The A2 integration exam: all four language parts explained

The A2 integration exam (inburgeringsexamen) has four language parts: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking. You sit them separately, on different days. Reading takes 65 minutes, Listening 45, Writing 40 and Speaking 35. You get a grade per part plus a "pass" or "fail". Failed one part? You only retake that part.

This article covers what each part gives you, how long you have, and how it is marked. Every figure carries its DUO source. That is not standard practice: many websites quote numbers DUO publishes nowhere. Where that happens, I say so.

All four parts in one table

Each part is a separate exam, with its own duration and its own way of being marked.

The number of questions needs an explanation. DUO publishes it nowhere. The figures above come from the start screens of DUO's own official practice exams, which state literally: "U moet in dit examen 25 vragen beantwoorden" ("You must answer 25 questions in this exam"). I checked all ten online A2 practice exams.

So these are the practice exams. DUO does not promise the real exam is identical. If another website presents a number as official, be careful.

Reading: 65 minutes

For Reading you get texts on a screen and answer questions about them. Everyday texts: a letter from your child's school, an advert, a medicine leaflet, an email from work. Not literature — it is about finding information.

25 questions in 65 minutes is roughly 2.5 minutes per question, and you have to read the text in that time too. This is where my students most often come unstuck: they read every text in full, look up every unknown word, and run out of time.

Reading is marked automatically — no human involved.

Listening: 45 minutes

For Listening you watch short videos and listen to texts, then answer questions. This is the most underestimated part. You get the same 25 questions as Reading but 20 minutes less time — and the crucial difference: audio passes. With a text you can look again. With audio you cannot.

The situations are ordinary: a conversation at the doctor, an announcement at the station, a colleague asking something. Exactly the Dutch you hear on the street.

Writing: with pen and paper

This surprises almost everyone: Writing is not on a computer. You get a booklet and a blue pen. DUO states it plainly: "Het examen Schrijven op niveau A2 maakt u met pen en papier."

Four assignments in 40 minutes — 10 minutes each. They mirror real life: a short email, a short text about yourself, or filling in a form.

Writing is marked by people, not a computer. The exam regulations say certified assessors do it. That matters: a human checks whether your message is clear. You do not need to write flawlessly.

Speaking: talking to a computer

For Speaking you sit at a computer with a headset, watch videos and images, and record your answers. There is no examiner facing you.

DUO's practice exams have 16 questions in four kinds: questions with a video, with 1 image, with 2 images and with 3 images.

How much do you need correct?

This is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is: DUO does not publish it.

You will find plenty of numbers online. "18 out of 25." "19 out of 25." "500 points." None of those appear on any official page, and they contradict each other. What the regulations actually say is this:

On your result you get "pass" or "fail" plus a grade per part. And the plain-language summary of the regulations contains one reassuring line: not all answers need to be correct in order to pass.

So: a boundary exists, it is officially set, and you cannot look it up. Do not rely on a number from a forum. Practise until you get most questions right — that is the only strategy that works.

How hard is the exam?

The A2 integration exam is not an intelligence test. It is a format, and formats can be learned.

A2 means you can talk about everyday things: your work, your family, shopping, making a doctor's appointment. You do not need to follow a newspaper article about politics.

Most people who fail do not fail because their Dutch is too weak. They fail because they did not know the exam. They did not know Writing is on paper. They had never practised against a clock. They did not know you cannot rewind the Listening audio.

A2 or B1?

Not everyone sits A2. Under the Wet inburgering 2021 the municipality decides your learning route with you, and it is recorded in your PIP (personal integration and participation plan).

• B1 route: targets level B1. This is the standard route.
• Education route: B1 or higher, aimed at further study.
• Self-reliance route (Z-route): level A1, when B1 is not achievable.

Note: under the older Wet inburgering 2013 all language exams had to be at "A2 or higher". The Wet inburgering 2021 took effect on 1 January 2022 — the law is named 2021 but applies from 2022. Many websites get this wrong.

On exam day

A few practical things almost nobody writes down, but which are in the official regulations.

• Those 15 minutes are extra — they do not come off your exam time.
• Phone, bag and watch go in a locker.
• You may use the toilet, but only with supervision.
• The exam is confidential. No photos, no copying questions — that is exam fraud.
• You can change your exam date up to 7 days beforehand.
• Not showing up means paying again.

What do you practise with?

Start with DUO itself: 4 practice exams for Reading, 3 for Listening, 3 for Speaking and 3 for Writing. They are free and they are the real format. Do all of them.

But three or four is not much for learning a format. That is why we have 10 per part, 40 in total — all written by a certified NT2 teacher, not generated by an AI.

Want to start now? Take a free practice exam and see where you stand.