One question at a time.

You know quite a lot of Dutch. You understand the text, recognise most of the words and still can’t answer the question.

This happens to many students when they start practising for an A2 or B1 reading exam. The text looks manageable until one question makes everything feel difficult.

One question can shake your confidence

Before long, you are no longer thinking about the question in front of you. You are thinking about your Dutch.

I thought my Dutch was better than this.

Maybe I’m not ready for the exam.

I don’t have time for this.

That reaction is understandable, especially when your exam is only a few months away. But one difficult question does not automatically mean that your level is too low. Sometimes you know enough Dutch, but you don’t know what information the question wants you to find.

Start with the question

When you get stuck, your first instinct may be to read the whole text again. That usually gives you even more information to think about. Make the task smaller instead:

What am I looking for?

Take this question:

Waarom heeft de gemeente besloten om…?

You may not understand every word, but waarom gives you a starting point: you are looking for a reason. Words such as omdat, want, doordat and vanwege may help you find the part where that reason is explained.

The same approach can help with other questions. Wanneer tells you to look for a time or moment. Words such as maar, toch and hoewel can point to a contrast: something is different from what you might expect.

These words do not give you the correct answer. They give you direction, so you can stop trying to understand everything at once and focus on the part you need.

A simple way to get unstuck

The next time your mind goes blank during reading practice, try this:

1. Stop. Don’t immediately read the whole text again.
2. Check the question. Are you looking for a reason, a time, a person, a difference or an opinion?
3. Find the right part. Use words from the question and notice signal words.
4. Read that part carefully. Then compare it with the possible answers.

You may still find the question difficult, and sometimes vocabulary really is the problem. But now you have a way to find out what is stopping you instead of immediately deciding that your Dutch isn’t good enough.