How B1 Spreken is marked

The exam

You speak into a microphone. There are 8 short tasks with 20 seconds to speak, and 8 medium tasks with 30 seconds after 15 seconds to prepare. A beep starts and ends each answer. You can't go back.

First: does your answer fit?

Assessors first check whether your answer is understandable Dutch that fits the situation. If it is not, the task scores nothing. Silence scores nothing too.

What is marked

Two trained assessors mark every answer.

• Short tasks: content, grammar, and word choice.
• Medium tasks: content, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and speed.

What limits your score

According to the official marking rules:

• Reading the task text aloud. It limits your points for content and grammar.
• Doing a different kind of answer than asked, for example describing when the task asks you to give advice.
• Using only one of the pictures, or giving one reason and stopping early, when the task asks for more.
• Speaking very slowly, or using very vague words.

What helps

• Start right after the beep.
• Do exactly what the task asks: advise, explain, describe, ask or choose.
• Use the whole time. A short, clear answer that uses the time well is good.
• Your content doesn't have to be true. It only has to fit the task.