What do you need to know to pass the exam required of applicants for naturalization?
Nationality
What do you need to know to pass the exam required of applicants for naturalization?
Most candidates for the ‘Sproochentest’, the Luxembourgish test required of applicants for naturalisation, pass the test.
According to data disclosed to Rádio Latina by the National Institute of Languages (INL), responsible for organizing the exam, in the last school year 3,395 people signed up for the ‘Sproochentest’. Of these, 94% showed up on the day of the test and 67% passed. In the previous academic year, 91% of the 3,142 applicants took the exam and 63% passed.
The Luxembourgish language exam is required for applicants for naturalization. A2 levels are required in the oral expression component and B1 in the oral compression component, levels corresponding to the common European framework of reference for languages. One of the legislative changes made in recent years that has made the exam more accessible concerns the way in which the exam score is calculated. To pass the exam, the candidate needs to score at least 50% on the oral expression test (A2). If you can’t, you can make up for it with the grade obtained in the listening test. If the average of the two is at least 50%, pass the test.
What do I need to know in order to pass the exam?
Regarding the skills required by the ‘Sproochentest’, the INL explains on its website that, with regard to oral expression (A2), the candidate must be able to introduce himself, to talk about his family, other people, his conditions of life, education and profession. You also need to be able to describe and compare people, things and activities in a simple way.
With regard to the oral comprehension test (B1), the candidate must be able to understand the essentials when clear language is used to talk about common things in relation to work, school or hobbies, school or hobbies”. They must also be able to “maneuver themselves” in Luxembourgish within the scope of a trip, to produce a simple and coherent speech on familiar subjects and of personal interest, to tell an event, experience or dream, describe a goal, hope and explain in detail succinctly explain the reasons for a project or idea.
Type of exercises, evaluation criteria and duration of the exam
The oral expression component of the ‘Sproochentest’ comprises two parts: a conversation with one of the INL examiners, where the candidate can choose one of two topics (work, family or hobbies, for example); and the description of one of three images. The test lasts 10 minutes (2 x 5 minutes).
Vocabulary, fluency of speech, clarity, use of grammatical structures, coherence, ability to make yourself understood and interactivity are the main evaluation criteria.
The oral comprehension test lasts 25 minutes. The candidate listens to a radio play, a conversation on an everyday subject and a conversation or presentation on a certain topic. Then you have to answer a multiple choice quiz.
Article: Diana Alves | Photo: Anouk Antony
