Three texts in 60 minutes
In the Goethe B1 Writing module (Schreiben) you work on three tasks. As a guideline, the official accessible model set suggests about 20 minutes for Aufgabe 1, 25 minutes for Aufgabe 2 and 15 minutes for Aufgabe 3. It names roughly 80 words for the first two tasks and roughly 40 words for the third.
These figures are not an invitation to count words every minute. They show you the order of magnitude and protect you from a common planning error: investing 35 minutes in a perfect first email and then handing in the rest in a rush.
What the three tasks demand communicatively
| Task | Typical product | Main question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | personal email (persönliche E-Mail) | Have I written to this person appropriately and completely? |
| 2 | forum contribution (Diskussionsbeitrag) | Is my opinion clear, justified and supported by an example? |
| 3 | short, more formal email (formellere E-Mail) | Do I cover the occasion, the politeness and the necessary information? |
The situation can vary. So do not learn three fixed texts, but a process that works with new topics.
What makes a text strong
The official material describes, among other things, task achievement (Aufgabenerfüllung), coherence (Kohärenz) as well as vocabulary and structures (Wortschatz und Strukturen) as assessment perspectives. In plain language that means:
Content: you deal with the required points and really do what the situation demands.
Cohesion: readers can follow your text without having to solve a riddle.
Language: word choice and grammar are appropriate and sufficiently comprehensible.
Register: salutation, tone and closing fit the relationship.
Freedom from mistakes alone does not save a task of which you left out half. Conversely, a B1 text does not have to be error-free if it is comprehensible, coherent and complete in what it does.
The five-step process
1. Mark the instruction verb and the addressee
Who reads the text? A friend, the course leadership, a company, an unknown community? Are you supposed to inform, apologise, request, justify, suggest or express your opinion?
2. Translate the guiding points into keywords
Write a concrete idea next to every point. If the task says „Begründen Sie“ (give reasons), „weil es gut ist“ (because it is good) is not enough. Note “flexible Zeit → nach der Arbeit lernen” (flexible timing → study after work).
3. Fix the order
You may combine points sensibly as long as all of them clearly appear. Start with the occasion, develop the information and finish with the reaction you want or with a closing.
4. Write without perfecting every sentence immediately
Use structures you are sure of. If a complex sentence does not work after two attempts, split it into two clear sentences. Comprehensibility matters more than risky elegance.
5. Check in three rounds
Content first, then sentence structure, then the surface. A single unsystematic final read usually overlooks precisely the big mistakes.
A checking routine that fits into five minutes
Round 1 – task: put a tick next to a guiding point only if it is recognisable to a stranger reading your text.
Round 2 – grammar: check verbs, sentence boundaries, weil/dass/wenn clauses and your most frequent personal mistakes.
Round 3 – form: salutation, closing, capital letters at the start of sentences, striking repetition, forgotten words.
Do not try to check the whole of German grammar in five minutes. A personal list of three error types is faster and more precise. If, for example, you often place the verb wrongly in a subordinate clause, you specifically check all weil and dass sentences. The Grammar section offers a refresher.
What “good linking” really means
A text does not become logical automatically just because every second word is außerdem (in addition). Choose your connector according to meaning:
- reason: weil, da, denn (because, since, for);
- consequence: deshalb, dadurch, aus diesem Grund (therefore, as a result, for this reason);
- contrast: aber, allerdings, obwohl (but, however, although);
- example: zum Beispiel, etwa (for example, such as);
- sequence: zuerst, danach, schließlich (first, then, finally);
- addition: außerdem, auch, nicht nur … sondern auch (in addition, also, not only … but also).
Simple and fitting beats rare and wrong. Better to write „Allerdings ist der Kurs teuer“ (however, the course is expensive) than a complicated contrast you cannot control.
Three mini examples with the same content
Basic information: you cannot keep an appointment.
Personal: „Leider kann ich am Samstag nicht kommen, weil meine Schwester mich besucht. Können wir uns am Sonntag treffen?“ — Unfortunately I cannot come on Saturday because my sister is visiting me. Could we meet on Sunday?
Formal: „Leider kann ich den vereinbarten Termin am 12. August nicht wahrnehmen. Wäre ein Ersatztermin in der folgenden Woche möglich?“ — Unfortunately I cannot keep the appointment we agreed on for 12 August. Would an alternative date in the following week be possible?
Discussion: „Feste Termine haben den Vorteil, dass alle besser planen können. Allerdings sind flexible Alternativen wichtig, wenn jemand arbeiten muss.“ — Fixed dates have the advantage that everybody can plan better. However, flexible alternatives are important when somebody has to work.
The vocabulary and grammar are similar, but the function and the tone differ.
How to order feedback
“Please correct everything” often produces a text full of red marks and little learning. Ask a qualified person for answers to four questions:
- Which guiding point is missing or unclear?
- Where does the text lose its logical coherence?
- Which three mistakes disturb comprehensibility most?
- Which phrasing sounds inappropriate for the addressee?
Then revise the text yourself. Copying out a perfect version written by somebody else trains you less than producing your own second draft.
A seven-day training cycle
Day 1: write Aufgabe 1 without a time limit and observe your process.
Day 2: write the same text again after feedback.
Day 3: Aufgabe 2 in 25 minutes.
Day 4: five formal salutations, requests and closings for Aufgabe 3.
Day 5: a grammar drill on your most frequent mistake only.
Day 6: all three tasks in 60 minutes.
Day 7: evaluate content, timing and error types.
You will find more depth in Task 1: the personal email, Task 2: the forum contribution and Task 3: the formal email. New writing prompts are available at Goethe B1 Schreiben.
On exam day a reliable writing process is worth more than a folder full of model texts. You cannot control the topic, but every time you can control the addressee, the assignment, the guiding points, your timing and your checking.