Language testing for people undergoing the official Dutch integration programme will resume next month, education minister Ingrid van Engelshoven has confirmed.

Testing for the NT2 exams was put on hold in November because so many parts of the papers ended up on line, leading to delays for 4,000 exam candidates.

In order to minimise the risk of leaks, eight dates will be selected for the exams from March and they will no longer take place every week. In addition, the exams will be unique, the minister said.

Two exam periods covering the four sections in Programma I and II will take place before the summer, so that people who need a language qualification to attend college will be able to do so, the minister said.

Other people who face problems because they have not passed the language test should contact DUO, the government agency in charge of the exams, the minister said.

Candidates who needed to pass the test to meet their integration (inburgering) criteria have had their deadlines extended accordingly.