--- title: "telc B1 Writing (Schreiben): Write the Letter (Example)" description: "How to write the letter in telc B1 written expression: the situation and 4 guide points, structure, useful phrases and an example with a model answer – step by step." canonical: "https://prepliq.com/en/model-test/telc-german-b1/writing/part-1" url: "https://prepliq.com/en/model-test/telc-german-b1/writing/part-1.md" locale: "en" provider: "TELC" level: "B1" alternates: de: "https://prepliq.com/de/modelltest/telc-deutsch-b1/schreiben/teil-1.md" en: "https://prepliq.com/en/model-test/telc-german-b1/writing/part-1.md" --- # telc B1 Writing (Schriftlicher Ausdruck) – Writing the Letter > How to write the letter in telc B1 written expression: the situation and 4 guide points, structure, useful phrases and an example with a model answer – step by step. ## Key takeaways - Cover all four guide points – telc sets no word count. - Structure: salutation – opening – body (all points) – closing. - Task type: Letter / email - Focus: Written expression ## What this part tests In this part you produce text yourself: a personal or semi-formal email. You get a short situation and four guide points and have 30 minutes. telc prescribes no word count. It tests whether you handle the writing situation appropriately – not whether you write error-free. Three criteria decide it: I Aufgabenbewältigung (all four guide points covered appropriately), II Kommunikative Gestaltung (text logic, connectors, register, vocabulary – salutation and sign-off belong here) and III Formale Richtigkeit (grammar, spelling, punctuation). Each criterion gets A, B, C or D, worth 5, 3, 1 or 0 points, and the sum is multiplied by three. Example: A/A/B is 13 points, times three = 39 out of 45. The most common point losses: a guide point is missing or doesn’t fit the situation, the register wobbles between “du” and “Sie”, or the guide points sit side by side with nothing linking them. If you plan briefly first, tick off all four points and use fixed phrases, you write confidently and completely. **What you practice:** Structuring a letter, Hitting the register, Covering the guide points ## How to approach it 1. Read the situation and decide: “du” or “Sie”? 2. Note a keyword for each of the four guide points so you forget none. 3. Start with the salutation and a short opening (the reason for writing). 4. In the body, deal with each guide point sensibly and understandably – one sentence can be enough – and use suitable phrases. 5. Close with an appropriate sign-off. 6. Check at the end: all four guide points covered, one consistent register, salutation and closing there? ## Example task with answer A short example in the same format: the task and a model letter that covers all guide points (the model letter is in German). **Task:** A friend, Anna, has invited you to her birthday party. Write a reply. Guide points: (1) Thank her for the invitation. (2) Say whether you’re coming. (3) Ask whether you should bring something. (4) Suggest a joint present for another friend. - Model letter (excerpt): - Answer: Liebe Anna, vielen Dank für deine Einladung zur Geburtstagsfeier! Ich komme sehr gern. Soll ich etwas zu essen oder Getränke mitbringen? Für Lauras Geschenk hätte ich an einen Gutschein für ihr Lieblingscafé gedacht – was meinst du? Bis Samstag, viele Grüße, Maria — The reply covers all four guide points: thank (1), accept (2), ask about bringing something (3), suggest a present (4) – some of them in a single sentence, and that is enough. The register is personal throughout (“Liebe Anna”, “du”, “viele Grüße”) – right for a friend. ## Practice: test yourself You reply to a friend’s private invitation to a barbecue. - Which salutation and closing fit? - a) Sehr geehrte Frau … / Mit freundlichen Grüßen - b) Liebe Anna / Viele Grüße - c) Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren / Hochachtungsvoll - Answer: b — A private invitation from a friend is personal (informal). “Liebe Anna” and “Viele Grüße” fit. The semi-formal variants (a, c) only fit companies or unknown people. ## Common mistakes - **Forgetting a guide point:** All four points must appear. Tick them off one by one after writing – every missing point drops Criterion I a whole band. - **Mixing the register:** Don’t switch between “du” and “Sie”. Decide at the start and stick with it – a wobbling register rules out an A in Kommunikative Gestaltung. - **Padding out of fear of “too short”:** There is no minimum word count. A guide point already counts as covered if you deal with it sensibly and understandably in one, possibly short, sentence – two guide points may even share one sentence. Shortness only becomes a problem when a point isn’t covered at all, or isn’t understandable. - **Missing the situation:** The topic alone isn’t enough: writing an invitation when you were asked to answer one misses the situation – that is a D in Criterion I. Read the task closely. - **No thread through the text:** If the salutation and sign-off are missing, or the guide points sit side by side with nothing linking them, an A in Kommunikative Gestaltung is out of reach. Classic letter elements such as sender address, date or a subject line are not required by telc. ## Tips - Plan before you write – two minutes on the four guide points save you time and mistakes. - Learn one set of phrases each for personal and semi-formal emails by heart. - Tick off each of the four guide points at the end – that counts for more than the length. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long should the letter be? telc sets no word count. What matters is that all four guide points are covered appropriately – a guide point already counts as covered if you deal with it sensibly in one, possibly short, sentence. The 30 minutes cap the length by themselves. ### Do I really have to address all four guide points? Yes. Criterion I measures exactly that: four points covered appropriately give an A (5 points), three a B (3), two a C (1), one or none a D (0). Tick off each point individually after writing. ### How do I know whether to write “du” or “Sie”? The situation decides: “du” to friends/acquaintances, “Sie” to companies/authorities/unknown people. Stay with one form throughout. ### How do I get feedback on my letter? The official PDF answer key doesn’t grade writing. At Prepliq a mock checks your email automatically, and its assessment is modelled on the published telc assessment criteria – Aufgabenbewältigung, Kommunikative Gestaltung and Formale Richtigkeit. Prepliq is independent of telc gGmbH: the automatic assessment is a practice assessment, not an official telc exam assessment – in the real exam two licensed telc raters mark your text. ## 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 [Practice from this part on Prepliq](https://prepliq.com/en/model-test/telc-german-b1) [telc B1 Writing (Schriftlicher Ausdruck) – Writing the Letter](https://prepliq.com/en/model-test/telc-german-b1/writing/part-1)