telc B1 Schreiben: the Redemittel for the One Letter That Counts
telc Deutsch B1 gives you 30 minutes to write one text — almost always a semi-formal letter or email — responding to a situation with four content points (Leitpunkte) you must address. The scoring penalty for a skipped Leitpunkt is brutal: miss one and your content mark drops, miss more and it can go to zero and drag the whole letter with it. So the phrases you need are the ones that reliably open the letter, cover each of the four points, and close it — in the register the addressee demands.
The phrases below are grouped by the job they do in that single letter. Do not read them as a list — work them. Cover the German, read the cue, and produce the phrase from memory before you look.
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.
First: choose your register
Read the addressee in the prompt before you write a word. A friend or someone you know a little takes du; an institution or a stranger takes Sie — and everything downstream follows from that one choice.
Liebe Anna, / Lieber Herr Klein,
Semi-personal greeting when you know the addressee a little — du with a first name, or the warmer Lieber/Liebe with Herr/Frau + surname.
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
The German 'Dear Sir or Madam' — use it when the addressee is an institution or unnamed. The body then starts lowercase.
Opening the letter
One line that answers the prompt and states why you are writing. Match the pronoun to the register you just chose.
Vielen Dank für deine / Ihre Nachricht.
Thank you for your message — a natural opener that reacts to the prompt. Match deine (du) or Ihre (Sie).
Ich schreibe dir / Ihnen, weil …
I am writing to you because … — state your reason up front (verb to the end after weil).
Covering your four Leitpunkte
One reliable frame for each kind of point telc sets. Underline all four in the prompt, then check each off against a sentence in your draft before you stop.
Ich möchte dich / Sie bitten, …
I would like to ask you to … — the frame for the 'make a request' point.
Ich würde vorschlagen, dass …
I would suggest that … — for the 'make a suggestion' point.
Leider muss ich dir / Ihnen mitteilen, dass …
Unfortunately I have to tell you that … — for explaining a problem.
Könntest du / Könnten Sie mir bitte mitteilen, ob …
Could you please let me know whether … — for the 'ask a question' point.
Closing the letter
A pre-close line, then the sign-off that matches your register. Getting the closing register wrong undoes a good letter.
Ich freue mich auf deine / Ihre Antwort.
I look forward to your reply — a natural pre-close before the sign-off.
Viele Grüße / Liebe Grüße
Informal sign-offs, if you greeted with du.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
The formal sign-off, if you greeted with Sie. No comma after it.
Download the B1 Schreiben Redemittel sheet (PDF)Every phrase on this page on one printable page — cover the German column and drill it offline.