German B1 writing practice

The three B1 writing tasks

• Task 1 — informal message: write to a friend — invite, apologise, congratulate, make a suggestion. Informal register, du-form, friendly openers and closers.
• Task 2 — formal email: write to an office, school or company — request information, register, complain or cancel. Formal register, Sie-form, Sehr geehrte … / Mit freundlichen Grüßen.
• Task 3 — opinion: respond to a short statement on a forum — give your view with reasons and an example.

What the examiners score

Every task is marked on four things: coverage (all bullet points answered), structure (opening, body, closing, paragraphs), register (formal versus informal, consistently), and language (vocabulary range and grammar accuracy). Missing a bullet point costs more than any grammar mistake — read the task twice and tick the points off as you write.

Phrases that earn marks

• Informal opening — Liebe Anna, / Hallo Max, — vielen Dank für deine Nachricht.
• Inviting and suggesting — Ich wollte dich fragen, ob du … / Wie wäre es, wenn wir …?
• Formal opening — Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, / Sehr geehrter Herr Müller,
• Formal requests — Ich möchte mich nach … erkundigen. / Ich wäre Ihnen dankbar, wenn …
• Giving an opinion — Meiner Meinung nach … / Ich bin überzeugt, dass …, weil …
• Closing — Ich freue mich auf deine Antwort. / Mit freundlichen Grüßen

How to practise B1 writing

Write one full task against the clock — 20 minutes for 80–100 words — then correct it. The correction is where the learning happens: check coverage first, then register, then grammar. Rewrite the same task once, cleanly. Ten tasks written and properly corrected beat thirty tasks written and never reviewed.

How Deutschtrainer corrects your writing

Deutschtrainer gives you real B1 writing tasks, times them like the exam, and grades your text the way an examiner does: coverage of the bullet points, register, structure, vocabulary and grammar. Every correction is shown in your text with an explanation in your language, and you can rewrite immediately to lock the improvement in. Your writing scores feed into your overall B1 readiness score.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a B1 exam text be?

80–100 words per task. Significantly shorter loses coverage marks; much longer is not rewarded and costs time you need for the other tasks.

What happens if I miss a bullet point?

You lose a large share of the content score for that task. Coverage is weighted heavily at B1, so answering every bullet point matters more than elegant language.

Do I need to write by hand?

Paper-based Goethe, telc and ÖSD B1 exams are handwritten, so practise writing by hand if you book the paper format. Digital versions exist at some centres — check when you register.

Can I use a dictionary in the B1 exam?

No. Dictionaries are not allowed in the Goethe, telc or ÖSD B1 writing exams, so practise writing within the vocabulary you know.