Schrijven is the part people dread, and usually for the wrong reason. They imagine having to write an essay in Dutch. You do not. You fill in forms and write short, practical messages of the kind you would actually send.
What catches people out is something else entirely: this is the only part of the inburgeringsexamen you do with a pen on paper.
The short answer: the A2 Schrijven exam takes 40 minutes, is done with pen and paper, and contains 4 writing tasks. DUO describes these as writing a short letter, for example, or filling in a form. No dictionary is allowed. Ten minutes per task is the timing to practise with.
What the Schrijven exam is
| A2 Schrijven | |
|---|---|
| How | With pen and paper, not on a computer |
| How long | 40 minutes at A2 level |
| Tasks | 4 writing assignments |
| What you write | Short practical texts: filling in a form, writing a short letter or message |
| Dictionary | Not allowed |
These details come from the official DUO exam page. At B1 and B2 the writing exam is part of the Staatsexamen NT2 and lasts 100 minutes, which is a different exam with different expectations.
DUO does not publish a pass mark for Schrijven, so treat any specific score you see quoted online with caution.
Why pen and paper changes how you should prepare
Most people prepare by typing. Then they sit down at the exam, write by hand for the first time in years, and meet three problems at once.
- No autocorrect. Every spelling decision is yours, including jou against jouw and -d against -t endings.
- No deleting. Crossing out and rewriting eats your 40 minutes.
- Handwriting has to be readable. A human being marks this. If they cannot read a word, it cannot earn a point.
So practise the way you will be tested: on paper, with a pen, with a timer. This single change is worth more than another grammar book.
What the four tasks look like
The tasks are practical and drawn from daily life in the Netherlands. Expect things like these.
Filling in a form
Registering for a course, a library card, a doctor's practice. You fill in personal details and then answer one or two open questions, such as why you want to take part, or when you are available.
The open field is where the points are. Two complete sentences are worth more than one word.
A short message or letter
Cancelling an appointment, telling your employer you are ill, asking a neighbour something, replying to an invitation. Usually you are told what to include, for example: say why you cannot come, and suggest a new date.
The single most important habit: answer every instruction
These tasks are marked against the instructions. If the task says to do three things, and you do two of them beautifully, you lose the third mark no matter how good your Dutch is.
So before you write, count the instructions. If it says Schrijf waarom u niet kunt komen en stel een nieuwe datum voor, that is two things. Write one sentence for each, then check them off.
This is the most common reason strong candidates lose points, and it has nothing to do with language.
A model answer you can copy the shape of
Task: you have a dentist appointment on Tuesday at 10:00 but you have to work. Write a message to cancel and ask for a new appointment.
Geachte mevrouw De Vries,
Ik heb een afspraak bij u op dinsdag 14 oktober om 10.00 uur. Helaas kan ik niet komen, omdat ik dan moet werken.
Kan ik een nieuwe afspraak maken? Ik kan op woensdag of donderdag na 15.00 uur.
Alvast bedankt.
Met vriendelijke groet,
Ana Silva
Look at what this does: it names the appointment, gives a reason, asks the question, offers an alternative, and closes politely. Six short sentences, no complicated grammar, every instruction answered.
Simple correct Dutch scores better than ambitious Dutch with mistakes. This is the opposite of how most people study.
Sentence patterns worth memorising
Learn a small set of ready-made sentences and you can assemble most answers from them under time pressure.
| Purpose | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Opening (formal) | Geachte heer/mevrouw, |
| Opening (informal) | Beste Sanne, |
| Saying why you write | Ik schrijf u omdat... |
| Cancelling | Helaas kan ik niet komen, omdat... |
| Asking | Kunt u mij laten weten of... |
| Proposing | Kan het ook op vrijdag? |
| Thanking | Alvast bedankt voor uw reactie. |
| Closing (formal) | Met vriendelijke groet, |
| Closing (informal) | Groetjes, |
Keep the register consistent. If you open with Geachte heer/mevrouw, stay with u throughout and close with Met vriendelijke groet. Mixing u and je in one letter is a visible mistake, and our article on jij, u and jullie explains which to choose.
The spelling mistakes that cost points
| Trap | Correct |
|---|---|
| jou / jouw | voor jou (for you), jouw fiets (your bike) |
| -d / -t in verbs | ik word, hij wordt, ik heb gewerkt, ik heb gewoond |
| hij wordt | Never hij word. The -t stays with hij and zij |
| Capital letters | Days and months are lowercase: maandag, oktober |
| Dates | 14 oktober 2026, and times with a period or a colon: 10.00 uur |
Handwriting matters here too. If your d and t look identical, the examiner cannot give you the benefit of the doubt.
A four-week preparation plan
| Week | What to do |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Write one short message a day by hand, ten minutes each. Real situations: cancel something, ask a question, reply to an invitation. |
| Week 2 | Learn the sentence patterns above. Write each one out by hand five times, not typed. |
| Week 3 | Do DUO's official practice exam on paper with a timer. Count the instructions in each task before writing. |
| Week 4 | Repeat the practice exam and have someone who speaks Dutch mark it against the instructions, not against style. |
DUO publishes free official practice exams on inburgeren.nl. Print them rather than doing them on screen. Our Schrijven practice pack adds more tasks in the same style with model answers, so you can see what a full-mark answer looks like.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Schrijven exam?
The A2 writing exam lasts 40 minutes and contains four writing tasks. At B1 and B2 the Staatsexamen NT2 writing exam lasts 100 minutes.
Is the Schrijven exam on a computer?
No. At A2 level you write with pen and paper. This is the only part of the inburgeringsexamen that is not taken on a computer, so practise handwriting your answers.
What do you have to write in the Schrijven exam?
Short practical texts. DUO gives the examples of writing a short letter and filling in a form. Typical situations are cancelling an appointment, reporting that you are ill, or registering for something.
Can I use a dictionary in the Schrijven exam?
No. You cannot bring your own materials. Bring valid identification and arrive on time.
How many words should I write?
There is no fixed word count. Answer every instruction in the task with a complete sentence. Short and correct scores better than long and full of mistakes.
What if my handwriting is bad?
Write in clear separate letters rather than joined-up script, and leave space between words. A marker who cannot read a word cannot award a point for it.
Where to go from here
Do one thing today: write a short message by hand, in Dutch, with a ten-minute timer. That single habit prepares you better than any amount of reading about the exam.
Our Schrijven exam page covers the format in more detail, and the inburgeringsexamen overview explains how all five parts fit together. If your grammar is the weak point rather than your exam technique, the A2 course is the place to start.