Writing at B1 level for your clients

What it is

Writing at B1 means writing so that most adults understand your text. B1 is a level from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). You can read what that means exactly in What is language level B1?.

Easy words alone do not make a text easy to understand. In 2023 an international standard for plain language was published, and it is now also available in Dutch. Under this standard, a text is only clear if your reader gets all the information they need, can easily find what they are looking for, understands it and can use it. B1 mainly helps with understanding, so for the rest you need a good structure, and someone else to read it.

This guide is about what you write for clients as a care professional: an invitation, an action plan, a message in an app or an explanation of a digital tool.

Why it matters

A text at B1 is not too hard for about 80 per cent of adult readers. Readers with more education also usually prefer B1; What is language level B1? explains why.

In the Netherlands, about 3 million people aged 16 to 75 have difficulty with reading, writing and/or maths. You can read how to recognise this and talk about it in Recognising and discussing low literacy.

A client who can read your text can check for themselves what you agreed and what the next step is. If someone does not do what you agreed, they may not have understood the explanation properly. If you let your readers give their views on your text, you often get fewer questions and complaints afterwards.

How to do it

We wrote the example sentences below ourselves. They are like what you might find in letters and messages from a neighbourhood team (wijkteam), a support worker or an outreach worker.

1. Decide what your reader needs to know or do. First, write down the main point in one sentence, just for yourself. Ask yourself: what will my client do after reading this? And what questions might they have? So do not write what you would like to tell, but what your reader needs or wants to know. The more you know about a subject, the harder this is.

   The main point of an invitation: ‘Sanne from the neighbourhood team will come to your home on Tuesday 13 October at 10am to meet you.’

2. Put the most important point at the top. Start with what your reader needs to know, not with the reason for writing. Do this in every paragraph too: the first sentence says what the paragraph is about. Put background that not everyone needs at the bottom.

   • Avoid: ‘Following our phone call of 2 October and after discussion in the team, we would like to make an appointment with you.’
   • Better: ‘We would like to visit you. Can we come on Tuesday 13 October at 10am?’

3. Choose everyday words. Use words you would also use in an everyday conversation. If you need to use a technical term, explain it the first time. Write abbreviations out in full, unless you are sure your reader knows them. Always use the same word for the same thing, because if you first write ‘appointment’ and later ‘meeting’, your reader will think you mean something different.

   Also watch out for words with two meanings: on the train you pay a ‘toeslag’ (a surcharge), but from the government you receive one (a benefit).

   • Write ‘geven’ (give) instead of ‘verstrekken’ (furnish).
   • Write ‘maken’ (make) instead of ‘creëren’ (create).
   • Write ‘als’ (if) instead of ‘indien’ (a formal word for ‘if’).
   • Write ‘omdat’ (because) or ‘na’ (after) instead of ‘n.a.v.’ (short for ‘naar aanleiding van’, following).
   • Write ‘een begeleider die bij je thuis komt’ (a support worker who comes to your home) instead of ‘ambulante begeleiding’ (outreach support).

4. Write short sentences. Put one idea in each sentence. Many people can still follow sentences of up to 25 words. Mix short and slightly longer sentences, so your text reads well. Are you writing for people who find reading hard? Then keep sentences to 10 words at most.

   Keep words that belong together next to each other, and put a subordinate clause after the main clause, not before it or in the middle of it. If you cut a long sentence into pieces, use words like ‘but’ and ‘because’ to show how the sentences connect.

   • Avoid: ‘De vragenlijst die je van je begeleider hebt gekregen, kun je, als je hem hebt ingevuld, meenemen naar het gesprek.’ (The questionnaire you got from your support worker you can, once you have filled it in, bring to the meeting.)
   • Better: ‘Je kreeg een vragenlijst van je begeleider. Vul die in en neem hem mee naar het gesprek.’ (You got a questionnaire from your support worker. Fill it in and bring it to the meeting.)

5. Write in the active voice. Say who does something, because passive sentences, which use ‘worden’ in Dutch, make a text vague. The same goes for turning a verb into a noun. So write ‘We kijken samen of het plan werkt’ (We will look together at whether the plan is working) instead of ‘Er vindt een evaluatie plaats’ (An evaluation will take place). Search your text for ‘word’ (from ‘worden’) and ‘ing’ (a common ending of Dutch nouns made from verbs): then you will find them quickly.

   • Avoid: ‘Er zal door de ambulant hulpverlener contact met je worden opgenomen.’ (You will be contacted by the outreach worker.)
   • Better: ‘Je ambulant hulpverlener belt je.’ (Your outreach worker will call you.)

6. Be concrete. Give a date, a time or a number instead of ‘soon’ or ‘often’. Write numbers as digits. Do not use idioms or figures of speech, because some readers find them hard, for example people with autism or people who do not yet speak Dutch well.

   Advice can be too vague as well. For example, the advice ‘move more’ means little to someone with a sore knee if they do not see the link with their knee. So write exactly what someone should do, and why. Do you have to say no? Then say so straight away, and explain kindly why.

   • Avoid: ‘We will contact you soon about the progress.’
   • Better: ‘We will call you before Friday 23 October. We will tell you then how your application is going.’

7. Make the structure visible. Use subheadings. A short question works well, such as ‘What do you need to do?’ or ‘Any questions?’. Put a list of more than two things in bullet points, with a sentence above it that says what you are listing. Speak to your reader directly, and use the imperative when you ask them to do something.

   • Avoid: ‘The form must be returned no later than 1 November.’
   • Better: ‘Send the form back before 1 November.’

8. Say who your reader can call. Put a person’s name and a phone number in your text. You can add a personal email address.

   • Avoid: ‘For questions, you can contact the department.’
   • Better: ‘Any questions? Call Sanne from the neighbourhood team. Her number is at the bottom of this letter.’

9. Write about people with respect. Describe someone as a person first, and only mention a characteristic, such as a disability, age or background, if it matters. Leave out words like ‘kwetsbare’ (the vulnerable) and ‘zwakkere’ (the weaker), because they carry a judgement. Also, do not refer to someone as ‘hij’ (he) by default: repeat the word, write ‘die’ or ‘diegene’ (Dutch words for ‘that person’), or speak to your reader directly.

   • Avoid: ‘autist’ (an autist), ‘laaggeletterde’ (a low-literate person), ‘gehandicapte’ (a handicapped person).
   • Better: ‘iemand met autisme’ (someone with autism), ‘iemand die moeite heeft met lezen en schrijven’ (someone who has difficulty with reading and writing), ‘iemand met een beperking’ (someone with a disability).
   • Avoid: ‘You need permission from your father or mother.’
   • Better: ‘You need permission from a parent or carer.’

   If you do not know someone personally, put their full name in the greeting, such as ‘Dear Ahmed Yilmaz’, not ‘Dear Mr Yilmaz’. Words also change over time. If you are not sure, ask the people you are writing about.

10. Ask someone to read it. Ask a colleague, or someone the text is meant for, to read it. Then do not ask ‘Is it clear?’, but ‘What are you going to do now?’ Also ask whether your reader found what they were looking for, and whether the words come across as respectful. In a conversation this is called the teach-back method: you ask what someone will tell people at home about your explanation.

    You cannot test every text. But do test it if your readers find reading hard, if a lot depends on your text or if you do not know your readers well. Is your organisation making a leaflet or a website? Then ask Stichting ABC (a Dutch foundation) for a test panel. The panel is made up of people who used to find reading hard themselves, and you agree on the price beforehand.

Example: a letter about continuing support

An outreach support worker writes to a client about continuing her support. A first draft might start like this:

‘Naar aanleiding van het evaluatiegesprek d.d. 3 oktober jl. delen we je mede dat de ambulante begeleiding per 1 november a.s. wordt gecontinueerd, mits het geactualiseerde ondersteuningsplan tijdig ondertekend retour wordt ontvangen.’ (Further to the evaluation meeting dated 3 October last, we hereby inform you that the outreach support will be continued as of 1 November next, provided that the updated support plan is received back, signed, in good time.)

That is one sentence of 32 words, with three abbreviations (d.d., jl. and a.s.), ‘wordt’ twice and words like ‘gecontinueerd’ (continued) and ‘mits’ (provided that). A new version:

Your support continues after 1 November

On 3 October we looked together at how things are going. We agreed that I will keep visiting you after 1 November.

What do you need to do?

Sign the new plan. Send the plan back in the envelope. Do this before 20 October.

Any questions?

Call me, Jeroen. My number is at the bottom of this letter.

This version can still go wrong. Suppose that when you test it (step 10), the client answers: ‘Wait until you come and collect the plan.’ Then she has probably only read the first paragraph. In that case, put the instruction directly under the title: ‘Send the plan back before 20 October.’ The explanation comes after that.

Points to watch

• Choose A2 for people who find reading hard. For them, B1 is often still too difficult. Write sentences of 10 words at most, repeat what is important and use pictures. The layout matters too: a large sans-serif font of at least 12 point, black text on white, and each sentence on a new line. Also read Recognising and discussing low literacy.
• Explain a complicated procedure in a conversation. You cannot always describe a medical or legal procedure in simple language. After the conversation, give the person clear information on paper to take home. Also ask yourself whether a text is the right way to do it. Sometimes a video works better.
• Keep the name of a law or scheme. But explain it the first time you mention it.
• Online, give every image alt text. That is a short description that a screen reader reads out. The Alt text helper helps you write it. You can read what else a website needs in Making your website accessible.

Questions

Does every text have to be at B1? B1 is a good basis for everything you write to clients. On Rijksoverheid.nl (the website of the Dutch central government), new texts are at B1, and at A2 where possible. Only in exceptional cases can they be B2. Do you know that your reader finds reading hard? Then choose A2.

How do I know what level my text is? Some programs scan a text for difficult words, long sentences and the passive voice, and give it a level. Such a result is an indication. You only find out whether your text works when someone reads it.

Do I call my client ‘je’ (informal ‘you’) or use the polite form? Both are fine, as long as you speak to your reader directly. In letters from the Dutch central government, the polite form (‘u’) is the standard, and ‘je’ is fine if you think your reader will like that. Follow what your organisation has agreed, and use one form throughout a text.

I have to use a fixed standard letter. What now? If you cannot change the letter, send a short message at B1 with it: what does the letter say, and what does your client need to do? Also tell whoever manages the letters which letter keeps causing questions.

Find out more

• Checklist for a text at language level B1: check your text before you send it.
• What is language level B1?
• Understandable: clear language and predictable pages: what the guidelines for websites ask for.
• Designing a digital tool together with clients