Checklist for a text at language level B1

Put this checklist next to your text once it is finished, or print it. First paste your text into the Plain language check (in Dutch): you will see straight away which sentences are long and which words are difficult. You check the other points yourself. Tick a point when it is right.

Content

• You know who the text is for and what the reader needs to do next. First write that down for yourself in one sentence. That sentence is the core of your text, for example: ‘Jamal sends the form back before 1 November, and knows who can help him.’ If you cannot write that sentence, first work out what you want to say.
• The text answers your reader’s questions. Your reader wants to know who, what, where, when and how. For an invitation, for example: who will I talk to, where is it, how long does it take and what do I bring? Take out what your reader does not need, such as how things went internally. Do you know a lot about the subject yourself? Then it is harder to judge what your reader wants to know, so ask someone to read it.
• It does not cover too many subjects. Preferably no more than 3. If you have more, make 2 texts. For example, send the invitation to a meeting separately from the explanation of a new scheme.

Structure

• The title says what the text is about. Your reader can then see straight away whether the text matters. ‘Invitation’ says little, but ‘Appointment with Sanne on 13 October’ says much more. In an email, the subject line is your title.
• The most important thing comes first. That goes for the whole text and for each paragraph. So do not start with the reason for writing, but with what your reader needs to know. A quick test: read only the first sentence of each paragraph. Do you then understand what the text is about?
• Each paragraph is about one thing. A paragraph answers one question from your reader. Put the paragraphs in a logical order, for example the order in which your reader needs to do things. Are you writing for people who find reading difficult? Then keep to 5 paragraphs at most.
• Subheadings say what is coming. A short question works well, such as ‘Why are you getting this letter?’, ‘What do you need to do?’ or ‘Do you have any questions?’ Together, the subheadings tell the main line of your text.
• A list of more than two things goes in a bulleted list. Make the points about the same length and give them the same form. Above the list, say what you are listing, for example: ‘Bring this to the meeting:’. If the list gets long, put points that belong together in small groups.

Words

• You use words you would also use in a conversation. Write ‘geven’ (give) instead of ‘verstrekken’ (provide), ‘over’ (about) instead of ‘betreffende’ (concerning) and ‘als’ (if) instead of ‘indien’ (in the event that). Not sure about a word? Ask yourself whether you would say it out loud to your client.
• You explain jargon and abbreviations, or you leave them out. Write an abbreviation out in full the first time, with the abbreviation after it in brackets. Simply write out abbreviations such as ‘d.w.z.’ (i.e.) and ‘bv.’ (e.g.). Look out especially for words you use every day in your own work, such as ‘indicatie’ (care assessment) or ‘casusregie’ (case coordination).
• You always use the same word for one thing. If you write ‘appointment’, do not also use ‘meeting’ and ‘consultation’ for the same thing, because to your reader a different word seems like something different. Also watch out for words that mean something else in another setting: on the train you pay a ‘toeslag’ (surcharge), but from the government you receive one (an allowance).
• You are concrete. Give a date instead of ‘soon’, and ‘3 times a week’ instead of ‘often’. Do not use sayings or figures of speech, such as ‘de kool en de geit sparen’ (literally ‘to spare the cabbage and the goat’: to try to keep both sides happy). Numbers are written as digits: write ‘3 appointments’ and not ‘three appointments’.

Sentences

• Your sentences are short. Sentences of up to 25 words are still easy to follow for many readers. Are you writing for people who find reading difficult? Then keep to 10 words at most. For other readers you can mix short and slightly longer sentences, because that reads more pleasantly.
• Your sentences are active. You can see who does something: ‘Your support worker will call you’ instead of ‘You will be contacted’. Search your text for ‘word’ to find sentences with ‘worden’ (the Dutch verb used to form the passive). Also search for ‘ing’: you can often turn a word like ‘bespreking’ (discussion) back into a verb, such as ‘we bespreken’ (we discuss).
• Words that belong together stand together. Put a clause after the main clause, not before it or in the middle of it. So not ‘You can, once you have filled it in, bring the questionnaire with you’, but ‘Fill in the questionnaire and bring it with you’. If you split a long sentence in two, use words like ‘but’ or ‘because’ to show how the sentences connect.

Tone, images and contact

• You address your reader directly and kindly. For an instruction, use the imperative: ‘Send the form back.’ Reassure your reader where you can, and do not worry them without need. For example: ‘Not going to make it in time? Give us a call and we will find a solution together.’
• You write about people with respect. You describe someone as a person first: ‘someone with autism’ and not ‘an autistic’. Mention a characteristic such as age, background or disability only when it matters, and leave out words such as ‘vulnerable’ or ‘weaker’. You do not know someone personally? Then put the full name in the greeting: ‘Dear Ahmed Yilmaz’.
• Your reader knows who they can call. Add the name of a person and a phone number, and if possible a personal email address. ‘Call Sanne from the neighbourhood team’ works better than ‘Contact the department’.
• Images and layout support the text. Use a clear photo or a simple icon if it adds something, such as a small phone next to a phone number. Leave out graphs and flowcharts if your readers find reading difficult, and use a large font and blank lines. If the text is online, give every image an alt text: a short description that a screen reader reads aloud.
• Someone the text is meant for has read it. Then ask what they are going to do now, not whether it is clear. Also ask whether your reader found what they were looking for, and whether the words come across as respectful.

Points to watch

Test even when everything is ticked. Show your text to readers, especially if they find reading difficult or if a lot depends on the text.

Write at A2 for people who find reading difficult. For them, B1 is often still too hard. The layout also matters even more then: a sans-serif font of at least 12 points, black letters on white, and each sentence on a new line. Read more about recognising and discussing low literacy.

Judge for yourself what a program points out. A program finds long sentences and difficult words. It cannot see whether a word is difficult for your reader, or whether the order is right.

For a web text, also check accessibility. Use the accessible website checklist for that.

Find out more

All the steps, with examples and a worked-out letter, are in Writing at B1 level for your clients. You can read what the level involves in What is language level B1?