4 practice exams · 4 tasks · 40 minutes
Dutch A2 writing exam sample PDF to print
The practice exams
4 tasks · answer key included
4 tasks · answer key included
4 tasks · answer key included
4 tasks · answer key included
Which four tasks does the A2 writing exam give you?
Every DUO writing booklet has a form and a short article. The other two tasks are messages: two emails, or an email and a note. Our four papers each have a form, a note, an email and an article, so every task type gets practice.
The form (formulier) asks for personal details and short answers. It usually has one box where you explain why, in a whole sentence.
The note (briefje) goes to someone you know, such as a neighbour or a babysitter. It needs a greeting, the points the task asks for, and your name at the end.
The email is semi-formal: Beste at the top and Met vriendelijke groet at the bottom. Pick je or u and keep to it, because mixing the two is a common mistake.
The article is a short piece for the wijkkrant, the neighbourhood newspaper. The task gives you an everyday subject, such as a family tradition or a nice day, and asks for at least three sentences.
How is the writing exam marked?
Trained DUO assessors mark your booklet by hand against a fixed scoring model. They do not mark spelling alone. What counts most is whether you cover every point the task asks for and whether the reader understands you.
A flawless text that misses the question scores lower than a slightly flawed one that answers it. DUO does not publish a pass mark for Schrijven.
How do you use these papers for A2 writing exam practice?
Print one paper, set a timer for 40 minutes and do all four tasks by hand, in order, without help.
Then check each task against three questions. Did you cover every point in the task? Did you keep to je or u? Did you write whole sentences, with a greeting and a closing where the task needs one?
If you missed a point, write that task again before you start a new paper. Then take the next paper a few days later and see whether the same mistake comes back.
Which mistakes cost you points?
The first is missing a point. If the task asks you to say when, why and what you need, and you only say when and why, the reader is still waiting for an answer. Tick the points off on the paper as you write them.
The second is mixing je and u. Choose one when you start, based on who you write to, and keep it to the end, including in the closing line.
Then there is form. The task says Schrijf in hele zinnen, so a list of keywords does not count, even when every keyword is right. A note or email without a greeting or a closing also loses points.
The article has its own trap. It is not a set of answers to separate questions. Write it as one short paragraph that a neighbour could read in the wijkkrant.
Why are these practice papers meant to be printed?
A2 writing is a pen-and-paper section: you write by hand, not on a computer. Each paper has writing lines, so you practise the way you will sit the exam.
Do not learn set texts by heart. The exam gives you a different situation, and a text that does not fit the task scores low.
Frequently asked questions
Is the A2 writing exam handwritten?
Yes. At A2 you write the Schrijven section by hand on paper. That is why these practice exams have writing lines and are best printed. At B1 level, the Staatsexamen NT2 writing exam is done on a computer.
Do the writing papers come with answers?
A writing task has no single right answer, so the answer key at the back marks each task as open instead of giving a model text. Check your own text instead: did you cover every point in the task, keep to je or u, and write whole sentences?
Are these the official DUO writing exams?
No. We wrote these papers to the DUO exam format: the same four task types, the same kind of instructions and the same 40 minutes. DUO also publishes its own writing practice exams as PDFs on inburgeren.nl. Do those as well, because they are the closest thing to the real booklet.
Where can I find more A2 writing exercises as PDF?
These four papers give you sixteen writing tasks to print. For more, do DUO's own practice papers on inburgeren.nl, then move to the writing practice on this site, where you type your answer and the first ten tasks are free.
What is the best Dutch writing practice between papers?
Short and often beats long and rare. Write one note or email a day about something real: a message to a neighbour, a question to your child's school. Then check it for three things assessors look at: every point covered, je or u kept consistent, and whole sentences.
Can someone mark my writing?
On the site you can have writing tasks marked by the AI grader, which gives feedback per criterion. That sits behind Pro; the practice exams themselves are free.
Free guides to the Writing exam
Other free practice exams
Prefer to practise on screen, with a timer and instant marking? Take Writing in the exam simulator.
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