A1 GOETHE EXAM PATTERN

When learning a language, there are four basic parameters that an individual is evaluated on, namely, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. Likewise, in the A1 Goethe exam you will be tested on the same. All these 4 modules carry 25 % each of the total points, however, there is no minimum passing percentage required individually in these modules to pass the A1 exam. The minimum passing percentage for A1 is 60%.

So, let’s discuss these 4 modules in detail:

READING (LESEN)

Time given: 24 minutes

Total Points: 15

There are 3 parts in this module:

• Part 1 (Teil 1)- 5 points

  Questions – 5

  There will be 2 comprehension texts and 5 statements will be given. You will have to read these sentences carefully and select whether the statement is Correct (Richtig) or Incorrect (Falsch)

• Part 2 (Teil 2)- 5 points

  Questions – 5

  There will 5 conditions or situations given and below each of them, there will be 2 advertisements mentioned. The task is to select the correct advertisement which pertains to the condition stated. You will have to select either ‘A’ or ‘B’ accordingly.

• Part 3 (Teil 3)- 5 points

  Questions – 5

  In this part, each question will contain some information or an advertisement and there will be a statement following it. You need to select whether the statement mentioned is correct (Richtig) or incorrect (Falsch) relating to the advertisement or information given.

WRITING (SCHREIBEN)

Time given: 20 minutes

Total Points: 15

There are 2 parts in this module:

• Part 1 (Teil 1) – 5 points

  This part consists of a text with information about a person or a company and below that, you will get a form that needs to be filled with the relevant information from the text. There will be only five blanks in the form, and you need to fill those out after reading the text carefully.

• Part 2 (Teil 2) – 10 points

  In this part, you need to write a short email. There will 3 points/questions which will be given, and they must be incorporated into your email. The word limit for this is around 30 words (5 to 6 lines). Please make sure that you don’t exceed the word limit

SPEAKING (SPRECHEN)

Time given: 15 minutes

Total Points: 15

There are 3 parts in this module. Speaking exam is conducted in groups of 3 or 4

• Part 1 (Teil 1)- 3 points

  Firstly, you will be asked to introduce yourself by the examiners. They will ask you to spell out some words like your name, last name and so on to test your knowledge of German alphabets and to check your command of German numbers, they can ask for your mobile number or pin code.

• Part 2 (Teil 2)- 6 points

  There are two rounds in this part. In each round, there will be few cards and 3 or 4 participants (including you). Every round has a theme (for example, school, friends, eating and drinking etc). The cards will be placed upside down and every student must take the card. There will be a theme and below that a word written on it, you will have to frame a question related to that word and ask your partner, similarly your partner will ask you a question with the word s/he has got, and you need to answer it. Eg: The theme written on the card is Weekend and the word given is Shopping, so you can ask a question, Where did you go Shopping this Weekend? This exercise will be repeated with new cards. Each question will fetch you 2 points and each answer will get 1 point, so total 6 points

• Part 3 (Teil 3) – 6 points

  This part is very similar to Part 2. Here as well there will be few cards kept upside down on the table. These cards will have a picture on it. Each student will have to pick a card and looking at the picture s/he will have to make a request to their partner. Eg: You get a card with a picture of a bag on it, you may then make a request, May I borrow your bag, accordingly your partner has to answer. Similarly, they will make a request to you, and you will need to answer. Each request will fetch you 2 points and each answer will get 1 point

LISTENING

Time given: 20 minutes

Total Points: 15

This module also has 3 parts.

• Part 1 (Teil 1)- 6 Points

  In this part, you will listen to 6 small dialogues and there will be 1 question for each dialogue. There will 3 options, A, B and C for each question, and you have to choose the correct one out of these. Each dialogue will be played twice. Make sure to read the question carefully and look for the keywords in the audio.

• Part 2 (Teil 2) – 4 points

  There will be 4 questions in this part. You will listen to 4 announcements, mostly from airports, train stations or supermarkets. There will be 1 statement given after each announcement, you need to answer whether the statement is True (Richtig) or False (Falsch). The announcements will be played only so you need to be very vigilant when hearing the audio. They will use a lot of antonyms and synonyms, so the key is to be thorough with your vocabulary.

• Part 3 (Teil 3) – 5 points

  You will listen to 5 one sided telephonic conversation (recording on answering machine) and there will be 1 question for each audio, so in total 5 questions in this part. Each question will have 3 options, A, B and C, you will need to choose 1. Like part 1, each audio will be played twice. You must be extra attentive when listening to these audios.

P.S.: At the end of the exam, you will be given a separate answer paper in which you will need to fill your answers.

The key to clearing your exam is a good command on your vocabulary and thorough knowledge of the concepts of grammar.