Goethe B1 Sprechen
the speaking module, part by part
Three parts, about 15 minutes with a partner, and 60 of 100 points to pass. Here is what you do in each Teil, the five slides you present, the phrases that carry you through, and a sample planning dialogue of our own.
B1 Sprechen at a glance
You take the module with a second candidate. First you get 15 minutes to prepare on your own, with your task sheets and room for notes. Then the two of you go in together for about 15 minutes. Pronunciation is not tied to one part: it is scored once, across everything you say.
| Part | What you do | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teil 1 | Plan something together with your partner | about 3 min | 28 |
| Teil 2 | Present one of two topics over five slides | about 3 min | 40 |
| Teil 3 | React to feedback, then give feedback and ask a question | about 2 min | 16 |
| Teil 1–3 | Pronunciation (Aussprache), scored once across the whole module | — | 16 |
Teil 1: plan something together (about 3 minutes)
You and your partner get the same card: a short situation, a title and four points to talk about, plus an open bullet („…“) for anything else you think matters. The scenario changes from exam to exam — a party, a move, an outing — but the shape of the card does not.
The instruction is to talk about the points, make suggestions, react to your partner's suggestions, and then „Planen und entscheiden Sie gemeinsam“: plan and decide together. This part is scored for task fulfilment, interaction, vocabulary and structures, so how you respond to your partner counts too — not only what you propose.
A good rhythm: take one point at a time, make a concrete suggestion, let your partner react, and settle it before you move on. If you disagree, say why and offer an alternative. Use the last seconds for a one-sentence summary of the plan.
Try it: a Teil 1 planning card
Read the card and plan what you would say to each point. Then open the sample dialogue. This is our own card, written in the official format — not Goethe material.
Einer Nachbarin beim Umzug helfen
Ihre Nachbarin, Frau Berger, zieht nächsten Samstag in eine neue Wohnung. Sie ist schon älter und hat niemanden, der ihr hilft. Planen Sie gemeinsam, wie Sie sie unterstützen können.
- Wann helfen?
- Was mitbringen?
- Wer organisiert ein Auto?
- Wie ihr eine Freude machen?
- …
Show a sample dialogue
- AFrau Berger zieht ja am Samstag um. Wann sollen wir ihr helfen? Ich schlage vor, dass wir schon um neun Uhr kommen.
- BNeun Uhr ist mir ein bisschen zu früh, ich arbeite am Freitag bis spät. Wie wäre es mit zehn Uhr?
- AEinverstanden, dann treffen wir uns um zehn vor ihrer Tür. Was sollen wir mitbringen?
- BIch habe noch viele Kartons im Keller. Die kann ich mitbringen. Und du?
- AIch bringe Klebeband und etwas zu trinken mit. Beim Tragen bekommt man schnell Durst.
- BGute Idee. Aber wer organisiert ein Auto? Mit dem Bus geht das nicht.
- AMein Bruder hat einen kleinen Transporter. Ich frage ihn heute Abend, ob wir ihn leihen können.
- BSuper. Und vielleicht sollten wir Frau Berger auch eine kleine Freude machen. Was hältst du von Blumen für die neue Wohnung?
- ABlumen finde ich schön, aber sie muss ja so viel tragen. Wie wäre es mit einem Kuchen? Dann trinken wir nach dem Umzug zusammen Kaffee.
- BDas ist noch besser, ich backe gern. Und falls ihr in der neuen Wohnung etwas fehlt, kaufen wir es am Montag zusammen ein.
- AGut, dann machen wir es so: zehn Uhr, ich frage nach dem Transporter, und du bringst die Kartons und den Kuchen.
Why this works: every point on the card gets a concrete answer, both speakers make and react to suggestions (including a polite "no" with an alternative), and the dialogue ends with a clear joint decision.
Useful phrases for Teil 1
Making suggestions
- Ich schlage vor, dass …
- Wie wäre es mit …?
- Wir könnten doch …
- Was hältst du von …?
Agreeing
- Das ist eine gute Idee.
- Einverstanden.
- Da hast du recht.
- Das finde ich auch.
Disagreeing politely
- Das finde ich nicht so gut, weil …
- Ich habe eine andere Idee: …
- Das geht leider nicht, weil …
- Lieber würde ich …
Teil 2: present a topic over five slides (about 3 minutes)
You choose one of two topics (Thema 1 or Thema 2) and present it to your listeners. The task sheet gives you five slides: an instruction on the left of each, and space on the right for your notes. The topic and the slide titles change from exam to exam; the five instructions are always the same.
That is your advantage: you can rehearse the structure before exam day. Slide 1 introduces the topic and how your presentation is built. Slide 2 is your own experience, slide 3 the situation in your home country with examples, slide 4 pros and cons with your opinion, slide 5 the close and a thank-you to your listeners.
Task fulfilment here is counted by slides: five slides handled appropriately reach the top band, three or four the next one down. Give each slide two or three sentences rather than spending all your time on the first one.
The five slides, with an example topic of our own
Slide 1
Instruction on the sheet
Stellen Sie Ihr Thema vor. Erklären Sie den Inhalt und die Struktur Ihrer Präsentation.
Example slide title
Homeoffice – Traum oder Albtraum?
Slide 2
Instruction on the sheet
Berichten Sie von Ihrer Situation oder einem Erlebnis im Zusammenhang mit dem Thema.
Example slide title
Meine persönlichen Erfahrungen
Slide 3
Instruction on the sheet
Berichten Sie von der Situation in Ihrem Heimatland und geben Sie Beispiele.
Example slide title
Die Situation in meinem Heimatland
Slide 4
Instruction on the sheet
Nennen Sie die Vor- und Nachteile und sagen Sie dazu Ihre Meinung. Geben Sie auch Beispiele.
Example slide title
Vor- und Nachteile & meine Meinung
Slide 5
Instruction on the sheet
Beenden Sie Ihre Präsentation und bedanken Sie sich bei den Zuhörern.
Example slide title
Abschluss & Dank
Useful phrases for Teil 2
Opening the presentation
- Ich möchte heute über das Thema … sprechen.
- Meine Präsentation hat fünf Teile.
- Zuerst erzähle ich …, danach …
Experience, home country, pros and cons
- Ich habe selbst erlebt, dass …
- In meinem Heimatland ist es so, dass …
- Ein Vorteil ist, dass …
- Ein Nachteil ist, dass …
- Meiner Meinung nach …
Closing
- Zum Schluss möchte ich sagen, dass …
- Das war meine Präsentation.
- Vielen Dank fürs Zuhören.
Teil 3: feedback and a question (about 2 minutes)
Teil 3 is tied to the presentations. After your own, you react to the feedback and questions from your partner and the examiners. After your partner's, you do two things: give feedback on their presentation — what you liked, what was new or especially interesting for you — and ask a question about it.
Listen actively while your partner presents and note one detail you can refer to. Specific feedback ("the example from your home country surprised me") sounds natural and gives you something to build your question on.
Useful phrases for Teil 3
Giving feedback
- Deine Präsentation hat mir gut gefallen, weil …
- Besonders interessant fand ich …
- Neu war für mich, dass …
Asking a question
- Ich habe eine Frage zu …
- Wie ist das bei dir genau?
- Was würdest du … empfehlen?
How the 100 points are scored
The examiners rate each criterion in five bands, A to E, and every band carries fixed points. Teil 1 is worth up to 28 points, Teil 2 up to 40, Teil 3 up to 16, and pronunciation adds up to 16 for the module as a whole. You pass with 60 of 100, and every B1 module is passed on its own — there is no overall score across modules.
One rule to know: if task fulfilment for a part is rated E — not assessable — that part scores zero in total, however good your German was.
| Part | Criterion | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erfüllung | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | Interaktion | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | Wortschatz, Register | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | Strukturen | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | Erfüllung | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | Kohärenz | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Wortschatz, Register | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | Strukturen | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | Erfüllung | 16 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| 1–3 | Aussprache | 16 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 100 | |||||
Six mistakes that cost points
Reading your notes aloud
You may take notes for every task during the preparation time, but the instructions ask you to speak freely in the exam. Notes are keywords, not a script.
Monologues in Teil 1
Teil 1 is scored for interaction as well as content. Make suggestions, react to your partner's ideas and ask what they think — two parallel monologues do not plan anything together.
Ending Teil 1 without a decision
The task says „Planen und entscheiden Sie gemeinsam“. Close with a short summary of what you agreed: who does what, and when.
Skipping a slide in Teil 2
Task fulfilment in Teil 2 is counted slide by slide: all five slides handled well is the top band, three or four the next one down. A forgotten slide costs points even if the rest is fluent.
Forgetting the question in Teil 3
After your partner's presentation you do two things: give feedback and ask a question. Feedback alone leaves half of the task undone.
Ignoring pronunciation
Aussprache is worth 16 of the 100 points and is judged across all three parts: sentence melody, word stress and individual sounds. Speak at a calm pace rather than fast.
How to practise
Start with the official material: the Goethe-Institut publishes a free B1 exam training set that includes the Sprechen tasks. Prepare one Teil 2 topic in 15 minutes, then present it to a friend with a timer.
Practise Teil 1 with a partner: take any everyday plan, write four points on a card and agree on a decision in three minutes. Record yourself once in a while and listen for sentence melody and word stress — that is where pronunciation points are won.
For the other three modules, ScoreUp has full Goethe B1 mocks of Lesen, Hören and Schreiben in the official format, with every answer explained. New accounts get three free exam credits.
Why practise on ScoreUp
- Mock exams in the official Goethe-Zertifikat format — the same parts, item counts and timing as the real exam
- Writing graded by AI against the official criteria, with feedback in your language
- Reading and listening scored instantly, every answer explained
- 3 free exam credits, no credit card — practice stays free
Prepare the other three B1 modules
Full mocks for Lesen, Hören and Schreiben in the official format — free with your starter credits.Frequently asked questions
How long is the Goethe B1 Sprechen module?
About 15 minutes for two candidates together: roughly 3 minutes for Teil 1, 3 for Teil 2 and 2 for Teil 3. Before that you get 15 minutes to prepare on your own.
Do I take the B1 speaking test with a partner?
Yes. Two candidates take the module together. In Teil 1 you plan something with your partner, in Teil 2 each of you presents a topic, and in Teil 3 you respond to each other's presentations.
Can I use notes in the speaking exam?
You may make notes for every task during the 15-minute preparation. In the exam itself you are asked to speak freely, so treat notes as keywords, not as a text to read out.
How many points do I need to pass B1 Sprechen?
The module is scored out of 100 and passes at 60 points. Teil 1 gives up to 28 points, Teil 2 up to 40, Teil 3 up to 16, and pronunciation up to 16 across all parts. Each B1 module is passed on its own.
Can I choose my presentation topic?
Yes, from two. In Teil 2 you pick Thema 1 or Thema 2 and present it over five slides. The slide instructions are always the same; only the topic and the slide titles change.
What happens if I leave out a slide?
Task fulfilment in Teil 2 is graded by how many slides you cover appropriately: all five for the top band, three or four for the next, two for the one below. If task fulfilment for a part is rated E (not assessable), that part scores zero.
Can I use a dictionary or my phone?
No. Dictionaries, phones and other aids are not allowed in the Sprechen module.