Kort bericht of korte brief
A short message with a purpose — cancel, complain, ask — built from three points the task names.
13 of our B1 writing tasks. The prompt gives a situation and three things to do in it: state the problem, give the reason, ask for something. Unlike the A2 version, the reader is usually an organisation — a dental practice, a housing association — so the register is fixed and so is the standard: the message has to be one a Dutch office could act on without writing back to ask what you meant.
How the exam tests this
Part of Schrijven, sat on computer and marked by two assessors. The task states a length, commonly 30–70 or 40–90 words, and lists what the message must contain. Assessors judge whether the reader gets what they need, whether the register fits the reader, and whether the Dutch is clear enough not to obstruct that — in that order. A message missing one of the listed points cannot reach the top band however well it is written.
What is wrong with this sentence?
Kunt u laten weten wanneer de lift gerepareerd wordt?
Most candidates write it exactly like this and lose the mark without knowing why.
The rest of this lesson
The rule, the worked examples, the exceptions and what to do in the exam room open with Mastery, together with every other lesson for this exam.
See plans