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Why did I fail the speaking exam?

A fail on Spreken hurts, and the letter does not tell you why. Here is what DUO does and does not tell you, what is known about the marking, and how to find your weak points yourself.

By the Kora team: Alex, Mariel and Abena, who did inburgering themselves. Written with help from AI. Every fact is checked against the official source. How we write our guides

Checked against official sources on 2026-11-08 · Plain text version to copy (.md)

What your result tells you

For Spreken A2, your result comes by letter from DUO, and you can also see it in Mijn Inburgering. The result is pass or fail. DUO's exam regulations say you also get a mark (a cijfer) for the language exams and KNM.

Right now, the result for Spreken A2 takes about 16 weeks. DUO announced this on 31 July 2026, because there are many exams to mark.

What DUO does not tell you

You do not get feedback per answer. And you cannot look at your marked exam. DUO's exam regulations say this directly: the exam you took and the marking cannot be inspected by the candidate.

The only part where DUO gives feedback on request is the final interview of ONA, under the 2013 law. Not Spreken.

DUO also does not publish the pass mark for the A2 exams. The regulations say the line between pass and fail is set by the Minister. They also say that not every answer has to be right to pass. Be careful with percentages you see online: we could not trace them to an official source.

So if you want to know what went wrong, you have to find out yourself. That is hard, but it is possible.

What is known about the marking

DUO publishes only a little about how Spreken A2 is marked. This is what the official sources say:

  • Spreken A2 is taken on a computer. You watch short videos or look at pictures, hear a question and answer out loud into a microphone. It takes 35 minutes, after 15 minutes of explanation.
  • Since 1 March 2025 the exam is spoken answers only. The multiple-choice section was removed.
  • Your answers are marked partly by a computer and partly by people.
  • The people who mark it are certified assessors. They must have finished an exam training for Spreken A2.
  • DUO publishes marking models for Schrijven A2 for schools and partners. We did not find a published marking model for Spreken A2.

Common reasons answers go wrong

These are not DUO's marking rules. They are the things that often go wrong in spoken answers, and they are worth checking first.

Answering only half. Many questions have two parts, for example what and why. If you answer only one, part of the answer is missing.

Too short or unfinished. One word, or a sentence that stops halfway, says little. A short full sentence says more.

Stopping when a word is missing. In the exam there is no one to help you. If you stop, the time runs out.

Answering a different question. If the question asks what you would do, describing the picture is not enough.

Nerves. Talking to a computer feels strange. Many people speak too quietly or too fast, or freeze at the start.

How to find your own weak points

You cannot see your exam, but you can recreate it. The official practice exams on inburgeren.nl have the same kinds of tasks. Use them like a test, not like a lesson.

  • Do an official Spreken practice exam with headphones and a microphone, on a timer. Note that the Spreken practice exam does not work in Safari.
  • Record your answers on your phone at the same time.
  • Listen back the next day. For each answer ask: did I answer every part of the question? Did I finish my sentences? Did I stop or go silent?
  • Write down the two or three problems you hear most. Those are your weak points.
  • Practice one task type at a time: describing a picture, saying what you would do, giving a reason. Ten minutes a day is enough.

Rebooking

You only retake Spreken, not the parts you already passed. You book it again in Mijn Inburgering, and it is a new booking with a new fee of 50 euro (inburgeren.nl, checked 8 November 2026). Asylum status holders under the 2021 law get their first 2 attempts free, at the level in their PIP.

Before you book, check your deadline in Mijn Inburgering. Count the booking wait, which can be more than 6 weeks, and the result wait of about 16 weeks. If the longer result time puts you near your deadline, DUO gives you 6 months of extra time automatically and sends a letter.

Book when your practice answers sound complete and steady to you, not on the day the letter arrives.

If you are on the B1 route

B1 Spreken is part of the Staatsexamen NT2. It works differently: sixteen tasks, two trained assessors per exam, and a score where 500 or higher is a pass. CvTE publishes how it is marked. Read our guide on B1 Spreken scoring for the details.

Practicing with feedback

The hard part of practicing alone is that nobody tells you what you missed. Kora's speaking practice listens to your spoken answer and tells you what to fix, in your own language. It is practice, not an official mark, and it cannot predict your result.

Questions

Can I see why I failed the A2 speaking exam?

No. DUO's exam regulations say the candidate cannot inspect the exam or the marking. You get a pass or fail and a mark, but no feedback per answer.

What is the pass mark for Spreken A2?

DUO does not publish it. The regulations say the Minister sets the line between pass and fail, and that not every answer has to be right to pass.

Who marks the A2 speaking exam?

Partly a computer and partly certified assessors who have finished an exam training for Spreken A2.

Do I have to retake the other parts too?

No. You only retake Spreken. The parts you passed stay passed.

Official sources

General information, not legal advice. Your letters from DUO and your municipality decide what applies to you.

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