DTZ Schreiben: the One Letter, and the Redemittel That Earn the Points

Which letters can come up in DTZ Schreiben

There is no official topic list, and each exam version picks its own tasks. These are examples to practise with, not a prediction.

The Anrede — greeting and register

Read the addressee in the prompt before you write a word. Most published prompts go to an institution or someone in an official role, where Sie fits, but a reply to an acquaintance can call for du. The Anrede is one of the things the task tells you not to forget.

• Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

  The German 'Dear Sir or Madam' — use it when you write to an institution or an unnamed office. The body then starts with a lowercase letter.

• Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt, / Sehr geehrte Frau Lehmann,

  The named formal greeting — use it when the prompt gives you a name (DTZ prompts usually do, e.g. Herrn Schmidt). geehrter for a man, geehrte for a woman.

• Liebe Frau Meyer,

  A warmer semi-formal greeting for someone you already know a little in an official context. Decide once and keep the register all the way to the Gruß.

The Einleitung — opening and your reason for writing

One or two lines that react to the situation and say why you are writing. Name your reason in the first sentence so the reader knows at once what the letter is about.

• ich schreibe Ihnen, weil …

  I am writing to you because … — state your reason up front; the verb goes to the end after weil. Lowercase ich after the comma of Sehr geehrte …,.

• ich habe Ihre Anzeige gelesen und interessiere mich für …

  I read your advertisement and I'm interested in … — a natural opener when the prompt is an enquiry about a course or a service.

• leider muss ich mich über … beschweren.

  Unfortunately I have to complain about … — the opener for the Reklamation/Beschwerde prompt; leider keeps the tone polite.

Covering your four Leitpunkte

One reliable frame for each kind of point the DTZ sets — a request, a question, an explanation, a suggestion. Underline all four in the prompt, then check before you stop that your draft covers each one: Inhaltliche Angemessenheit is marked on whether all four are really there. Don't work through them one sentence at a time or number them; the order is free and several can share a sentence.

• Ich möchte Sie bitten, …

  I would like to ask you to … — the frame for the 'make a request' point (Bitte).

• Könnten Sie mir bitte mitteilen, ob / wann / wie viel …

  Could you please let me know whether / when / how much … — for the 'ask a question' point (Anfrage); the polite Konjunktiv könnten and verb to the end.

• Ich habe damit noch keine Erfahrung, aber …

  I have no experience with that yet, but … — for a 'describe your experience' point; concede it honestly and add a detail.

• Ich schlage vor, dass … / Mein Vorschlag wäre, …

  I suggest that … / My suggestion would be … — for a 'make a suggestion' point; verb to the end after dass.

• Ich erwarte, dass Sie das Problem bald lösen.

  I expect you to solve the problem soon — for the 'say what you want done' point in the complaint prompt.

The Schluss and the Gruß — closing and sign-off

A pre-close line, then the sign-off that matches the register you opened with. Like the Anrede, the Gruß is something the task explicitly tells you not to forget — a letter without it loses marks under Kommunikative Gestaltung.

• Über eine schnelle Antwort würde ich mich freuen.

  I would be glad of a quick reply — a natural pre-close that also prompts the reader to act.

• Vielen Dank für Ihre Mühe im Voraus.

  Thank you in advance for your trouble — a polite pre-close before the sign-off.

• Mit freundlichen Grüßen

  The formal sign-off, matching Sehr geehrte …. No comma after it; your name goes on the next line.