A2 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 A2 Goethe exam you will be tested on the same. The minimum passing percentage for A2 is 60%.

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

READING (LESEN)

Time given: 30 minutes

Total Points: 25

There are 4 parts in this module:

• Part 1 (Teil 1)- Zeitungsmeldung

  Questions – 5

  There will be a text given and 5 statements with options, ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’. You have to read the text and then answer the questions accordingly. These will be basically incomplete statements and you have to choose the correct option.

• Part 2 (Teil 2)- Information Finden

  Questions – 5

  In this part, you will be given an information table about an organization or a shopping mall. In relation to this information, you will see 5 questions with 3 options each. You have to select the correct option, ‘a’, ‘b’ or ‘c’ which indicates the correct information.

• Part 3 (Teil 3)- E-mail Lesen

  Questions – 5

  In this part, you will find an email or a letter, mostly informal. In this email, there are again 5 incomplete statements. Every statement has 3 options – ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’ and you will need to choose the correct option pertaining to these statements.

• Part 4 (Teil 4)- Kleinanzeigen

  Questions – 5

  In this part, you will get 6 advertisements and 5 statements stating a desire or request from five different people in the form of a statement and there will be 6 website screenshots. You need to understand their desire and select the right advertisement for every person. For one person, there will be no advertisement, so you will need to put an ‘X’ for the same.

LISTENING

Time given: 30 minutes

Total Points: 20

This module also has 4 parts.

• Part 1 (Teil 1)- Kurze Ansagen 5 Points

  In this part, you will listen to 5 small telephonic conversations/announcements and there will be 1 question for each of them. Each conversation will be played twice. Make sure to read the question carefully and look for the keywords in the audio. There will be 3 options, A, B and C for each question, and you have to choose the correct one out of these.

• Part 2 (Teil 2) – Ein Gespräch - 5 points

  This part will have 5 questions and 9 pictures. You will listen to a conversation between 2 persons and this will be played only once. You have to match the pictures with the corresponding element that will be mentioned in the conversation. Please be mindful that all the answers to the 5 questions will have to be marked simultaneously (the answers will be mentioned in a series) while the conversation is being played, as the conversation is going to be played only once.
  Eg: The conversation might be between two friends discussing the hobbies of different persons. You will be given pictures of the sport and names of the persons in the options, so you will have to match the option with its corresponding picture.

• Part 3 (Teil 3) – 5 kurze Gespräche- 5 points

  You will listen to 5 short conversations and there will be a question for each conversation, so in total 5 questions in this part. Each question will have 3 options, A, B and C, you will need to choose 1. Each conversation will be played only once. You must be extra attentive when listening to the audios.

• Part 4 (Teil 4) – Ein Interview- 5 points

  Here, you will be listening to an interview and there will be 5 statements, you have to mark whether these statements are True or False. The audio will be played twice.

WRITING (SCHREIBEN)

Time given: 30 minutes

Total Points: 20

There are 2 parts in this module:

• Part 1 (Teil 1) – SMS Writing- 10 points

  You will need to write an informal SMS to a friend or a known person. There will be 3 points/questions which will be given, and they must be incorporated in your SMS. The word limit for this will be around 20 to 30 words.

• Part 2 (Teil 2) – Email/Letter Writing- 10 points

  In this part, you need to write a formal letter or an email. In this also, there will be 3 points given and you must use them in your letter or email. The word limit for this is around 40 words (6 to 7 lines). Please make sure that you don’t exceed the word limit and all the points are covered in your email or letter.

SPEAKING (SPRECHEN)

Time given: 15 minutes

Total Points: 25 (5 points are for pronunciation)

There are 3 parts in this module. The speaking exam is conducted in groups of 2. You will get no time for preparation in Sprechen.

• Part 1 (Teil 1)- Frage stellen- 4 points

  In this part, every person will get 4 cards and based on this you will need to frame 4 questions and ask your partner.
  Eg: You get a card ‘Hobby’, so you need to ask your partner a question, Was sind Ihre Hobbys? Similarly, your partner will also ask based on their card and you will have to answer. It will last for 1 to 2 minutes per person.

• Part 2 (Teil 2)- Von sich erzählen 8 points

  You will get one question and 4 points related to it. Eg: What do you do on Weekends, and 4 points like going to the movies, meeting friends, doing housework, shopping, etc. You need to answer all 4 parts of the main question.
  You will get 3 to 4 minutes for this exercise.

• Part 3 (Teil 3) – Zu Zeit Plannen/ eine Lösung finden- 8 points

  This is a partner task, where you and your partner need to plan for an event. Each of the partners will be given a timetable which will have a schedule of their activity for that day, which they will have to list during the plan.
  Eg: You and your partner have to meet each other, so you have to plan for the same, such as, what time you will meet, where you will meet and so on.

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

The key to clearing your exam is a good command of your vocabulary (make sure to use A2 level vocabulary) and thorough knowledge of the concepts of grammar.