Certificates and Levels

On completing the first two levels (A1/2), you are considered a basic user of the language, which means that you can converse in simple everyday Dutch, give information about yourself, your environment, your daily routine, the place you live, your profession, and ask for or give information about any needs you may have.  

Once you have completed the next two levels (B1 and B2), you are considered an independent user of Dutch. This means that you can participate in dialogues in Dutch with greater ease and understand more complex texts. Furthermore, at this level you are able to express your thoughts and opinions with greater clarity and on a wider range of topics. 

The two highest levels refer to proficient users of Dutch. Your comprehension ability is very high at this level, as you are able to understand almost everything you encounter in your social, professional or academic environment. You can also produce language fluently in both written and spoken form.

The certifications available for the Dutch language are those issued by Belgium and those issued by the Netherlands. 

The Dutch language certificate issued in Belgium can be obtained at one of the examination centres in many different countries. One of them is Greece. There are five different certificates: one for level A2, one for level B1, two for level B2 and one for level C1.

To be more precise, the A2 certificate, for instance, aims to test the ability to communicate adequately in everyday situations.

At the B1 level, the ability to communicate in more formal communicative situations is tested, e.g., at a public service.

At the B2 level, there are two exams. One tests the ability to interact in a professional environment, focusing on professions in medicine and management, and the other tests the ability to cope with the demands of studying in Belgium or the Netherlands.

Finally, the C1 examination tests whether one can communicate at a high level in a professional environment, focusing in particular on education, in other words, whether he/she is deemed capable of teaching at a university.   

The Dutch language certificate issued by the Netherlands is also conducted there exclusively and comprises two certificates: one for level B1 and one for level B2. The first exam tests whether you have sufficient language knowledge to study and work at an intermediate level, with a focus on technical studies. The second exam tests the ability to study and work at a high (university) level.