Sproochentest examples: INLL's official sample test, step by step

INLL publishes a free sample Sproochentest: three sample interviews, two sample photos, the assessment grid, listening instructions, an audio file, an answer sheet and an answer key. This guide shows what is inside each file and turns each one into a practice session you can run today.

What INLL publishes, file by file

The Sample tests section of INLL's Sproochentest page says the examples of the two tests give information on their content. Every file downloads without an account.

The speaking test in three sample interviews

The regulation of 22 July 2019 (article 5) describes the speaking test: the examiner proposes two topics, you choose one for the interview, and then you describe one of three visual supports. INLL gives 10 minutes in total, 2 parts of 5. Two examiners are present: the interlocutor leads the conversation and gives a global mark that counts for 20 percent, and the observer's marks count for 80 percent of a final mark of up to 100 points.

How the interview sheets are built

The sleep and celebrations sheets share one arc: general questions first, then the past, then the present, then wider opinions, then plans. Here is one question from each stage, in INLL's own Luxembourgish with an English gloss:

Three habits to build from these sheets:

• Answer both branches. The sheets split into Wa jo (if yes) and Wann net (if not). The "no" branch continues with Firwat net? (Why not?), so a short "no" still needs a reason.
• Give details. The sheets repeat Erzielt eis kuerz wgl.! Gitt eis wgl. e puer Detailer! (Please tell us briefly, please give us a few details). Prepare two or three sentences per question, not one.
• Be ready for past and conditional. Both newer sheets ask about last time (fir d'lescht) and about wishes (géingt Dir gär).

A five-minute practice session

1. Read the opening questions of two sheets and choose the one you can answer better. On the day you choose between two topics in the same way.
2. Start a five minute timer, answer aloud in full sentences and record yourself on your phone.
3. Play it back and listen for verbs: did the past questions get past answers?
4. Repeat tomorrow with the other sheet.

MoienLab's A2 oral practice turns the same routine into eight topics: family, work, leisure, housing, daily routine, hobbies, travel and health. Your recording stays in your browser.

The speaking test in two sample photos

Both photo PDFs carry the same instruction: Wat gesitt Dir? (What do you see?) followed by Beschreift: d'Situatioun, d'Aktivitéit(en), d'Persounen (Describe: the situation, the activity or activities, the people).

• Photo 1 shows customers at a market stall, with tomatoes, melons and a set of scales on the counter.
• Photo 2 shows a family walking along a beach under palm trees: a man with a straw hat and a beach ball, two children with a pink bucket and a woman carrying a blue inflatable.

Give yourself one minute per photo and follow INLL's order: the situation (where are they), the activities (what are they doing), the people (who is there, what do they wear), then one extra detail. Photo description practice in MoienLab uses 13 photos, three shown at a time, so you rehearse the same order on new images. For the full method, read speaking topics and picture description.

How examiners mark the speaking test

INLL's assessment grid marks four criteria, each from 0 to 5: lexis (range and fit of your vocabulary), morphosyntax (range and correctness of grammar), phonetics (how clearly you express yourself and how fluently you speak) and task fulfilment (interacting in a conversation, describing, and expressing yourself understandably and coherently). The grid describes the language expected as the standard language used in private and public life at that level. The pass mark and scoring guide shows how the 20 and 80 percent weighting becomes a result.

The listening sample: audio, answer sheet and key

The real listening test has three recordings, each played twice: a news bulletin or news extract, a conversation or dialogue, and a recording with information on a given subject. The regulation (article 6) sets 25 minutes in total, with one answer ticked per question on the answer sheet and a correction grid of 100 points. Guichet.lu describes the same three tracks, with a multiple-choice questionnaire after each listening session.

The sample answer sheet shows the shape of the paper:

That is 16 questions in total. Twelve offer boxes A, B and C and four offer A and B. The sheet states the rule in Luxembourgish: Et ass ëmmer nëmmen eng Äntwert richteg (there is always exactly one correct answer).

A full listening run

1. Print the answer sheet, or copy its 16 rows onto paper.
2. Play the mp3 from start to finish without pausing. INLL's tablet instructions say the test cannot be stopped once it starts and that you cannot go back from one exercise to the next.
3. Tick one box per question, then open the answer key and mark your sheet.
4. For each miss, replay that part of the audio and find the words that decided the answer.

The audio file is 27 minutes 52 seconds, against 25 minutes in the regulation, so keep a half hour free.

Because every candidate gets a different test, finishing the sample is the start of your listening practice. The listening practice guide gives a loop for the rest, and the exam day guide walks through the tablet session.

Practise beyond the samples

• The free level test gives you your level in under 8 minutes: 12 questions across A1, A2 and B1, no account needed.
• B1 listening has four sets, each with a radio news item, an everyday conversation and a talk. Set 1 is free, with audio, transcript reveal, questions and answers.
• Full Access gives you the complete practice route for 12 months with one payment and no subscription: all 57 lessons from A1.1 to B1, A2 oral practice, photo description, B1 listening sets 2 to 4 and the timed mock exam. Get Full Access and rehearse the sample's task types every week until your exam date.