Goethe B1 Writing (Schreiben) Part 1 – Personal Email
In Part 1 you write a personal email to a friend. Here’s how to build it step by step.
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Key takeaways
- You write a personal email (~80 words) to a friend for a situation with guide points.
- Write privately (du, Hallo), cover all guide points, don’t forget the greeting and sign-off.
What this part tests
In Part 1 you produce text yourself: a personal email (around 80 words) – for example to a friend. You get a situation and three guide points, all of which you must cover.
Decisive: you address all guide points, you start with a greeting and end with a sign-off, and you write privately and understandably. Connect your sentences with “weil”, “deshalb”, “und”, “aber”.
The most common losses of marks: a guide point is missing, the register is wrong (too formal) or greeting and sign-off are missing. Whoever covers all points and writes privately writes confidently and completely.
How to approach it
- 1
Read the situation and the guide points carefully.
- 2
Start with a private greeting (“Hallo …” / “Liebe/r …”).
- 3
Write one to two sentences for each guide point.
- 4
Connect your sentences with “weil”, “deshalb”, “und”, “aber”.
- 5
End with a private sign-off (“Viele Grüße”).
- 6
Check at the end: all guide points, greeting, sign-off, private register?
Example task with answer
A short example in the same format: the task and a model answer that covers all guide points.
Deine Freundin Sophie zieht am Wochenende um und hat dich um Hilfe gebeten. Schreibe eine Antwort (~80 Wörter). Leitpunkte: (1) Sag zu, dass du hilfst. (2) Frage, wann genau du kommen sollst. (3) Schlage vor, dass ihr danach zusammen esst.
Model answer:
Why? The email covers all three guide points: agreeing (1), asking about the time (2), suggesting food (3). It has a private greeting and a sign-off, is informal throughout and connects the sentences – exactly what Part 1 expects.
Practice: test yourself
Du antwortest einer Freundin, die dich gefragt hat, ob du ihr beim Umzug hilfst.
Which greeting and sign-off fit?
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Common mistakes
All three points must appear. Tick them off one by one after writing.
To friends you write “du” and “Hallo”, not “Sie” and “Sehr geehrte …”.
An email needs a greeting at the start and a sign-off at the end.
Don’t just string short sentences together. Link them with “weil”, “deshalb”, “aber”.
Tips
- Write one to two sentences for each guide point.
- Learn fixed phrases for private greeting, request and sign-off.
- Check at the end that all points, greeting and sign-off are there.
Frequently asked questions
How long should the email be?
Around 80 words. Cover all guide points with one to two sentences each, plus greeting and sign-off.
Do I write “du” or “Sie”?
In Part 1 you write to friends or family – so “du” and “Hallo”. The register must be consistently private.
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.
How do I get feedback on my email?
The official PDF answer key does not grade writing. At Prepliq a mock exam grades your email automatically with reference to the published assessment criteria.
Other parts
Useful resources
Learn 600+ of the most important Goethe-Zertifikat B1 words interactively with flashcards.
Preview and download the official Goethe-Zertifikat B1 practice test – with answers and study material.
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