Goethe-Zertifikat A1 (Start Deutsch 1): exam parts and how to prepare
The Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 is the Goethe-Institut's exam for adults at the first CEFR level. It has a written part of 65 minutes (listening, reading and writing) and a speaking part of about 15 minutes in a small group. You need 60 out of 100 points to pass. Many people take it for a spouse visa, because it is one of the certificates German embassies usually accept as proof of A1.
Who the exam is for
The Goethe-Institut recommends Start Deutsch 1 for people aged 16 and over. Younger learners, roughly from 10 to 16, can take Fit in Deutsch 1, which tests the same level with topics suited to their age. The exam is offered by Goethe-Institutes and licensed exam centres around the world, and it is held and marked in the same way everywhere. Dates and fees depend on the exam centre.
The written exam: 65 minutes
The three written parts are taken together without a break. The recommended order is listening, reading and writing, but exam centres may change it.
| Part | Time | Tasks | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hören (listening) | about 20 minutes | three parts: short everyday conversations, telephone messages, announcements | 15 |
| Lesen (reading) | 25 minutes | three parts: short messages and letters, adverts and web pages, signs and notices | 15 |
| Schreiben (writing) | 20 minutes | part 1: fill in a form; part 2: write a short personal message | 5 + 10 |
Listening
You hear short texts from daily life and answer multiple-choice or true/false questions. Some texts are played twice. Read the questions before each recording starts, because the answers are usually single details: a time, a price, a platform number or a day of the week. Numbers are the most common reason for lost points, so practise hearing them, especially numbers like fünfundvierzig where the order is the reverse of English.
Reading
The texts are short and practical: a note from a friend, an email, an advert, a sign at a train station or in a shop. You do not need to understand every word. Look for the information the question asks for and ignore the rest.
Writing
In the first part you fill in a form using information from a short text, for example registering someone for a course. The second part is a short message, such as an email to a friend or a note to a teacher, in which you respond to the points given in the task. Answer every point, even with one sentence each. Missing a point costs more than a small grammar mistake. A greeting and a closing line (Liebe Anna, … Viele Grüße) are expected.
The speaking exam: about 15 minutes in a group
The speaking exam is a group exam with up to four candidates and two examiners. There is no preparation time: you receive the task cards in the exam itself. It has three parts of about five minutes each.
| Part | What you do | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduce yourself using keywords (name, age, country, where you live, languages, job, hobbies), then spell a word and say a number | 3 |
| 2 | Using word cards on a topic, ask another candidate a question and answer theirs | 6 |
| 3 | Using picture cards, make a request and respond to someone else's request | 6 |
In part 1 the keywords are printed on a sheet, so you can prepare a short self-introduction long before the exam and practise it until it sounds natural. In part 3 a typical card shows an object, for example a pen or a glass of water, and you ask for it politely: Kannst du mir bitte den Kuli geben? The other candidate answers: Ja, gern. Hier, bitte.
Ich heiße Daniel Brown. Ich bin 34 Jahre alt.My name is Daniel Brown. I'm 34.
Ich komme aus Kanada und wohne jetzt in Manchester.I'm from Canada and now live in Manchester.
Ich spreche Englisch und ein bisschen Französisch.I speak English and a little French.
Ich bin Ingenieur. In meiner Freizeit spiele ich Gitarre.I'm an engineer. In my free time I play the guitar.
How the points work
The written exam gives up to 45 raw points (15 for listening, 15 for reading, 15 for writing) and the speaking exam up to 15. These are multiplied by about 1.66 and added up, which gives a maximum of 75 for the written part and 25 for speaking, 100 in total. You pass with 60 points.
There is no separate minimum for each part, but there is a practical limit. The Goethe-Institut's own rules note that a candidate with fewer than 35 points in the written part can no longer reach 60, even with full marks in speaking. If you fail, you retake the whole exam. Start Deutsch 1 cannot be repeated part by part.
| Points | Grade |
|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | sehr gut (very good) |
| 80 to 89 | gut (good) |
| 70 to 79 | befriedigend (satisfactory) |
| 60 to 69 | ausreichend (sufficient) |
| 0 to 59 | nicht bestanden (fail) |
A four-week preparation plan
This plan assumes you already have most of the A1 grammar and need to prepare for the exam format.
In week 1, do a complete model exam under real time limits. The Goethe-Institut publishes free practice materials for Start Deutsch 1. Mark it honestly and note which part cost you the most points.
In week 2, work on listening and numbers every day: prices, times, dates, phone numbers. Write your self-introduction for speaking part 1 and say it aloud until you no longer need the paper.
In week 3, practise writing. Write a short message every day in response to a task with three points, and check that you answered each point. Practise filling in forms: name, date of birth, address, nationality, phone number.
In week 4, do a second model exam, then practise speaking parts 2 and 3 with a partner or tutor. Learn a few phrases for asking someone to repeat: Wie bitte? Noch einmal, bitte. Langsamer, bitte.
Mistakes that cost points
The most common ones are easy to avoid. Candidates forget to transfer their answers to the answer sheet in time, so leave about five minutes at the end of each written part. In writing they skip one of the points in the task or write far too much. In speaking part 2 they answer but forget to ask a question of their own. And in part 3 they name the object instead of making a request: Kuli! gets fewer points than Kannst du mir bitte den Kuli geben?
The post on polite requests has the phrases you need for part 3, and the A1 roadmap lists the grammar the exam assumes. For listening practice, the dialogues Im Café and Am Kiosk use the same kind of everyday language. If you need the certificate for a visa, see which German level you need for a visa.
Written by: Fatih Ün, German teacher · Last updated: