At the end of the 2nd year of secondary school, your child sits the CE1D Dutch exam: an external test shared by all schools of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French-speaking education in Belgium). It assesses four skills, both written and spoken. Here is how it works, what is expected of pupils and how to help them prepare calmly.
What is the CE1D Dutch exam?
The CE1D (certificat d’études du premier degré, the lower secondary certificate) is taken in the 2nd year of secondary school. It includes four external exams: French, mathematics, science and modern languages. The modern languages exam is taken in the language the pupil studies: Dutch, English or German.
The questions, instructions and marking criteria are the same for every pupil. The exam takes place in mid-June: in 2027, the written part is scheduled for Friday 18 June, and the oral part between 18 and 24 June, on a day chosen by the school.
The target level is A2- on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In practice, your child is expected to understand and produce short, simple messages in familiar situations. A few basic mistakes are accepted: the reference structure remains the simple sentence.
The 4 skills tested in the CE1D Dutch exam
The exam is marked out of 100 points, spread over four skills. It gives priority to speaking and listening: each counts for 30 points.
- Listening (30 points): listening to recordings and picking out the key information.
- Reading (20 points): reading short texts and answering questions.
- Writing (20 points): writing two texts of about 60 words each.
- Speaking (30 points): presenting a topic, then holding a conversation with the teacher.
The written part is taken as a group. It is split into two blocks with a break in between: one booklet for listening and reading, then one booklet for writing. Dictionaries are not allowed.
Listening (luisteren)
Your child listens to several recordings, for example a testimony or a conversation. They must pick out specific information, such as a tip, a time or a place. This is often the part that worries pupils most, because they cannot pause the recording.
The good news is that listening is easy to practise at home. Regularly listening to simple Dutch gets the ear used to its rhythm and accent.
Reading (lezen)
The texts are short and close to a teenager’s daily life: a message, an advert, a magazine article. Pupils must find the useful information without necessarily understanding every word. Guessing the meaning of a word from its context saves a lot of time.
Writing (schrijven)
In the CE1D Dutch exam, the writing task consists of two texts of about 60 words, each in a specific situation: replying to a message, inviting a friend, describing a weekend, giving an opinion. The marker first checks that the text answers the task, then looks at the quality of the language.
Points are most often lost because of:
- instructions read too quickly, so that a required element is missing;
- word order and the position of the verb, a classic difficulty in Dutch;
- limited vocabulary, which makes the text repetitive;
- forgetting the usual opening and closing of a message (greeting, signature).
Speaking (spreken)
The oral exam is individual, with the teacher. Your child draws a speaking card at random and has ten minutes to prepare, with a sheet of scrap paper. The talk itself then lasts about five minutes.
It has two stages:
- without interaction: the pupil presents a topic based on the card (introducing themselves, describing their hobbies, talking about their school…);
- with interaction: the teacher starts a role-played conversation linked to what has just been said.
For the CE1D Dutch oral, the key is daring to speak. A pupil who uses simple but complete sentences scores more points than one who freezes while searching for the perfect sentence.
Passing the CE1D: what changes in 2027
Until 2026, pupils needed 50% in each exam. From June 2027, the pass mark rises to 60% for each of the four CE1D exams, including modern languages. Regular practice therefore matters even more.
If a pupil does not reach the pass mark, the class council can still decide that they have mastered the expected skills. It then bases its decision on the pupil’s record in the first two years: school reports, teachers’ reports and, where relevant, any adjustments made for the pupil.
How to prepare for the CE1D Dutch exam with your child
The best practice remains past papers. The Wallonia-Brussels Federation publishes them on enseignement.be: question booklets, audio tracks and marking guides. There was no exam in 2020, because of the COVID-19 crisis.
To save you time, we have gathered the CE1D Dutch papers from 2017 to 2026 and their answer keys in the My Sherpa student area. Access is free: you just need to create an account.
Access past CE1D Dutch papers for free
A few tips to make the most of them:
- Start early: one full past paper a month from spring onwards, rather than several in June.
- Practise in real conditions: play the audio tracks without pausing, time the written part.
- Mark with the official answer key: it shows what earns points, especially in writing.
- Prepare speaking cards: introducing oneself, family, school, hobbies, holidays. Your child can practise talking about each one for two minutes, then answering your questions.
- Listen to Dutch every day: a short video, a series with Dutch subtitles, a song. A few minutes are enough: regularity makes the difference.
- Review vocabulary by topic: one topic a week, with words to reuse in sentences.
Don’t speak Dutch yourself? You can still play a part: ask the speaking card questions in French, keep an eye on the preparation time, and encourage your child to speak without fear of making mistakes.
The same approach works for the other exams: read our tips for the CE1D French exam and the CE1D English exam, if your child chose English as their modern language.
A coach to prepare for the CE1D Dutch exam
Some pupils need a helping hand, especially for the oral exam. At My Sherpa, an educational advisor assesses your child’s needs and chooses the coach who suits them. The private Dutch lessons take place at home anywhere in Belgium, or online.
The coach works through past papers with your child, trains them for the speaking test and helps them plan their revision right up to exam day.
