The A2 integration exam — its five parts explained
3 min read
The civic-integration exam at level A2 consists of five separate exams: four language parts and one knowledge part. You do not sit them on the same day, you register for each one separately — and a part you have passed, you keep.
The five parts
| Part | Duration | How |
|---|---|---|
| Lezen (Reading) | 65 minutes | On computer |
| Luisteren (Listening) | 45 minutes | On computer, questions about short videos and audio |
| Schrijven (Writing) | 40 minutes | On paper, four writing tasks |
| Spreken (Speaking) | 35 minutes | On computer, you record your answers |
| KNM | 45 minutes | On computer |
Reading
You read short everyday texts — a notice, an email, a leaflet — and answer multiple-choice questions about them. 65 minutes is generous; the trap is not the clock but getting stuck on a single unknown word. Read the question first, then search the text for that specific answer.
Listening
This is where practising at home differs most from the real thing: the audio plays once. The listening texts and videos start automatically and are not repeated. You get a moment to read the question first, then listen for that one answer.
Get used to this before exam day. If you always listen two or three times at home, you are practising a different skill from the one being tested.
Writing
The only part on paper: four tasks in 40 minutes. Short, practical texts — an informal email, filling in a form, a short message, a short description.
Each task states a minimum number of words. Miss it and the task does not count, however good the sentences are. So count.
Speaking
You sit at a computer with a headset and microphone. You are shown a situation, you hear the question, and you record your answer within a fixed time. There is no examiner facing you and nothing can be taken back: when the clock runs, you talk.
Two things help more than grammar: start immediately (silence eats your answer time) and keep going when a word escapes you. Say it another way instead of stopping.
KNM
Knowledge of Dutch Society is not a language exam but a knowledge exam: questions about housing, work and income, health and care, education, and which organisation does what. See the separate explanation of KNM.
How many questions, and what is the pass mark?
The exact number of questions per part and the pass mark are not published officially. You will find figures online, but they are not confirmed by the official source, so we do not repeat them.
If you want to know how a part really feels, there is something better than a number: sit a free practice exam. It gives you the real format, the real question types and the real time pressure.
What to do next
- See what it costs and how to register
- Take a practice exam on this site
- Practise writing and speaking with instant feedback
Official source: inburgeren.nl — content of the language exams.