Sproochentest guide
What the Examiner Listens For (Sproochentest)
Examiners want to follow you and keep the conversation going, not flawless grammar. Here is what that means, criterion by criterion.
What examiners actually listen for in the Sproochentest is simple: can they understand you, and can you keep the conversation going. They are not waiting for perfect grammar. That is the heart of the speaking test, which runs 10 minutes at level A2, the A2 level of simple everyday talk. Nobody is scoring you against a fluent speaker. They want a person they can follow, with enough words to handle ordinary topics.
Picture the moment. You sit down, the examiner smiles, and the first question is something plain, like where you live or what you do at the weekend. You answer in a short sentence. They nod and ask a follow-up. Already, before you have said anything clever, they are hearing what matters most: did your answer land, and can you keep talking.
The speaking test has two parts of five minutes: a short interview first, then a picture description. Both parts are judged on the same handful of things. Here is what they are, and the one small habit to practise for each.
The seven things we listen for
At LetzPass, our practice scoring is built around seven criteria. This is our own plain-language summary of what examiners assess. The official rubric sits inside Luxembourg law and is not published, so treat this as our checklist, not the word-for-word regulation. There is no public 80/20 weighting; ignore anyone who quotes one.
| What we listen for | What it means | Practise this |
|---|---|---|
| Make yourself understood | The examiner gets your meaning, even with mistakes | Say one clear sentence and stop. A short answer they follow beats a long one they lose. |
| Range of vocabulary | You have enough words for the topic | Keep a few topic words ready so you are not circling the same three. |
| Basic grammar | Simple sentences mostly hold together | Subject, verb, done. Present tense first. Correct and small beats ambitious and broken. |
| Clarity and fluency | You speak steadily, without long freezes | Go a little slower than feels natural. A small pause is fine. A long silence costs you. |
| Responsiveness to the task | You answer the actual question | Hear the question, then answer that one, and add one detail. |
| Coherence | Your sentences connect | Link with one word: well (because) or an (and). A reason is enough. |
| Interactivity | You handle a real back-and-forth | Treat it as a chat. React, look at them, ask for a repeat if you need one. |
Notice none of these reward speeches. The single move that lifts most of them at once is adding a reason. Take a flat answer and bolt a well (because) clause onto it: Ech maache gär Sport, well et gesond ass. (I like doing sports, because it is healthy.) One short sentence like that touches vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and coherence in one go.
Examiners are scoring whether they can understand you and keep talking with you, not whether your grammar is flawless. Aim to be clear, and keep going.
Two criteria most people forget
Responsiveness and interactivity are the ones people underplay, so start there.
Responsiveness. People lose points by reciting a memorised speech that drifts off the question. If they ask why you like your neighbourhood and you describe your whole apartment, you have answered a different question. Hear it, then answer it, then add one detail.
Interactivity. This is a real part of the grade, not a nicety. The interview is a conversation, not a recital. So if a question goes past you, do not freeze and do not guess in silence. Ask for it again: Kënnt Dir dat widderholen, wannechgelift? (Could you repeat that, please?) That is not a penalty. It shows you can manage a real exchange, which is exactly the thing being measured.
For coherence, the smallest tool is a connector. well for because, an for and. A natural closing line like Et ass flott, Frënn ze hunn (It is nice to have friends) makes an answer feel finished rather than dropped.
How "good enough" actually works
You do not need a high score on every row. To pass, you need at least 50 percent in the speaking test. If speaking falls short, you can still pass when the average of speaking and the 35-minute B1 listening test reaches 50 percent. So the seven criteria are not pass-or-fail gates. They feed one speaking score, and you are aiming to clear the line, not to be perfect.
When our app scores your practice, it uses bands that mirror that idea: 50 is a Pass, 70 is a Strong Pass, and 45 to 49 is Borderline, the near-miss zone where one more clear sentence per answer would have carried you over. If your practice keeps landing in Borderline, you are closer than it feels. Usually the fix is small: answer more directly, or add the second sentence.
What this means for how you study
Notice what is not on the list. Nobody grades your accent for beauty, or expects rare vocabulary, or tests reading and writing. The Sproochentest has no written part. It is speaking and listening only.
So the work is narrow. You do not pass by memorising long answers. You pass by saying short, clear ones out loud until they come without thinking. Pick one interview topic, answer five questions on it aloud, add a well to each, and stop. Our practice covers all 17 exam topics and 40 picture scenes, and each answer you record is scored against this same checklist, so you can see which row is dragging you down. But you can start today with nothing but a voice memo and one question.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Sproochentest assessed?
On two tests. Speaking is 10 minutes at A2, an interview then a picture description, graded on how clearly and naturally you communicate. Listening is 35 minutes at B1, answered as multiple choice on a tablet. There is no reading or writing.
What criteria do examiners look for?
The official rubric is not published, so nobody outside the INL can quote it word for word. Our practice scoring tracks seven things: making yourself understood, vocabulary range, basic grammar, clarity and fluency, responsiveness to the task, coherence, and interactivity. That is our summary, and it lines up with normal A2 speaking assessment.
How is it scored to pass?
You need at least 50 percent in speaking, or a speaking-and-listening average of at least 50 percent. Speaking carries the most weight; listening can rescue a near-miss.
Does perfect grammar matter most?
No. Being understood comes first. Small grammar mistakes are normal at A2 and rarely sink an answer. A long silence or a wandering, off-topic reply costs you more.
Is it really hard?
Most of the difficulty is nerves, not grammar. A few weeks of saying short answers out loud gets most people there. The widely-quoted figure of around 70 percent passing is press-reported (Delano, Paperjam), not published by the INL, so treat it as background, not a promise. Your own practice hours are the more useful number.
How can I practise for these criteria at home?
Take one topic, answer its questions out loud, and add a reason with well to each. Then have someone ask you a follow-up so you practise the back-and-forth, not just a single rehearsed line. Our model answers give you a starting line per topic.
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