Can I prepare a text and recite it?
It shows immediately and it hurts the interaction mark. Prepare blocks of sentences, not a speech.
The interview: hold an exchange, do not recite
The first half of the speaking paper is a guided conversation on a topic you choose. It is not a prepared speech: the examiner follows up, and how you bounce back is marked.
Page updated 4 September 2026. 10 min read.
What actually happens
You are offered two topics drawn from a repertoire of everyday subjects: work, training, family, friends, free time, food, media, travel, languages, housing. You choose one, and the interview begins.
The examiner asks a first open question, listens to your answer, then picks up on a word you just said. That follow-up is not a trap: it is the normal mechanism of the paper, and it is exactly where the interaction criterion is won.
- You choose your topic from two proposals.
- The examiner asks an open question on the chosen topic.
- Your answer, then one or more follow-ups.
- About five minutes in total, before moving on to the image.
What a follow-up question is
A follow-up is a short question that extends what you just said. "Firwat?" (why), "Wéi laang schonn?" (how long), "An Ärem Land, ass dat d’selwecht?" (is it the same in your country?).
It is predictable because it feeds on your own words. If you say you work in a hospital, expect a question about your hours, your colleagues or what you like most about the job. Preparing three follow-ups per topic is enough to remove the surprise.
- Firwat? Why?
- Wéi laang schonn? For how long?
- Wat gefällt Iech do am beschten? What do you like best about it?
- Kënnt Dir e Beispill ginn? Can you give an example?
- An Ärem Land, ass dat d’selwecht? Is it the same in your country?
The rule: one fact, one reason, one example
A one-word answer costs marks on two criteria at once: task completion and interaction. The fix is mechanical and repeats on every question.
One fact: what you do. One reason: why. One example: a specific time it happened. Three sentences are enough, and they do not have to be long.
A worked example
Question: Wat maacht Dir gär an Ärer Fräizäit? Answer: Ech ginn gär spadséieren. (fact) Well ech de ganzen Dag am Bureau sinn, brauch ech Loft. (reason) Lescht Woch sinn ech mat menger Duechter op Miersch gaang. (example)
When a word will not come
Getting stuck is normal and the grid accounts for it: the criterion "making yourself understood" rewards working around a missing word rather than stopping.
Learn three repair phrases and use them without hesitating. They display a skill, they do not flag a weakness.
- Wéi seet een dat op Lëtzebuergesch? How do you say that in Luxembourgish?
- Ech weess d’Wuert net, mee et ass eppes fir… I do not know the word, but it is something for…
- Ech mengen esou eppes wéi… I mean something like…
- Entschëllegt, ech soen dat anescht. Sorry, let me say it differently.
Handing the turn back
The interaction criterion separates the candidate who answers from the one who converses. Ending one answer in three with a question to the examiner is enough to make the difference, as long as the question stays simple and polite.
Mind the balance: too many questions turn the interview upside down. One or two across five minutes is the right rhythm.
- A Dir, wunnt Dir och zu Lëtzebuerg Stad? And you, do you live in Luxembourg City too?
- Ass dat hei normal? Is that normal here?
- Verstitt Dir, wat ech mengen? Do you see what I mean?
Key points
- The follow-up feeds on your own words, so it is predictable.
- One fact, one reason, one example: three sentences per question.
- Working around a missing word is a marked skill, not an admission of weakness.
- One or two questions back to the examiner are enough to show interaction.
Frequently asked
What if I do not understand the question?
Ask for it again in Luxembourgish: Kënnt Dir dat wannechgelift widderhuelen? Asking marks better than answering the wrong question.
Are the topics known in advance?
The repertoire of everyday subjects is known, but not the two topics you will be offered on the day.
Sources and checking
This guide draws on what the INL publishes (inll.lu and its registration platform), the men.public.lu portal and guichet.lu. Arrangements, amounts, durations and exam sites can change: always confirm with the INL before registering.
Next: put it into practice
The free simulation uses the exact format of the listening paper: three audio documents, fifteen questions, 35 timed minutes, your mark at the end. No account, no payment.