Goethe B1 Schreiben: the Redemittel to Drill, Task by Task
The Goethe B1 Schreiben module gives you 60 minutes and three separate tasks — an informal email, an opinion post and a short formal message — and it is its own module, scored out of 100 with 60 to pass. At B1 you are not expected to write original prose. You assemble each text from reliable building blocks (Redemittel) and slot your own content in between. Memorise a small stock for each task and you can build almost anything the exam throws at you.
The phrases below are grouped by the task they belong to. Do not read them as a list — work them. Cover the German, read the cue, and produce the phrase from memory before you look. That is the difference between recognising a Redemittel and being able to write it under the clock.
How to drill this: cover the German column with your hand, read each cue, and say or write the phrase before you check. Repeat a section until every cue produces its phrase without a look.
Aufgabe 1 — the informal email (~80 words, du)
You write to a friend or family member and cover three content points. Everything stays in the du register.
Liebe Anna, / Lieber Tom,
Warm, first-name greeting for the du task. Liebe for a woman, Lieber for a man. Writing Sehr geehrte here is an instant register error markers spot in the first line.
Wie geht es dir?
How are you? — the standard opener straight after the greeting.
Danke für deine E-Mail / deinen Brief.
Thanks for your email / letter — acknowledge their message before you start yours.
Ich habe mich sehr über deine Nachricht gefreut.
I was really happy about your message — a warmer reaction when the task invites one.
Am besten hat mir … gefallen, weil …
I liked … best, because … — the frame for the 'say what you liked and why' content point.
Wollen wir uns nächste Woche treffen?
Shall we meet next week? — closes the 'suggest meeting up' content point with a question.
Viele Grüße / Liebe Grüße / Bis bald
Informal sign-offs. Never end a du email with Mit freundlichen Grüßen — that is a formal closing.
Aufgabe 2 — the opinion post (~80 words)
You respond to a forum post with your view. There is no salutation and no sign-off — you open with your position and back it up.
Meiner Meinung nach …
In my opinion … — open with your stance; the forum post jumps straight into your view.
Ich bin der Meinung, dass …
I am of the opinion that … — a second way to state your position (verb to the end after dass).
Einerseits …, andererseits …
On the one hand …, on the other … — weigh both sides before you land your view.
Ich finde es wichtig, dass …
I think it is important that … — stress the point that matters most, then conclude.
Aufgabe 3 — the formal message (~40 words, Sie)
A short message to someone you address formally — a course provider, an office. Only about 40 words, but it must hold the Sie register from greeting to sign-off.
Sehr geehrte Frau Müller, / Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt,
The neutral formal greeting for a named person. geehrte for a woman, geehrter for a man; the body then starts with a lowercase letter.
Ich schreibe Ihnen, weil …
I am writing to you because … — give your reason in the first formal line.
Leider kann ich am Donnerstag nicht kommen.
Unfortunately I can't come on Thursday — the frame for declining, with leider softening it.
Könnten wir den Termin bitte verschieben?
Could we postpone the appointment, please? — a polite request built on the Konjunktiv könnten.
Vielen Dank für Ihr Verständnis.
Thank you for your understanding — closes the body before the sign-off. Note the capital Ihr.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
The formal sign-off. No comma after it; your name goes on the next line.
Download the B1 Schreiben Redemittel sheet (PDF)Every phrase on this page on one printable page — cover the German column and drill it offline.