German exams · B1

Goethe-Zertifikat B1

Goethe-Zertifikat B1 (developed jointly by Goethe-Institut, ÖSD and Universität Freiburg/CH, since 2013). Run by Goethe-Institut, ÖSD and the University of Freiburg; settlement permit, naturalisation, many vocational schools; modular.

The exam in detail

Modular exam: four independent modules Lesen, Hören, Schreiben, Sprechen. Each module has 100 points and is passed with at least 60 points. Modules can be taken together or separately; a passed module is certified on its own, and only a failed module has to be repeated. Grades per module: 100-90 sehr gut, 89-80 gut, 79-70 befriedigend, 69-60 ausreichend, below 60 nicht bestanden.
Lesen: 65 minutes, 5 Teile, 30 items. Teil 1: a blog/diary-style text, 6 richtig/falsch items. Teil 2: two short press texts, 6 multiple-choice items (3 options). Teil 3: match 7 people/situations to 10 advertisements (some get "kein passendes Angebot"). Teil 4: 7 readers' comments on a controversial question, decide for each whether the author is for (ja) or against (nein). Teil 5: an instruction text or house rules, 4 multiple-choice items. Answers go on the Antwortbogen.
Hören: about 40 minutes, 4 Teile, 30 items. Teil 1: 5 short texts (announcements, messages), each played twice, 10 items (per text one richtig/falsch and one multiple choice). Teil 2: a longer monologue such as a guided tour or a talk, played once, 5 multiple-choice items. Teil 3: an everyday conversation, played once, 7 richtig/falsch items. Teil 4: a radio discussion with a moderator and two guests, played twice, 8 items ("who says what").
Schreiben: 60 minutes, 3 Aufgaben, 100 points. Aufgabe 1 (about 20 minutes, 40 points): informal e-mail to a friend on three given content points, about 80 words. Aufgabe 2 (about 25 minutes, 40 points): a written opinion for a forum or a readers' letter on a topic, about 80 words, with a short summary of the issue, your own view with reasons and an example. Aufgabe 3 (about 15 minutes, 20 points): a short formal or semi-formal message (e.g. cancel a meeting, apologise, ask for information) to a teacher, boss or office, about 40 words. Each Aufgabe is rated on four criteria: Erfüllung (task and content points), Kohärenz (structure, connectors), Wortschatz, Strukturen (grammar), on a scale from A (best) to E; an answer that misses the topic or is clearly too short loses most of its points.
Sprechen: about 15 minutes for two candidates (with an examiner pair), 15 minutes preparation time beforehand, 3 Teile, 100 points. Teil 1 "Gemeinsam etwas planen" (about 3 minutes, 28 points): plan something together as a dialogue from a task card with points to discuss (e.g. a party, a trip, a visit). Teil 2 "Ein Thema präsentieren" (about 3 minutes per candidate, 40 points): a short presentation following five given slides ("Folien"): 1 introduce the topic, 2 your personal experience, 3 the situation in your home country, 4 advantages and disadvantages plus your opinion, 5 closing and thanks. Teil 3 "Über ein Thema sprechen" (about 2 minutes per candidate, 16 points): give feedback on the partner's presentation and ask a question, and answer the partner's and the examiner's question about your own presentation. Aussprache (pronunciation) is rated separately with 16 points. Criteria: Erfüllung/Interaktion, Wortschatz, Strukturen, Aussprache.

The facts above are the reference notes the Eszett tutor is given when you ask about this exam; they follow the providers' published regulations and handbooks. Check the provider's site for current fees and dates. Other exams: which German exam is right for you.