Goethe-Zertifikat B1: Format, Points and How to Pass (2026)

What is the Goethe-Zertifikat B1?

Officially the exam is simply called "Zertifikat B1". It was developed jointly by the Goethe-Institut, the ÖSD and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. The Goethe-Institut offers it as the Goethe-Zertifikat B1, the ÖSD as the ÖSD Zertifikat B1 (ZB1 for short). The tasks, times and points are the same.

Do not mix it up with the ÖSD Zertifikat Deutsch Österreich B1 (ZDÖ B1): that is a different exam with only two parts and its own scoring rules. The adult version of the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 is recommended from age 16; there is a separate version for young people from age 12 with different topics.

Whether you can use the certificate for work, residence or citizenship is decided by the office that asks for it. Check with them which certificate and which modules they accept. ExamReady is an independent learning platform and is not affiliated with the Goethe-Institut or the ÖSD.

The four modules at a glance

You take the written modules in a group and Speaking usually in pairs. The written modules take about 165 minutes in total, not counting breaks. Dictionaries and phones are not allowed.

• Lesen (Reading): 65 minutes, 5 parts, 30 items.
• Hören (Listening): about 40 minutes, 4 parts, 30 items.
• Schreiben (Writing): 60 minutes, 3 tasks.
• Sprechen (Speaking): about 15 minutes in pairs, plus 15 minutes of preparation. Alone (about 10 minutes) only in exceptional cases.

Lesen: 5 parts, 30 items

The 65 minutes also include about 5 minutes for copying your answers onto the answer sheet (Antwortbogen).

• Part 1 (10 minutes): one personal text, for example a blog post or an email. 6 statements, true or false.
• Part 2 (20 minutes): two newspaper texts with 3 questions each, answer a, b or c.
• Part 3 (10 minutes): 7 people are looking for something, and there are 10 ads. For one person no ad fits, so you write 0.
• Part 4 (15 minutes): 7 short opinions on one question. Is the person in favour? Ja or Nein.
• Part 5 (10 minutes): house rules or similar regulations, 4 questions with a, b or c.

Hören: 4 parts, 30 items

Pay attention to how often you hear a text: you hear Parts 1 and 4 twice, Parts 2 and 3 only once. After the recording you have 5 minutes for the answer sheet.

• Part 1: 5 short texts such as answering-machine messages, announcements, a traffic or weather report. For each text one true/false item and one a/b/c item, 10 in total.
• Part 2: a talk to an audience, for example a guided tour. 5 items with a, b or c.
• Part 3: an everyday conversation between two people. 7 statements, true or false.
• Part 4: a radio discussion with a host and two guests. 8 statements, and you match them: who says what?

Schreiben: 3 texts in 60 minutes

You may start with any task. Only what is on the answer sheet is marked, so plan time to copy your texts out neatly.

• Task 1 (about 20 minutes, 40 points): an email to a friend, about 80 words. You must cover three points: describe something, give a reason, make a suggestion.
• Task 2 (about 25 minutes, 40 points): your opinion in the online guestbook of a TV show, about 80 words. You react to an opinion that is already posted there.
• Task 3 (about 15 minutes, 20 points): a short, polite email to someone you address formally (Sie), for example your course teacher, about 40 words. Usually you apologise and explain why you cannot come.

Sprechen: 3 parts, usually in pairs

Before Speaking you get 15 minutes to prepare on your own. You may take your notes into the exam, but you should speak freely. There are two examiners in the room, and your partner is assigned at random.

• Part 1, planning something together (about 2 to 3 minutes): you get a situation with four guiding questions, for example a surprise party for a friend from your course. You make suggestions, react to each other and decide together.
• Part 2, presenting a topic (about 3 to 4 minutes): you choose one of two topics and follow five slides: introduce the topic, your own experience, the situation in your home country, pros and cons with your opinion, closing and thanks.
• Part 3, talking about a topic (about 1 to 2 minutes): after your partner's presentation you give short feedback and ask one question. After your own presentation you answer questions.

How the points are counted

Each module has a maximum of 100 points, and you pass from 60. The grades: 90 to 100 sehr gut (very good), 80 to 89 gut (good), 70 to 79 befriedigend (satisfactory), 60 to 69 ausreichend (sufficient), below that nicht bestanden (fail).

Lesen and Hören: each of the 30 items gives 1 point or 0. The number of correct answers is multiplied by 3.33 and rounded. 18 correct answers give exactly 60 points, 17 give only 57.

Schreiben: 40 + 40 + 20 points. Each text is marked on four criteria: task completion (Erfüllung), coherence (Kohärenz), vocabulary (Wortschatz) and grammar (Strukturen). Each criterion gets a level from A (best) to E (0 points), with no values in between. The key rule is the knock-out: if task completion gets an E, the whole task is worth 0 points. This happens, for example, if your text has less than half the required words or misses the topic. So an email with 35 words instead of about 80 can score 0 out of 40, even with good grammar.

Sprechen: Part 1 is worth up to 28 points, Part 2 up to 40 and Part 3 up to 16. On top of that come 16 points for pronunciation, which is assessed across all three parts. The same rule applies here: an E for task completion means 0 points for that part.

Each module counts on its own

There is no overall score. A very good Lesen result does not make up for a weak Schreiben. In return, each module can be passed on its own: you can take the modules separately or in any combination and repeat them as often as you like. Some exam centres require a waiting period before a retake.

For each module you pass you get a separate certificate. If you take all four modules in one session at the same place, you get a combined certificate (Gesamtzeugnis). At the Goethe-Institut you can also apply to combine results from different sessions within one year into a combined certificate, subject to rules about the exam location. At the ÖSD you get a combined certificate if you pass all four modules in one session or within one year at the same exam centre.

Exam day in brief

Your exam centre sets the exact timetable. These points help you plan:

• Recommended order: Lesen, Hören, Schreiben. There is a break of at least 15 minutes between the written modules.
• Sprechen comes after the written modules.
• In Lesen and Hören you first mark your answers on the task sheet and then copy them onto the answer sheet. This time is part of the exam time.
• Sprechen starts with a short warm-up conversation. It is not marked.

Ready in four weeks: a plan

Our Goethe B1 course does not follow the order of the exam. It goes for the quick points in every module first. Here is a suggestion for four weeks with about one hour a day:

• Week 1, the system and first points: "How the exam works" and "Collecting points", then "Matching the ads" (Lesen Part 3), "Announcements and messages" (Hören Part 1) and "The short email" (Schreiben Task 3).
• Week 2, the email: "The email to a friend" with all three points (Schreiben Task 1), plus Lesen with a blog post and house rules and Hören with an everyday conversation.
• Week 3, opinions: "Giving and explaining your opinion" and "Your opinion in the guestbook" (Schreiben Task 2), plus "Reading opinions: Ja or Nein" (Lesen Part 4) and "Understanding a discussion" (Hören Part 4).
• Week 4, Speaking and the test: "Planning something together", "Presenting a topic" and "Giving feedback and answering questions". Finally, take a full model test under real conditions and read "Your exam day".

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