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.

A real answer, marked in full

Below is a genuine B1 email answer and the complete marking our AI produced for it — every band, every score, all eleven annotations and all four examiner summaries. Nothing is held back and nothing is behind a signup.

It is deliberately not a model answer. It is learner-grade, it scored 27.5 out of 40, and the mistakes in it are ordinary B1 mistakes — because what is worth showing here is the marking, not the writing.

Work it as a self-test: read the task, write your own answer to it first, then read the marking below and mark your own text against the same four criteria. The one thing this page cannot do is mark yours — that is what the free practice tasks are for.

Aufgabe 1 — the informal email

The task

Sie haben online Deutsch gelernt und berichten Ihrer Freundin/Ihrem Freund darüber. - Beschreiben Sie: Wie haben Sie gelernt? - Begründen Sie: Welche Vorteile hat das Lernen mit dem Computer? - Machen Sie einen Vorschlag für ein Treffen. Schreiben Sie eine E-Mail (circa 80 Wörter). Schreiben Sie etwas zu allen drei Punkten. Achten Sie auf den Textaufbau (Anrede, Einleitung, Reihenfolge der Inhaltspunkte, Schluss).

What the examiner is looking for

  • Three content points, and all three have to be there. The single most common way to lose marks on this task is not grammar — it is answering two of the three bullets, or writing under half the required length.
  • The shape of an email: a greeting, an opening line, the content points in a sensible order, and a sign-off. This is scored under Kohärenz, and it is the cheapest criterion to prepare for, because the shape never changes.
  • Register. The task names a friend, so du throughout — a candidate who slips into Sie loses marks under Erfüllung even if every sentence is correct.

The answer that was submitted (82 words — 27.5 / 40)

Hallo Anna, wie geht es dir? Ich habe seit zwei Monate2 Deutsch online gelernt. Ich habe Videos geschaut und viele Übungen mit eine App4 gemacht. Manchmal spreche ich auch mit andere Leute5 im Internet. Lernen mit Computer ist gut, weil man kann immer lernen und muss nicht zu eine8 Schule gehen. Es ist auch billiger und viele Informationen sind schnell finden9. Aber manchmal ist langweilig. Hast du am Samstag Zeit? Wir können uns im Café treffen um 15 Uhr. Viele Grüße Jean

The marking, criterion by criterion

Erfüllung — task achievement

Band B — 7.5 / 10

What worked:
All the required points are there: online learning methods, the advantages, and a clear invitation with a time. The tone is friendly and appropriate throughout.
What did not:
As an email it could still be rounded off — a short closing line asking for a reply or confirmation, for instance.
Do this next:
Add one or two sentences at the end, for example Sag mir bitte Bescheid, ob es dir passt.

  • Ich habe Videos geschaut und viele Übungen mit eine App gemacht.

    Good, concrete examples of your learning methods (videos, an app) — that satisfies the task clearly.

  • Hast du am Samstag Zeit? Wir können uns im Café treffen um 15 Uhr.

    A very concrete invitation (day, place, time) — exactly what was asked for.

  • Viele Grüße Jean

    The sign-off is fine, but it reads more rounded with a short request for a reply or confirmation.

    • Suggested fix: Add: Gib mir bitte kurz Bescheid.
    • Suggested fix: Or: Passt dir 15 Uhr?

Kohärenz — structure and linking

Band B — 7.5 / 10

What worked:
A clear structure in paragraphs (learning – weighing it up – meeting up) and a thread that is easy to follow. A few connectors (weil, aber) help.
What did not:
The links between individual statements could be more frequent and more precise; some pieces of information simply sit side by side.
Do this next:
Use another two or three connectors such as außerdem, deshalb or trotzdem to link reasons and results clearly.

  • Hallo Anna, wie geht es dir? Ich habe seit zwei Monate Deutsch online gelernt. Ich habe Videos geschaut und viele Übungen mit eine App gemacht. Manchmal spreche ich auch mit andere Leute im Internet.

    A good opening and first paragraph: the topic is named straight away and explained with examples.

  • Lernen mit Computer ist gut, weil man kann immer lernen und muss nicht zu eine Schule gehen. Es ist auch billiger und viele Informationen sind schnell finden. Aber manchmal ist langweilig.

    Here you could link the sentences more strongly (result, reason) so it reads more fluently.

    • Suggested fix: Use something like außerdem, deshalb or trotzdem.
    • Suggested fix: Add a short conclusion: Insgesamt finde ich…

Wortschatz — vocabulary

Band B — 7.5 / 10

What worked:
Vocabulary fits the topic (online lernen, App, Übungen, billiger) and is easy to follow overall. The register is friendly and informal.
What did not:
Some phrasings come across as imprecise or a little too literal, which makes the text sound less natural.
Do this next:
Work on more precise turns of phrase (for example Informationen findet man schnell) and vary simple words like gut.

  • Lernen mit Computer ist gut, weil man kann immer lernen und muss nicht zu eine Schule gehen.

    gut is understandable but rather general. More precise vocabulary makes it stronger.

    • Suggested fix: Use something like praktisch, flexibel or bequem.
    • Suggested fix: Add briefly: …weil ich mein Tempo selbst wählen kann.

  • viele Informationen sind schnell finden

    The phrasing is unnatural and unclear. An active, more idiomatic turn of phrase would be better.

    • Suggested fix: Make it active: Man findet schnell viele Informationen.
    • Suggested fix: Or: Informationen findet man schnell online.

Strukturen — grammar

Band C — 5 / 10

What worked:
You use appropriate tenses (Perfekt/Präsens) and simple sentence structures confidently enough to be well understood.
What did not:
Recurring uncertainty with cases and articles and with word order (above all with modal verbs and the infinitive), and with fixed prepositions.
Do this next:
Drill two things specifically: (1) article and case after prepositions, (2) modal-verb sentences — verb and infinitive go to the end — writing your own short examples.

  • Monate

    A letter seems to be missing here — after a time expression with seit the noun takes the dative plural.

    • Suggested fix: Monaten

  • mit eine App

    The preposition mit normally takes the dative.

    • Suggested fix: mit einer App

  • mit andere Leute

    The preposition mit normally takes the dative.

    • Suggested fix: mit anderen Leuten

  • eine

    The preposition zu normally takes the dative.

    • Suggested fix: einer

A real grading session from this product, exported unchanged. Session f378c085, graded 2026-07-13.