the time runs out?
On the medium tasks, yes, if you only have one argument: the content model gives 2 for one clear argument with the time not fully used and 3 for the same argument still running at the buzzer. If you have two clear arguments you score 3 whether or not you finish early.
What counts as a small error?
Wrong de or het and everything that follows from it, plural formation, and diminutives. Verb conjugation, word order and omitting het as a pronoun are the larger category and cost more.
Get marked on these exact criteria.
Answer a real task and get it scored criterion by criterion, including whether Inhoud would have zeroed the whole thing.
The other rated parts
More on scoring: pass marks by section · all guides
inburgeringprep.com is an independent study platform, not DUO, the CvTE or the Dutch government. This model is CvTE, Beoordelingsvoorschriften Spreken I. None of these bodies publishes its assessment model as a public document, so band wording here is rendered into English from the model the assessor works from. Criteria can change; confirm what applies to your own exam with the exam body.