In Part 2 you write a formal message, for example a request, complaint or notice. Here’s how to stay polite, clear and complete.
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Key takeaways
In Part 2 you write a formal message or notice (around 100 words) – for example to a company, an administration, a superior or an institution. Typical occasions are a request, a complaint, an enquiry or a notice.
What’s decisive is the formal register: a formal greeting, a polite but clear tone (with “Sie”) and a suitable sign-off. You name your concern clearly, justify it briefly and formulate a concrete request or expectation.
The most common losses of marks: writing too privately or impolitely, not naming the concern clearly or not treating the task fully. Whoever writes politely, clearly and completely solves this part reliably.
Grasp the occasion and the points you must cover.
Start with a formal greeting (“Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,”).
Name your concern clearly and justify it briefly.
Formulate a concrete request or expectation.
End with a formal sign-off (“Mit freundlichen Grüßen”).
Check register, completeness and politeness.
A short example in the same format: the task and a model answer.
In Ihrem Wohnhaus ist der Aufzug seit über einer Woche defekt. Schreiben Sie eine formelle Nachricht (~100 Wörter) an die Hausverwaltung: Beschreiben Sie das Problem, erklären Sie die Folgen und bitten Sie um eine baldige Reparatur.
Model answer:
Why? The message is formal throughout (greeting, “Sie”, sign-off), describes the problem and its consequences, formulates a concrete request and stays polite despite being a complaint – exactly what Part 2 expects.
Du schreibst an die Verwaltung deines Wohnhauses, weil der Aufzug seit Tagen kaputt ist.
Which phrasing fits a polite, formal complaint?
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Stay formal and polite – even in a complaint. Threats or colloquial language don’t fit.
Say clearly what it’s about and what you expect.
Cover all the given points of the task.
Use “Sie” and formal phrasing throughout.
Around 100 words. It must contain a greeting, the clearly stated concern, a short justification and a sign-off.
A consistently formal, polite register with “Sie” and formal phrasing – even in a complaint.
A request, a complaint, an enquiry or a notice to a company, administration, institution or superior.
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