Public DUO rubric explained · independent self-check

How Inburgering Speaking A2 is assessed

DUO’s public A2 speaking assessment model separates an answer into six dimensions: adequacy and comprehensibility, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, coherence and pronunciation. This page turns those dimensions into a careful recording review. It does not invent a pass score or claim that a home score equals your exam result.

The six public assessment dimensions

1. Adequacy and comprehensibility

This dimension comes first for a reason: an answer must respond to the task and be understandable. The public scale moves from no usable response, through a plausible but incomplete or unclear response, to an adequate answer and then a particularly clear, complete answer. When reviewing a recording, ask: Did I perform every action in the instruction, and would a listener understand my main message without guessing?

2. Vocabulary

The vocabulary scale rewards using your own appropriate words rather than repeating only words from the prompt. At A2, “varied” does not mean rare or academic. A small range of correctly used everyday words is more effective than an ambitious synonym that changes the meaning. Check whether you named the essential person, action, object, time and reason with words that fit the situation.

3. Grammar

The grammar scale looks at the amount of grammatical error across the response. You do not need advanced sentence structures to communicate at A2. Protect the finite verb, subject and basic word order first. Add a simple link such as en, maar, want or omdat only when you can finish the sentence. One short complete sentence is safer than an unfinished complex clause.

4. Fluency

Fluency concerns the flow of speech: long pauses, repeated reformulation and the ability to keep the message moving. It is not a speed contest. Speaking very fast can reduce intelligibility and increase grammar errors. Review whether pauses separate ideas naturally or whether they interrupt nearly every phrase. A useful practice goal is to finish one thought before searching for a better word.

5. Coherence

The public rubric gives coherence a compact scale: the answer either lacks connection or shows some connection, often through simple conjunctions and reference words. For a picture sequence, maintain the same person and timeline. For a preference, connect the choice to its reason. Listen for small bridges such as first, then, because, but, he, she or that.

6. Pronunciation

The official model is about intelligibility, not eliminating every accent. Its strongest description still allows an accent or an occasional incorrectly pronounced word when an untrained listener can understand the response. During self-review, select one sentence and ask whether the important words are clear at normal volume. Do not spend the entire session chasing one sound while the task remains unanswered.

What the published points do — and do not tell you

The public response model shows zero to three points for adequacy and comprehensibility; zero to two for vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation; and zero to one for coherence. A simple sum therefore ranges from zero to twelve for a single self-reviewed response. That total can help you compare two attempts at home, but the cited form does not publish a universal raw-score pass formula for the complete exam.

Do not turn “seven out of twelve” or any other invented threshold into a pass prediction. Official scoring can involve procedures, multiple responses and quality controls that a home checklist cannot reproduce. Use the points diagnostically: a zero identifies a missing or blocked dimension; a higher second attempt shows that a specific change helped.

A six-step recording self-check

1. Record one original A2 prompt without reading a prepared paragraph.
2. Listen once for task completion only; do not correct language yet.
3. Listen again and mark one observation for each dimension.
4. Select the lowest or most disruptive dimension.
5. Change one behaviour and repeat the exact same prompt.
6. Compare the two recordings before moving to a new question.

How practice feedback maps to the rubric

Dutch Speaking Exam Coach gives independent practice feedback on task completion, vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation clarity. Those five areas overlap with much of the public model. The app does not show coherence as a separate official dimension, so use the self-check above for links and logical order. Its overall value is not an official DUO score, cannot reproduce examiner judgement, and does not predict whether you pass.

The useful workflow is smaller: record, review the priority fix, repeat, and decide whether the second answer became clearer. One free lesson contains three original questions and three practice scores. Official mocks remain the source for the actual examination experience.

Frequently asked questions

Which criteria appear in the public A2 speaking model?

Adequacy and comprehensibility, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, coherence and pronunciation.

What is the official pass score?

The cited public response form does not provide a simple complete-exam raw-score pass formula. Avoid unsupported thresholds shared in forums or marketing pages.

Will an accent make me fail?

The public pronunciation descriptions focus on intelligibility and allow an accent. Clear task-relevant words matter more than imitating one regional accent.

What should I practise first?

Start with adequacy: answer the whole instruction. Then fix the single language or delivery issue that most affects understanding. Review the current public exam format before building a full practice set.