How the Goethe B1 Sprechen exam works, with real German Redemittel for all three Teile and the examiner habits that turn B1 speaking practice into a pass.
The Goethe B1 Sprechen exam lasts about 15 minutes, and you do not sit it alone. You take it as a pair, with a second candidate, after 15 minutes of preparation time on your own beforehand. There are three Teile, and none of them ask you to recite a memorised speech: you plan an activity with your partner, you give a short presentation, and you talk about the presentations afterwards. This guide breaks down each Teil, hands you real German Redemittel to use in the room, and shows you what examiners actually reward at B1.
Exam format last verified July 2026 against the Goethe-Institut Durchführungsbestimmungen (Stand 1 September 2025) and the current interactive Modellsatz.
What the Goethe B1 Sprechen exam actually contains
Sprechen is one module of four, booked and certified on its own, so you can pass it separately from Lesen, Hören, and Schreiben. The module is free production: there is no right answer to tick, and an examiner scores your speech against fixed criteria. Two candidates are examined together across three Teile, and you get 15 minutes of preparation before you go in. Here is the shape of the three parts.
| Teil | Task | Format | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teil 1 | Gemeinsam etwas planen | With your partner | Organise an activity or event together, for example a birthday party or a trip. You make suggestions, react to your partner's ideas, and settle the details. |
| Teil 2 | Ein Thema präsentieren | Solo | Each candidate gives a short, structured presentation on a topic, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. |
| Teil 3 | Über die Präsentation sprechen | With your partner | React to your partner's presentation: give feedback, ask questions, and answer questions about your own. |
The whole exam runs about 15 minutes for the pair. If you want to see where Sprechen sits inside the full certificate, the Goethe B1 exam guide maps all four modules and how the points add up.
Teil 1: plan something together
In Teil 1 you and your partner organise something as a team. The examiner gives you a situation, such as a farewell party for a colleague, and a few points to sort out: date, place, food, who invites whom. Your job is to reach a plan together, out loud, in a real back-and-forth. This is the Teil where candidates freeze, because they wait to be asked instead of driving the conversation. The fix is a small stock of Redemittel for making suggestions and agreeing.
- Making a suggestion: „Wollen wir das Fest bei mir zu Hause machen?“, „Ich schlage vor, dass wir am Samstag feiern.“, „Wie wäre es mit einem gemeinsamen Abendessen?“
- Agreeing: „Das ist eine gute Idee.“, „Ja, das finde ich auch.“, „Einverstanden, machen wir das so.“
- Adding or adjusting: „Vielleicht können wir auch Musik organisieren.“, „Das geht leider nicht, weil ich am Samstag arbeite. Wie wäre es mit Sonntag?“
Here is a short worked exchange to show the rhythm. Notice that both speakers suggest, react, and move the plan forward. Neither one just waits.
A: Also, wir sollen eine Geburtstagsparty für Anna planen. Wollen wir sie bei mir zu Hause machen?
B: Das ist eine gute Idee. Ich schlage vor, dass wir am Freitagabend feiern. Was meinst du?
A: Ja, Freitag passt gut. Und wer kümmert sich um das Essen?
B: Ich kann einen Kuchen backen. Vielleicht kannst du Getränke und Snacks mitbringen?
A: Einverstanden, machen wir das so. Dann schreibe ich Anna und lade die anderen ein.
That exchange uses simple B1 grammar. What earns marks is that each turn responds to the last one and adds something. Ask a question at the end of your turn, like „Was meinst du?“, and you hand the conversation back so it keeps flowing.
Teil 2: present a topic
Teil 2 is your solo part: a short, structured presentation on a topic you prepared during the 15 minutes beforehand. B1 examiners are listening for structure as much as content, so signal your stages out loud. A presentation that opens, orders its points, and closes cleanly reads as controlled, even if the German is plain.
- Introducing the topic: „Mein Thema ist …“, „Ich möchte heute über … sprechen.“, „In meiner Präsentation geht es um …“
- Ordering your points: „Zuerst …“, „Dann …“, „Außerdem …“, „Ein weiterer Punkt ist …“
- Giving your own experience: „In meinem Heimatland ist das so: …“, „Meiner Meinung nach …“, „Ich selbst finde, dass …“
- Closing: „Zum Schluss möchte ich sagen, dass …“, „Das war meine Präsentation, vielen Dank fürs Zuhören.“
A short worked opening: „Mein Thema ist Einkaufen im Internet. Zuerst erkläre ich die Vorteile, dann spreche ich über die Nachteile. Meiner Meinung nach ist das praktisch, aber man gibt oft zu viel Geld aus. Zum Schluss sage ich, wie ich selbst online einkaufe.“ Four sentences, and the examiner already knows where you are going. Build your notes as keywords under those signal phrases, not full sentences to read aloud. Reading a script kills the fluency marks.
Teil 3: talk about the presentation
After both presentations, Teil 3 asks you to react to your partner's talk: say what you found interesting, ask a question, and answer theirs. This is where candidates go quiet, because they treated Teil 2 as the finish line. Have Redemittel ready for reacting and questioning so you are not searching for words while the examiner watches.
- Reacting positively: „Ich finde deine Präsentation interessant, weil …“, „Mir hat besonders gut gefallen, dass du über … gesprochen hast.“
- Asking a question: „Ich hätte eine Frage: …“, „Wie ist das in deinem Heimatland?“, „Kannst du das noch einmal erklären?“
- Answering a question: „Das ist eine gute Frage. Also, bei uns ist das so: …“, „Danke für die Frage. Ich denke, dass …“
A short model reaction: „Ich finde deine Präsentation über das Reisen sehr interessant, weil ich auch gern reise. Ich hätte eine Frage: Reist du lieber allein oder mit Freunden?“ You gave a reason, then a real question. That is the whole task, and it takes ten seconds once you have the phrases ready.
What examiners reward at B1
At B1 the examiner is not chasing perfection. They reward communication that keeps going, and they mark down silence and passivity far harder than a wrong article or a mixed-up case ending. Three habits move your score the most.
- Fluency over perfection. A candidate who speaks in steady, simple sentences scores better than one who stops to fix every ending. If you make a mistake, keep going. Self-correction is fine, but do not let one wrong word derail the turn.
- Taking initiative. In the paired Teile, do not wait to be pulled in. Make the first suggestion, add a point, ask the next question. Examiners watch whether you can drive a dialogue, not just survive one.
- Reacting to your partner. The pair format exists so the examiner can see you respond to a real person. Pick up your partner's idea, agree or gently disagree, build on it. „Das finde ich auch, und vielleicht können wir noch …“ shows exactly the interaction they score.
One practical note on the pair: your score is your own. A quiet partner cannot sink you, and a strong one cannot carry you. If your partner freezes, ask them a question to bring them back in. That helps them speak and shows the examiner your initiative at once. The cross-level Sprechen speaking exam guide covers the mindset that keeps you talking when nerves hit.
How to practise B1 Sprechen
The best drill is to rehearse with a real partner under time. Give yourselves a Teil 1 situation, set 15 minutes to prepare a Teil 2 topic, and run all three parts without stopping, exactly as the exam does. Record it on your phone and listen back for the moments you went silent or slipped into your first language. Those pauses are what you train away.
If you do not have a partner, still prepare the raw material. Build a small bank of Teil 2 topics with keyword notes, and drill the Redemittel above until the signal phrases come automatically. When you can open with „Mein Thema ist … Zuerst …“ without thinking, that is one less thing to manage in the room. Sitting timed practice at the free B1 mock test on SagaDeutsch puts the format under your fingers, and the B1 requirements page shows what the certificate is used for.
Timing, points, and the pass mark
Sprechen at B1 is scored out of 100 points, and you need 60 to pass the module. Because B1 is modular, that pass stands on its own: you keep it even if you have to retake another skill. The grade you earn follows the same bands as every Goethe level: 100-90 is sehr gut, 89-80 gut, 79-70 befriedigend, 69-60 ausreichend, and 59-0 is nicht bestanden.
The number that matters is 60. You do not need sehr gut to pass, and chasing a perfect performance often costs you the fluency that actually scores. Aim to speak steadily across all three Teile rather than to be flawless in one.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. B1 Sprechen is a paired exam: two candidates are examined together for about 15 minutes. You plan an activity together in Teil 1 and talk about each other's presentations in Teil 3. Your score is still individual, so a nervous partner cannot lower your marks and a strong one cannot raise them.
You get 15 minutes of preparation before the exam, on your own. Use it mainly for Teil 2, your presentation: note keywords under clear signal phrases like „Mein Thema ist“ and „Zuerst“ rather than writing full sentences. You cannot prepare Teil 1 and Teil 3 the same way, since they depend on your partner, so save your energy for a solid presentation and quick reactions.
Fall back on your Redemittel. A ready phrase like „Das ist eine gute Frage, ich denke, dass …“ buys you a second and keeps you talking. Examiners reward candidates who recover and continue over ones who stop. If it happens in a paired Teil, ask your partner a question to shift the turn while you regroup.
You need 60 of 100 points to pass the Sprechen module. Because B1 is modular, this pass is certified separately from Lesen, Hören, and Schreiben, so you keep it even if you retake another skill. The grade bands run from ausreichend at 60 up to sehr gut at 90 and above.
No. B1 examiners reward communication that keeps going, and small grammar slips rarely decide a pass. Fluency, taking initiative, and reacting to your partner matter more than perfect endings. Fix a mistake if it is quick, but never stop mid-sentence to repair one wrong article. Staying silent costs far more than speaking imperfectly.
