Use these criteria as a revision checklist. Strong oral performances make the scoring evidence clear in the spoken response, not just in the preparation notes.
Criterion A: Language
12 marksExaminer focus: How effectively you command spoken Dutch, including vocabulary, grammar, accuracy, pronunciation, and intonation.
Top-band move: Use varied task-appropriate Dutch, include idiomatic expressions where natural, combine basic and more complex structures, and keep errors from interrupting communication.
Common penalty: Relying on memorized simple phrases, repeating the same vocabulary, or allowing basic grammar and pronunciation errors to obscure meaning.
Criterion B1: Message - visual stimulus
6 marksExaminer focus: How relevant your presentation is to the selected visual stimulus and how clearly you link the stimulus to target-language culture.
Top-band move: Interpret both explicit and implicit details in the image, connect them to a clear cultural idea, and include a personal response rather than description alone.
Common penalty: Describing what is visible without developing meaning, cultural context, or a sustained link to the stimulus.
Criterion B2: Message - conversation
6 marksExaminer focus: How appropriately, thoroughly, and relevantly you answer follow-up questions and broader theme questions.
Top-band move: Develop answers with reasons, examples, personal interpretations, and occasional attempts to keep the exchange moving.
Common penalty: Giving one-sentence answers, answering only part of the question, or staying so narrow that the conversation lacks depth.
Criterion C: Interactive skills - communication
6 marksExaminer focus: How well you understand the examiner, sustain participation, and contribute independently in the target language.
Top-band move: Show comprehension quickly, ask for clarification naturally when needed, and add independent detail instead of waiting for each prompt.
Common penalty: Needing repeated rephrasing, pausing without repair strategies, or participating only in short prompted fragments.
Criterion A: Language
12 marksExaminer focus: How effectively you command spoken Dutch, with HL expectations for nuanced vocabulary, selective structures, accuracy, and clear pronunciation.
Top-band move: Use varied and nuanced Dutch purposefully, including idiomatic language where it enhances the message, and choose structures that support interpretation of the literary extract.
Common penalty: Using generally correct language without enough range, nuance, or control for the HL task.
Criterion B1: Message - literary extract
6 marksExaminer focus: How relevant, convincing, and well-supported your presentation is in relation to the studied literary extract.
Top-band move: Make effective use of the extract, support observations with specific references, and develop opinions instead of making generalized comments.
Common penalty: Summarizing the passage, making unsupported claims, or treating the extract as a theme prompt rather than a literary text.
Criterion B2: Message - conversation
6 marksExaminer focus: How appropriately, thoroughly, and relevantly you respond during the follow-up conversation.
Top-band move: Extend answers with interpretation, examples, and personal engagement while keeping responses broad enough to show depth across the discussion.
Common penalty: Answering mechanically, repeating prepared points, or giving narrow responses that do not really develop the examiner's question.
Criterion C: Interactive skills - communication
6 marksExaminer focus: How consistently you understand, interact, maintain the conversation, and contribute in the target language.
Top-band move: Respond without excessive dependence on the examiner, build on questions independently, and keep the exchange fluent even when repairing mistakes.
Common penalty: Depending on repeated prompts, dropping into fragments, or showing comprehension only after frequent rephrasing.