exam guide · German

Goethe-Zertifikat A2, B1 and B2: the German exam explained

The Goethe-Zertifikat is the Goethe-Institut's German language exam, administered and graded to the same rules at licensed exam centres worldwide. This page covers the three levels wspell prepares you for — A2, B1 and B2 — what each paper looks like, how it is scored, and how to prepare.

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at a glance

Provider
Goethe-Institut e.V., the Federal Republic of Germany's cultural institute. Every exam is administered and graded to uniform criteria at licensed exam centres worldwide.
Levels on this page
A2, B1 and B2 of the CEFR. The Goethe-Institut also offers A1, C1 and C2; each level is a separate exam.
Parts
Four at every level: Lesen (reading), Hören (listening), Schreiben (writing) and Sprechen (speaking, normally in pairs). A2 is one exam; B1 and B2 are modular, so each module is booked, sat and certified on its own.
Duration
A2: 90 min written (reading 30, listening about 30, writing 30) plus about 15 min speaking. B1: about 165 min written (65 / about 40 / 60) plus about 15 min speaking with 15 min preparation. B2: about 180 min written (65 / about 40 / 75) plus about 15 min speaking with 15 min preparation.
Pass rule
A2: at least 60 of 100 points in total, of which at least 45 of 75 in the written parts and 15 of 25 in speaking. B1 and B2: each module is scored out of 100 and passed at 60 points (60%); a weak module cannot be offset by a strong one.
Validity
The certificate carries no expiry date and the Goethe-Institut states its certificates are valid indefinitely (Goethe-Institut exam FAQs, October 2026). The body you show it to (an immigration office, a university) may still ask for a recent one — check with them.
Who can register
Anyone. No course attendance and no lower-level certificate are required. The recommended minimum age for the adult A2, B1 and B2 exams is 16.
Where to register
At a Goethe-Institut or a licensed exam centre. Dates, registration deadlines and the fee are set by each centre and published on its current exam page.
Results
Issued by the centre where you sat the exam, and how long that takes depends on the centre: the Goethe-Institut USA's FAQ, for example, gives about two weeks at a Goethe-Institut and six weeks at an external exam centre, while other institutes give other times — ask yours when you book (October 2026). Certificates are paper or digital and can be checked at goethe.de/verify.

What the Goethe-Zertifikat is and who takes it

The Goethe-Zertifikat is the German-as-a-foreign-language exam of the Goethe-Institut, offered at six CEFR levels from A1 to C2 and sat by adults at Goethe-Instituts and licensed centres in most countries. Because it is administered and graded to the same regulations everywhere, a B1 from Nairobi and a B1 from Munich are the same certificate.

Who needs which level: the Goethe-Institut lists B1 as recognised proof of German for a settlement permit and for naturalisation in Germany, and describes its certificates as internationally recognised for visa procedures, professional recognition and university admission. Many German universities and employers ask for B2 or higher — some degree programmes want C1 or TestDaF/DSH — so check the programme; A2 is where many learners sit their first German language exam to have something official in hand. Whatever your purpose, confirm the exact level and the acceptable age of the certificate with the authority that will receive it before you book.

Structure per level

Every level tests the same four skills — reading, listening, writing, speaking — and one thing holds at all three: in reading and listening you only ever select an answer (multiple choice, true/false, or matching). Nothing in the reading or listening modules is typed. You write only in the writing module and speak only in the speaking module.

  • A2 — Reading: 4 parts, 20 items in 30 min (typically short emails, ads, notices, a simple article). Listening: 4 parts, 20 items in about 30 min (messages, announcements, short dialogues, a simple interview). Writing: 2 short texts in 30 min (an informal text message to a friend, a short semi-formal email). Speaking: 3 parts, about 15 min in pairs with no preparation time — questions about yourself, a short monologue, planning something together.
  • B1 — Reading: 5 parts, 30 items in 65 min (a blog or personal text, two press articles, ads to match to people, reader comments for or against, an official notice). Listening: 4 parts, 30 items in about 40 min. Writing: 3 tasks in 60 min (an informal email of about 80 words, a forum opinion of about 80 words, a short formal message of about 40 words — counts as in the official Modellsatz). Speaking: 3 parts in pairs, about 15 min after 15 min preparation — plan something together, give a short presentation, discuss your partner's.
  • B2 — Reading: 5 parts, 30 items in 65 min: statements to assign to the four people writing in a forum (the same person can be the answer more than once), a magazine article with six gaps to fill from a list of whole sentences, two of which fit nowhere, a newspaper article with multiple-choice questions, headings to match to short opinions, and the paragraphs of a set of rules to match to headings. Listening: 4 parts, 30 items in about 40 min. Writing: 2 tasks in 75 min (a forum contribution of about 150 words, a formal message of about 100 words — counts as in the official Modellsatz). Speaking: 2 parts in pairs, about 15 min after 15 min preparation — a presentation with questions, then a debate.
  • Speaking is a pair exam by default; a candidate without a partner gets a shorter individual exam of about 10 minutes. The introductory small talk is not graded.

How the Goethe-Zertifikat is scored

Reading and listening are scored one point per correct item and then scaled — at A2 to 25 points per part, at B1 and B2 to 100 per module. Writing is marked by two independent graders against fixed criteria and speaking by two examiners, and the two assessments are averaged; in writing, a third grader marks the text when one grader's score is below the pass mark, the other's above it and their average below it.

At A2 the four parts add up to 100 points (75 written, 25 oral) and the whole exam is passed at 60 points — provided you also reach 45 in the written parts and 15 in speaking. A partial resit (only the oral, or only the written exam) is possible in exceptional cases, within one year and at the same centre; you have no right to one.

At B1 and B2 each module stands alone: 100 points, passed at 60, certified separately, and the regulations let you sit or resit a module as often as the centre's capacity allows. The score also maps to a rating on the certificate: 90–100 sehr gut (very good), 80–89 gut (good), 70–79 befriedigend (satisfactory), 60–69 ausreichend (sufficient).

How to register

You register directly with a Goethe-Institut or a licensed exam centre — online through the institute's site in most countries, or at the centre. There is no prerequisite: you do not need to have attended a course or passed the level below, and you can go straight to B2. The centre sets the date, the registration deadline and the fee, and tells you the exact start time about five days before the exam.

For the non-modular A2 the written and oral parts are normally held within 14 days of each other. For B1 and B2 you choose which modules to book — all four on one date, or one at a time. Bring an official photo ID on the day; identity is checked before the exam and may be checked during it. Results come from the centre, and the certificate is issued on paper or as a PDF depending on the centre; a paper copy on top of the digital one may carry an administrative fee. Depending on the centre, the written parts are taken on paper or, in the digital exam, on one of the centre's laptops (the speaking test is still face to face), and under certain conditions the exam can be taken online on your own computer; the structure, content and marking are the same in every format.

How to prepare for the Goethe exam

Start with the official Modellsatz for your level — the Goethe-Institut publishes a full sample paper with answer key and audio for every exam, free. Sit it once, timed, before you do anything else, so you know which module is actually the problem. At B1 and B2 a module you fail is resat on its own, so put your hours where the gap is.

Then learn the task shapes, because they repeat exactly from paper to paper. From A2 to B2, Goethe true/false has no 'not given' — every statement is decidable from the text. Matching works differently from part to part: some parts have spare options you will not use, or a situation that matches nothing, and in others the same person or speaker is the answer to several statements — so read each part's instructions in the Modellsatz before the day. The B2 gapped text asks you to put whole sentences back, so watch what ties a sentence to its neighbours: connectors such as trotzdem, allerdings, deshalb and obwohl, and the pronouns that point back.

  • Listening is played once or twice depending on the part; treat every first listening as the only one. Read the items in the pause before the audio and decide what kind of answer each wants.
  • Writing has word counts and content points, and graders check that every point was covered. Write to the count, in the register asked for (du for a friend, Sie for an office), and finish — an unfinished text loses the most.
  • Speaking is done in pairs. Practise the planning dialogue with a partner: suggest, react, agree — three moves, out loud, many times. Memorised monologues are audible and collapse at the first question.
  • How many hours: the Goethe-Institut's own guidance for B1 is 350 to 650 teaching units of 45 minutes, depending on what you already know. Budget by module, not by level.

How wspell's course maps to the paper

Each Goethe-Zertifikat level on wspell is a free practice bank of four sets, around 150 to 170 items each: Reading (emails, ads, notices and short articles), Listening (announcements, dialogues and radio pieces as transcripts, so you can drill the question logic before you add real audio), Grammar — the structures your writing and speaking are marked on for accuracy, since no Goethe module at these levels tests grammar as a part of its own — and Vocabulary for the level. Every item is a single multiple-choice question on one short text or sentence, and every item explains why the answer is right. That trains what the modules test, not the exam's own task formats: the matching tasks, the true/false statements and the longer texts with several questions are not in the bank yet, so practise those on the official Modellsatz.

What the course does not do: it does not grade your writing or speaking. Those are marked by people in the real exam, and wspell does not pretend to score them. Use the bank for the two comprehension modules, grammar and vocabulary, and pair it with the official Modellsatz, a partner for the pair exam and someone who can correct your writing.

Grammar charts and cheat sheets

The grammar as tables you can take in at a glance — verb tenses, case endings, declensions, prepositions — each on one page to read, print and share.

German grammar tables →

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frequently asked questions

Which Goethe-Zertifikat level do I need for German citizenship or a settlement permit?

The Goethe-Institut lists the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 as recognised proof of German for a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) and for naturalisation (Einbürgerung). The requirements are set by the German authorities and can change, so confirm the level and any certificate age limit with your foreigners' office (Ausländerbehörde) or naturalisation office (Einbürgerungsbehörde) before booking.

How long is a Goethe certificate valid?

It has no expiry date and the Goethe-Institut says its certificates are valid indefinitely (Goethe-Institut exam FAQs, October 2026). Universities and immigration offices sometimes want a certificate that is no more than a few years old — ask the receiving body.

What is the pass mark?

60%. At A2 that is 60 of 100 points overall with at least 45 of 75 in the written parts and 15 of 25 in speaking. At B1 and B2 every module is scored out of 100 and passed at 60 points, and each module must pass on its own.

Can I take just one module?

At B1 and B2, yes: the four modules are booked, sat and certified separately, and you can retake a single module without redoing the others. A2 is a single exam; a partial resit of only the oral or only the written part is allowed in exceptional cases, within a year, at the same centre.

Do I have to take a Goethe course or pass A2 before B1?

No. The exam regulations state that no course attendance and no lower-level certificate are required. You can register for any level directly.

How long does it take to get from A1 to B1?

The Goethe-Institut's guidance for B1 is 350 to 650 teaching units of 45 minutes, depending on your prior knowledge and how you learn; the gap from A1 is most of that. A realistic self-study path is a timed sample paper first, then hours spent on the module that failed rather than on the level in general.

What is the difference between Goethe B1 and B2?

B1 asks you to cope with familiar topics: everyday texts, a short presentation, an email of about 80 words. B2 asks you to argue and to follow an argument: forum posts and opinions to attribute to the people who hold them, an article with whole sentences missing, a 150-word forum contribution, a presentation followed by a debate. The writing modules are 60 and 75 minutes; reading and listening are the same length at both levels but the texts are longer and more abstract at B2.

Goethe-Zertifikat or telc?

Both are CEFR-aligned German exams from different providers — the Goethe-Institut and telc gGmbH. Which one an authority or university accepts is their decision — ask them, then choose the format you are more comfortable with.

sources

about this guide

Goethe-Zertifikat and Goethe-Institut are trademarks of the Goethe-Institut e.V., which alone sets, runs and certifies the exam; wspell holds no licence from it. The questions and passages in wspell's practice bank are original — written for wspell, not taken from any real or sample paper. The authoritative exam pages, regulations and sample papers are at goethe.de.

The information here summarises official sources at the date shown and can change — confirm dates, fees and rules on the provider's official pages before you register.

facts verified on October 13, 2026 against the sources above