Do I have to speak without mistakes to pass?
No. The target is A2: basic forms need to hold, but mistakes remain without causing failure.
The eight marking criteria, one by one
The speaking paper is not marked on a feeling. It is assessed on eight criteria, on the spot, by the two examiners in the room. Knowing which ones changes how you practise.
Page updated 4 September 2026. 11 min read.
Why the grid matters more than your level
Two candidates at the same level of Luxembourgish can get very different marks, because the grid rewards specific behaviour and not only knowledge. A correct one-word answer is worth less than three imperfect but complete sentences.
So the right method is to train criterion by criterion. A candidate who knows coherence is the weak point spends two weeks on connectors, not on transport vocabulary.
The four production criteria
The first four look at the raw material of what you say: the words, the forms, the pace and the sounds.
- Range: how wide your vocabulary is and how well it fits the topic. Reusing the same five verbs from start to finish costs marks here.
- Basic grammatical structures: word order, present and perfect tenses, cases after prepositions. A2 does not mean flawless, but the basic forms have to hold.
- Fluency: your pace and the length of your pauses. Two long silences weigh more than ten small hesitations.
- Clarity: pronunciation and articulation. Luxembourgish long vowels must be held, not clipped.
The five-verb test
Record two minutes on one topic, then count your verbs. Fewer than eight different verbs signals a range problem, however good your pronunciation is.
The four communication criteria
The next four look at what your speech does to the other person: is the task done, does it hang together, is it understood, does it turn into an exchange.
- Task completion: did you answer the question asked, describe the image, say enough? One-word answers are penalised even when they are correct.
- Coherence: how your ideas follow one another. Connectors beyond "an" and "awer" lift this mark.
- Making yourself understood: can the examiner follow you without asking you to repeat? Rephrasing when you are stuck works in your favour.
- Interaction: are you holding an exchange or reciting? Reacting, picking the thread back up and asking a question in return is a marked criterion.
How to train each criterion
Each of the eight criteria has its own drill. Mixing drills together means training none of them in particular.
- Range: list ten words per topic and force yourself to place them in a two-minute recording.
- Structures: take three sentences from your recording and say them again, correctly, out loud.
- Fluency: speak for sixty seconds without stopping, mistakes included, then do it again.
- Clarity: read one sentence, listen back, compare with a model, repeat three times.
- Task completion: apply the rule "one fact, one reason, one example" to every answer.
- Coherence: require three different connectors per answer (well, awer, dofir, dono, well ech mengen).
- Making yourself understood: when a word is missing, describe it instead of going silent.
- Interaction: end one answer in three with a question back to the examiner.
Placing yourself honestly
The hard part of working alone is that you do not always know what is costing you points. The grid above is public: read it criterion by criterion before every practice session.
LetzTest prepares the other half of the exam, listening, with a simulation in the real format: three audio documents, fifteen questions, 35 timed minutes, then every answer explained. Speaking itself is marked by the INL examiners on the day.
Key points
- Eight criteria, four of which are about communication rather than language itself.
- One-word answers cost marks on two criteria at once.
- Every criterion has its own drill: training "in general" moves none of the eight.
- Without recording yourself, fluency and clarity stay invisible.
Frequently asked
Is silence better than a wrong sentence?
No. Silence hits fluency, task completion and interaction at the same time.
Do the two examiners mark separately?
One leads the interview, the other listens and marks. The assessment is made on the spot, on the criteria grid.
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.