The Inburgering A2 Writing Exam: Tasks, Marking & Examples

DUO marks A2 writing on whether your answer fits the task and can be understood, as well as its spelling and word use. Emails and other free texts also count grammar and coherence. If task fulfilment receives zero, every other aspect of that task receives zero too.

Below are six practice tasks from our authored A2 lessons, with the original model answers and English explanations. They are our practice material, not official DUO exam questions or officially graded answers. You can write and compare an answer here without an account.

What to practise for A2 Schrijven

A2 writing includes more than emails. Practise filling in a form, leaving instructions in a note, sending a message, and describing an everyday situation. For current exam arrangements and official practice materials, use DUO’s exam-content page. Check the exam in your official plan: this guide covers A2; the English exam guide explains the different exam routes.

Our free writing practice page has seven different A2 and B1 tasks. Its A2 examples cover returning a broken lamp, leaving a restaurant colleague instructions, reporting a stolen bicycle and asking a friend for help moving. None of those tasks is repeated below.

How DUO marks an A2 answer

The official marking models separate forms from free writing and correspondence:

Task type	What counts
Form	Task fulfilment and understandability; spelling; word use
Free text or correspondence	Those three aspects, plus grammar and coherence (how the text holds together)

Source: DUO’s A2 form marking model and A2 free-writing and correspondence marking model. Checked on 2026-10-02.

The adequacy-zero rule applies to one task

A text that is unreadable, cannot be recognised as an answer to the task, or is absent gets zero for adequacy. DUO then gives the other aspects of that task zero too. This does not mean one task automatically makes the whole exam zero.

An incomplete or unclear answer has a separate description in the model. Missing one detail is not an automatic zero. Check every requested point before polishing your sentences. A correct greeting cannot replace the reason, date or request the task asks for.

These are the published marking rules, not a promise of a particular score for the examples below. Each real task has its own specific requirements.

Try six tasks before reading the model answers

Use paper or your own notes. Read the Dutch instructions, write your answer, then compare it with the model. You do not need to use the same wording. Check whether you gave the requested information and whether your sentences make it understandable.

The Dutch tasks and answers below are copied from our authored lessons. Vocabulary highlighting has been removed; line breaks make the answers easier to read. Names and contact details in the models are practice details.

1. Fill in a library registration form

The form asks for four personal details and answers to two questions. Fill in each field; then say what books you like and how often you want to visit.

Original Dutch task

Bibliotheek inschrijving

U wilt lid worden van de bibliotheek in uw buurt. U vult het inschrijfformulier in.

Vul het formulier in. Sommige gegevens moet u zelf bedenken.

Inschrijfformulier Bibliotheek

Voor- en achternaam:
Adres:
Geboortedatum:
E-mailadres:

Welke soort boeken leest u graag?

Hoe vaak wilt u de bibliotheek bezoeken?

Model answer

Naam: Fatima El Amrani
Adres: Tulpstraat 8, 1234 AB Amsterdam
Geboortedatum: 15 maart 1990
E-mailadres: fatima@email.nl

Ik lees graag boeken over koken en romans. Ik wil de bibliotheek twee keer per week bezoeken.

What this answer covers. The model gives all four personal details. Its final two sentences answer the questions about books and visits. A greeting and an email closing would add nothing to this form.

Check your version. Check both questions below the address fields. A completed name and address section alone is not the whole task.

Source: our A2 writing lesson w08.

2. Leave house rules for a housemate

Write three house rules in complete sentences. The greeting is already given.

Original Dutch task

Briefje huisgenoot

U hebt een nieuwe huisgenoot. U schrijft een briefje met huisregels.

Schrijf een briefje voor uw huisgenoot.
Schrijf drie regels voor in huis.
Schrijf in hele zinnen.

Hallo,

Model answer

Hallo, doe de afwas na het eten. Maak elke zaterdag de badkamer schoon. Maak geen lawaai na 22:00 uur.

What this answer covers. The model gives three separate instructions: wash the dishes after eating, clean the bathroom each Saturday, and keep quiet after 22:00. Each is a sentence, rather than a list of nouns.

Check your version. Count the rules. The task asks for three, so one instruction about cleaning does not cover the whole request.

Source: our A2 writing lesson w09.

3. Ask a friend to lend you a textbook

Name the book, explain why you want to borrow it, and say when you will return it. The return date is yours to choose.

Original Dutch task

Boek lenen

Voor je cursus Nederlands heb je het boek ‘Nederlands in Actie’ nodig. In de bibliotheek is het boek niet. Je vriendin Wilma heeft het boek. Je wilt het van haar lenen. Je schrijft haar een e-mail.

• Schrijf welk boek je wilt lenen.
  
• Schrijf waarom je het boek van haar wilt lenen.
  
• Schrijf wanneer ze het boek terugkrijgt. Bedenk zelf wanneer.
  

Schrijf de e-mail.
Schrijf in hele zinnen.

Beste Wilma,

Model answer

Beste Wilma, ik heb het boek ‘Nederlands in Actie’ nodig voor mijn cursus. In de bibliotheek is het niet beschikbaar. Mag ik het van jou lenen? Ik geef het volgende maand terug. Groetjes!

What this answer covers. The model names the book and the course, explains that the library does not have it, and promises to return it next month. “Mag ik het van jou lenen?” makes the request clear.

Check your version. Find the return date in your answer. A polite borrowing request without it leaves one of the task points unanswered.

Source: our A2 writing lesson w10.

4. Email the GP practice for an appointment

Say why you want an appointment, describe the symptoms given in the task, and ask when you can come.

Original Dutch task

Afspraak huisarts

U hebt al een week hoofdpijn en u bent erg moe. U wilt een afspraak maken bij de huisarts. U schrijft een e-mail aan de huisartsenpraktijk.

• Schrijf waarom u een afspraak wilt maken.
  
• Schrijf welke klachten u hebt.
  
• Vraag wanneer u kunt komen.
  

Schrijf de e-mail.
Schrijf in hele zinnen.

Beste meneer/mevrouw,

Model answer

Beste meneer/mevrouw, ik wil graag een afspraak maken bij de huisarts. Ik heb al een week hoofdpijn en ik ben erg moe. Wanneer kan ik komen? Met vriendelijke groet.

What this answer covers. The model keeps both given symptoms: a headache for a week and feeling very tired. It asks “Wanneer kan ik komen?” Do not replace the given week with a different duration from a memorised email.

Check your version. Underline the reason, symptoms and appointment question in your answer. Each should be easy to find.

Source: our A2 writing lesson w12.

5. Report broken heating

Explain the problem, say how long it has lasted, and ask for someone to repair it.

Original Dutch task

Verwarming kapot

U woont in een huurwoning. De verwarming werkt al drie dagen niet. Het is erg koud in uw huis. U schrijft een e-mail aan de woningcorporatie.

• Schrijf wat het probleem is.
  
• Schrijf sinds wanneer het probleem is.
  
• Vraag of ze iemand kunnen sturen om het te repareren.
  

Schrijf de e-mail.
Schrijf in hele zinnen.

Beste meneer/mevrouw,

Model answer

Beste meneer/mevrouw, ik schrijf omdat de verwarming in mijn huis al drie dagen niet werkt. Het is erg koud. Kunt u iemand sturen? Met vriendelijke groet.

What this answer covers. The model keeps the three-day duration and explains that the house is very cold. “Kunt u iemand sturen?” gives the housing organisation a clear next action.

Check your version. Check the duration. The task says three days; an otherwise useful complaint can still miss that requested detail.

To have your own version of this e-mail corrected, use the free A2 writing check. No account needed.

Source: our A2 writing lesson w14.

6. Describe a hobby for a neighbourhood newspaper

Write at least three sentences about the hobby, how often you do it and with whom, and why you like it.

Original Dutch task

Hobby

U krijgt elke week een wijkkrant. Iedereen uit de buurt mag iets voor deze krant schrijven.
U schrijft over uw hobby. Schrijf minimaal drie zinnen op. Denk aan:

• Wat is uw hobby?
  
• Hoe vaak doet u dat en met wie?
  
• Waarom vindt u het leuk?
  

Schrijf in hele zinnen.

Dit is mijn tekst over mijn hobby:

Model answer

Mijn hobby is voetbal. Ik voetbal twee keer per week met mijn vrienden. Ik vind het leuk omdat het gezond is en ik lekker buiten ben.

What this answer covers. The model names football, gives a frequency and companions, and explains why the writer enjoys it. It is a short description, so an email greeting and request are unnecessary.

Check your version. Check both parts of the middle question: how often, and with whom. Answering only one leaves the other unanswered.

Source: our A2 writing lesson w18.

Use templates after you read the task

The examples above show why one template cannot fit every answer. An email needs a recipient; a form needs filled-in fields. A note with three instructions needs three instructions.

For an email, you can reuse the greeting and closing from the authored answers. Put the task-specific information between them. These frames reuse wording from lessons w12 and w10; the brackets are placeholders, not an answer to hand in.

Polite email frame

Beste meneer/mevrouw,
[Answer the task’s requested points here.]
Met vriendelijke groet.

Use this for an organisation, such as the GP practice or housing provider. Ask the question the task requests. In lesson w12, that is when you can come; in w14, it is whether someone can be sent.

Message to a friend

Beste Wilma,
[Answer the task’s requested points here.]
Groetjes!

Use the friend’s name from the task. “Beste” does not always mean a formal relationship: w10 opens with “Beste Wilma” but uses “jou” in the request. The recipient and situation determine how you address them.

Keep the prompt’s facts

Before using a saved phrase, list the facts the prompt gives you. In w12, keep “al een week” and both symptoms. In w14, keep “al drie dagen.” When the task says bedenk zelf (“think of it yourself”), you may choose that detail, as w10 does with the return date.

There is no fixed sentence count for all six tasks. W09 asks for three rules; w18 asks for at least three sentences. Follow the instructions in front of you, rather than a universal word-count target.

Review your answer on paper

For each task, check the content first:

1. Find a sentence or filled-in field for every requested point.
2. Compare dates, times and other given facts with the prompt.
3. Read your text as the recipient. Can they tell what happened and what you want?
4. Check spelling and word use. For a free text, also check grammar and how the sentences connect.
5. Remove any template brackets or details copied from a different scenario.

A model answer is one possible way to meet the task. A different hobby or return date can work when the prompt allows you to choose. The checks above help you compare content; they do not calculate an official exam grade.

For more practice, use the seven other writing tasks, including B1 examples. If you need feedback on your own Dutch, write an answer in the app. The app’s practice feedback is not an official DUO result.

Recorded feedback on a huisarts email

The coach passed this practice answer even though it contained “Ik hebben”. It pointed out the verb error as a tip for next time. The revision also passed. This is one recorded example, not evidence of general grading accuracy.

The task and first answer

On 2 October 2026, we submitted an invented answer to this A2 practice task. We changed “Ik heb” in the lesson’s model answer to “Ik hebben”. No real learner’s work is used here.

Afspraak huisarts

U hebt al een week hoofdpijn en u bent erg moe. U wilt een afspraak maken bij de huisarts. U schrijft een e-mail aan de huisartsenpraktijk.

• Schrijf waarom u een afspraak wilt maken.
• Schrijf welke klachten u hebt.
• Vraag wanneer u kunt komen.

Schrijf de e-mail.
Schrijf in hele zinnen.

Beste meneer/mevrouw,

Submitted answer

Beste meneer/mevrouw, ik wil graag een afspraak maken bij de huisarts. Ik hebben al een week hoofdpijn en ik ben erg moe. Wanneer kan ik komen? Met vriendelijke groet.

Actual feedback: practice pass

Good job, you passed and can move on to the next exercise.
One tip for next time: with “ik”, the verb has no -en ending.
Ik heb al een week hoofdpijn — With “ik” in the present tense, use the verb stem: ik heb, not ik hebben.
Also, end your email with your name after the closing, like a real email.

The offered question and actual reply

The coach offered two questions. We asked the first one, exactly as offered. This conversation explains the correction; it did not generate a new exercise.

Why is it “ik heb” and not “ik hebben”?

In Dutch, the verb ending changes with the subject. With “ik” you use the stem, with no ending: ik werk, ik woon, ik ben. “Hebben” is the infinitive, the form you find in a dictionary. You use it with “wij”, “zij” (they) and “jullie”, and in sentences like “Ik wil een afspraak hebben”.

“Hebben” is also irregular. The stem would be “heb”, and that is the form you need: ik heb, jij hebt, wij hebben. In your email, “ik wil graag een afspraak maken” is correct because “wil” is the verb that goes with “ik”. “Maken” is a second verb and stays in the infinitive.

The exam checks grammar on a writing task like this. Verb endings with “ik” are the kind of slip it looks at, so it’s worth getting automatic.

A voluntary revision

We then submitted the original model answer as a revision. The feedback acknowledged “Ik heb” and still suggested changes to the email layout. The first answer had already passed; this revision did not turn a failure into a pass.

Beste meneer/mevrouw, ik wil graag een afspraak maken bij de huisarts. Ik heb al een week hoofdpijn en ik ben erg moe. Wanneer kan ik komen? Met vriendelijke groet.

Actual feedback: practice pass

Nice work, you passed and can move on to the next exercise.
You fixed the verb: “Ik heb” is correct now, and your email covers the reason, your complaints and the question.
One tip for next time: put your name on a new line after “Met vriendelijke groet”, like in a real email.
Also start the first line after “Beste meneer/mevrouw,” on a new line with a capital letter.

The same answer in a fresh conversation

We also submitted that model answer independently, without the earlier feedback. It passed, but the coach suggested completing the closing with a name. “Anna” below is the coach’s example name, not a learner’s identity.

Good job, you passed! You covered the reason, your symptoms and the question about when you can come.
One tip for next time: end a formal email with your name, so the closing is complete.
Met vriendelijke groet, Anna — A formal email ends with the greeting, a comma and then your name on the same or next line.
Also, you could add ‘Alvast bedankt’ before the closing. This is optional.

Where this recording came from

Recorded on 2 October 2026 using our coaching system in a test environment and invented answers. These are the actual AI replies. AI agents prepared and checked the example; no human or official grading review is claimed.

An earlier recording failed and was kept; this one followed a code repair. The downloadable recording contains all five results, the task source, recording method and model details.

A practice pass is not an official DUO score or an exam-pass prediction. You can use the example to understand the feedback you might receive, then write your own answer in the app.