Short answers to the questions candidates ask most about the Schreiben module, checked against the official Goethe-Institut model papers and exam regulations.
A1 20 minutes, A2 30, B1 60, B2 and C1 75, and C2 80 minutes. From B1 each task has a printed working time, for example 20, 25 and 15 minutes for the three B1 tasks.
A1: a form plus a message of about 30 words. A2: 20–30 and 30–40 words. B1: about 80, 80 and 40 words. B2: about 150 and 100. C1: about 230 and 120. C2: ten rewrites plus a text of about 350 words.
From A2 upwards, if task fulfilment is rated E (0 points) the whole task scores 0. At A2 that happens with less than half the required words (10 in Teil 1, 15 in Teil 2) or an off-topic text. At C2 Teil 2 any criterion rated 0 makes the task 0.
Two raters mark each text independently on fixed criteria, and the mean is taken. From B1 the criteria are Erfüllung (task fulfilment), Kohärenz, Wortschatz and Strukturen; C2 Teil 2 adds Textaufbau. The point values per criterion are fixed, with no values in between.
Yes. Each task lists three or four content points, and task fulfilment depends on covering them adequately. At B2 Teil 2 you may cover the four points in any order.
Teil 1 (20 minutes) asks you to rewrite ten passages of a short talk using a given word that must not be changed. In Teil 2 (60 minutes) you choose one of four topics: two free topics and two literature topics on a title from the annual reading list. Teil 2 uses rating criteria valid from 1 January 2026.
At A1 spelling only costs points if it makes the message hard to understand.
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 format you type on a centre laptop with a German keyboard.
Every Teil is described on the Schreiben description page, sample tasks with answers are on the Schreiben samples page, and the criteria and conversion are on the Schreiben 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.