Inburgering Dutch Exam Preparation Course

I had a great A2 course (Dutch is the 5th language I'm learning and I'd say Odette, my A2 teacher, was the best language teacher I've ever had!) with Kickstart and continued with the Inburgering preparation course thereafter. This Inburgering course was a good introduction on how the exam is structured and to prepare for the KNM & writing sections. I do not think that I got sufficient practice with the listening, reading or speaking sections. The teacher often got sidetracked with non-exam related questions about living in the Netherlands when reviewing the KNM chapters from the books. Usually we took about 60-70% of the time on reviewing the chapters which I think could have been done a bit more efficiently. After, we'd move to practicing for the written part of the exam and follow up with speaking questions (which always felt rushed in a class of 7 with only 20-30 minutes allocated here). I think that the time would be better spent having done a short test on the KNM section based on the chapter we needed to read for homework and any relevant questions that students may have had. Then followed by practicing for the other parts of the exam. In my opinion, we did not get enough practice for the listening, reading or speaking exams. In addition, there were no resources provided to study for these outside of the class. It would have been great if the teacher could have shared a list of practice speaking questions and if Kickstart also posted some additional listening and reading exercises on the course. Overall, it was a decent class and I would do it again but I still think that I need additional practice if I am to pass the exams easily.

The course material was really helpful but unfortunately my experience as a student has been quite disappointing. Sometimes during the lesson, our teacher addressed disrespectful comments about other cultures, about students' mistakes, even about mental health issues. Moreover, sometimes it was hard to keep the lesson within the fixed time schedule so the teacher was using extra time in order to complete the lesson. Even though she has a good knowledge of the exam preparation, the attitude as well as the time management of the facilitator have affected my opinion about this course. No complaint about Kickstart's administration. Last but not least, I would suggest that the educational level/ Dutch level of the students is similar, for better time management during the classes.

Positive experience overall

The course went well and really preparing the students for the different types of exams for the inburgering. The different exercises prepares the students on how exams can go. School admin is also receptive of students' complaints and addresses it right away. I still prefer face-to-face classes still, but the online courses are okay. Would be better to share more materials for students to review even outside and after the course.

Well-structured, fit for purpose and well-designed course. Great teachning and materials provided. Thank you!

I could learn what to expect on the exams and the important points including how the DUO website/exams work.

Despite the current corona situation, I find the online classes were good. Of course, it could be nice to have a direct connection with the teacher and other students who are following the same course. In sums, the contents of the course was clear and very helpful for the Inburgering Exam. My expectations are filled.