The B1 speaking section tests whether you can respond quickly and clearly in everyday situations: answering a question about your own life, giving your opinion and a reason for it, describing a situation or a picture, or reacting to a short scenario such as asking a neighbour for help or calling to move an appointment. In the Staatsexamen NT2, and in much of the Inburgeringsexamen, this is done on a computer: you hear or read a prompt, then record your answer within a fixed time, with no examiner in front of you nodding you along (formats can change, so check the current official description). That makes the biggest score-killer not grammar mistakes — assessors expect some at B1 — but silence: stopping mid-sentence because you do not know a word, instead of describing around it. Asagno's speaking practice uses the same AI roleplay engine built for real-life scenarios (an apartment viewing, a visit to the huisarts, a job interview), set to B1 level, so you rehearse actually talking — with a "what can I say?" hint when you get stuck and a full report afterwards covering your objectives, mistakes and suggested phrases.
What you'll learn
- The typical B1 task types: questions about yourself, an opinion with a reason, describing a situation, reacting to a short scenario
- Speaking to a timer: filling your answer time with complete, relevant sentences instead of stopping early
- How to describe around a word you do not know instead of going silent
- Phrases for giving and defending an opinion: "Ik vind dat ...", "Volgens mij ...", "Ik ben het (niet) eens met ...", "Zullen we ...?"
- AI roleplay practice at B1 level, by text or voice, with a "what can I say?" hint and a full end-of-session report
Two habits that protect your score
Forgot the word for "landlord" (verhuurder)? Say "de persoon die de woning verhuurt" (the person who rents out the home) instead of stopping. Assessors consistently reward this kind of circumlocution over silence.
"Ik vind het belangrijk om Nederlands te leren, omdat ik met mijn buren wil praten." — "I think it is important to learn Dutch, because I want to talk with my neighbours." Opinion + omdat + reason is the shape many B1 speaking tasks are looking for.
Frequently asked questions
Is the speaking test with a real person or a computer?
In the Staatsexamen NT2, and in much of the Inburgeringsexamen, you record your answers on a computer and they are assessed afterwards by trained assessors — but formats can change, so check the current description published by DUO before your exam. Asagno's AI roleplay is practice for speaking under those conditions; it never claims to be the real exam.
Will my accent cost me points?
What matters is whether you can be understood, not whether you sound native. Clear pronunciation of the sounds that change meaning (p vs b, short vs long vowels) matters; a noticeable accent on its own is normal at B1.
Can I practise by voice, not just text?
Yes — every roleplay scenario supports both text and voice.