Goethe-Zertifikat A2 · Modelltest · Part 1 – Message
Goethe A2 Writing (Schreiben) Part 1 – Short Message
Or practise it right here online – with an assessment and feedback
In Part 1 you write a short personal message for a situation with guide points. Here’s how to build it step by step.
Key takeaways
- You write a short personal message (e.g. text) for a situation with guide points.
- Cover all guide points and don’t forget the greeting and sign-off.
What this part tests
In Part 1 you produce text yourself: a short personal message – for example a text or email to a friend. You get a situation and guide points, all of which you must cover.
Three things are decisive: you address all guide points (one to two sentences each), you start with a greeting and end with a sign-off, and you write simple, understandable sentences. Perfect grammar isn’t expected at A2.
The most common losses of marks: a guide point is missing, or the greeting and sign-off are missing. Whoever covers all points and uses fixed phrases writes confidently and completely.
How to approach it
- 1
Read the situation and the guide points carefully.
- 2
Start with a suitable greeting (“Hallo …” / “Liebe/r …”).
- 3
Write one to two sentences for each guide point.
- 4
Link your sentences with “und”, “aber”, “weil”.
- 5
End with a sign-off (“Viele Grüße”).
- 6
Check at the end: all guide points, greeting and sign-off present?
Example task with answer
A short example in the same format: the task and a model answer that covers all guide points.
Deine Freundin Tina hat dich zu ihrem Geburtstag eingeladen. Schreibe eine Antwort. Leitpunkte: (1) Bedanke dich für die Einladung. (2) Sage, dass du kommst. (3) Frage, ob du etwas mitbringen sollst.
Model answer:
Why? The message covers all three guide points: thanking (1), confirming (2), asking about bringing something (3). It has a greeting (“Liebe Tina”) and a sign-off (“Viele Grüße”) and is informal throughout – exactly what Part 1 expects.
Practice: test yourself
Du antwortest einer Freundin auf eine Einladung zum Geburtstag.
Which greeting and sign-off fit?
An invitation from a friend is private. “Liebe Tina” and “Viele Grüße” fit. The formal variants (a, c) suit companies or strangers.Want to see how this feels in practice?
Try this section in an exam-like format and find out how confident you are before exam day.
Common mistakes
All points must appear. Tick them off one by one after writing.
A message needs a greeting at the start and a sign-off at the end.
Write short, simple sentences. Complicated sentences lead to errors.
To friends you write “du” and “Hallo”, not “Sie” and “Sehr geehrte …”.
Tips
- Write one to two sentences for each guide point.
- Learn fixed phrases for greeting, request and sign-off by heart.
- Check at the end that all points, greeting and sign-off are there.
Frequently asked questions
How long should the message be?
Short – one to two sentences per guide point, plus greeting and sign-off. What matters is that all points appear.
Do I really have to cover all guide points?
Yes. Each missing guide point costs marks. Tick off each point one by one after writing.
Do I write “du” or “Sie”?
In Part 1 the message is usually private (to friends/family) – then you write “du” and “Hallo”.
How do I get feedback on my message?
The official PDF answer key does not grade writing. At Prepliq a mock exam grades your message automatically with reference to the published assessment criteria.
Other parts
Useful resources
Check if you’re ready for this exam part
Practice in an exam-like format with real time limits, get an assessment modelled on the official criteria, and see where you still need work.
- Exam-like task format with real time limits
- Assessment modelled on the official exam criteria
- This exam part as a model test, results right away
- Detailed feedback and corrections on what you write