Short answers to the questions candidates ask most about the Lesen module, checked against the official Goethe-Institut model papers and exam regulations.
A1 25 minutes, A2 30 minutes, B1, B2 and C1 65 minutes each, and C2 80 minutes. From B1 the booklet prints a suggested time for each Teil, but you manage the module time yourself.
A1: 3 Teile, 15 items. A2: 4 Teile, 20 items. B1: 5 Teile, 30 items. B2: 5 Teile, 30 items. C1: 4 Teile, 30 items. C2: 4 Teile, 30 items.
From B1 to C2 you need 60 of 100 points in the module. At B1, B2 and C1 that means 18 of the 30 items correct (18 × 3.33 = 60). At A1 and A2 there is no separate pass mark for Lesen: the whole exam is passed with 60 of 100, and at A2 you also need 45 of the 75 written points.
Only closed questions: Richtig/Falsch, Ja/Nein, multiple choice with three or four options, and matching (texts to people, ads to situations, sentences or paragraphs to gaps, headings to sections). There is no open writing in the Lesen module.
No. The Teile start with an example item 0 that shows how to answer. It is not scored, and in some matching Teile the option used in the example cannot be chosen again.
From A1 to C1, yes: one point per correct answer before conversion. At C2 the Teile are weighted: 4 points per item in Teil 1 (40 in total), 3 points per item in Teile 2, 3 and 4.
From B1 upwards, yes: B1, B2, C1 and C2 are modular. Each of the four modules is scored out of 100, passed with 60, and can be taken and retaken on its own. A1 is not modular and can only be repeated as a whole; at A2 repeating only the written or only the oral part is possible in exceptional cases.
Lesen, Hören and Schreiben can be taken on paper or digitally at a test centre, and the exam is also offered online at home under set conditions. Structure, content and rating are identical in every format. In the digital exam you type your answers on a centre laptop and can change them until you submit the module or the time runs out.
Every Teil is described on the Lesen description page, sample tasks with answers are on the Lesen samples page, and the criteria and conversion are on the Lesen scoring page.
Practise every Teil under exam timing in the Goethe practice section or take a full Goethe mock test.
Written by Kirill O'Nayd
Language test expert and educator at TestSucceed. He works through the official Goethe-Institut model papers for every level from A1 to C2, part by part, and explains how each module awards its points. See all TestSucceed preparation materials.