English Language
Core concepts
The English component tests reading comprehension (skimming, scanning, inference, reference words, tone), vocabulary in context, grammar (tenses, conditionals, passive, reported speech, modal verbs), word formation and gap-fill, and writing (formal letter, essay, opinion piece) with attention to register and cohesion.
Traps examiners set
- Reference questions: it, this, they may point to a whole clause, not the nearest noun.
- Inference items where the answer is implied but never stated; an option that repeats a text phrase is often wrong.
- Tense traps in conditionals: If I had known, I would have come versus the frequent error would have known.
- False friends between Dutch and English: actual (not actueel), eventually (not eventueel), sensible (not sensibel).
- Register errors in formal writing: contractions, slang, and vague linking words.
Rule of thumb
For multiple-choice comprehension, locate the line the question cites, read one sentence before and after, then eliminate any option that adds information the text does not support. The correct option is usually a paraphrase, not a quotation.
Worked example
Text: "The council approved the plan, although critics argued it would drain resources from schools." Question: What does it refer to? The nearest noun is plan, and here that is correct because the critics object to the plan's consequences. But if the sentence read "Critics said the plan would drain resources, which the council denied," then which refers to the whole claim, not to resources.
Writing advice
Use a clear three-part structure, vary sentence length, and deploy formal linkers (furthermore, nevertheless, consequently). Check subject-verb agreement and articles, the two most frequent Dutch-speaker errors.