Goethe B1 Lesen: Format, Task Types & Tips

Teil 1 — True / False correspondence

You read one piece of everyday correspondence (200–300 words) — a blog post, e-mail, or letter about topics like health, travel, or community events. Six statements appear below the text and you decide whether each is richtig (correct) or falsch (incorrect) according to the text.

Key skill: paraphrasing. The correct answer rarely uses the exact wording of the text. Train yourself to recognise synonyms and restatements (e.g., "günstig" in the text, "preiswert" in the statement).

• ›Read the six statements first to know what to look for.
• ›Underline the section of the text that decides each statement.
• ›If a statement mixes something true with something false, it is falsch.
• ›Do not use outside knowledge — all answers come from the text.

Teil 2 — Multiple choice press texts

You read two short newspaper or magazine articles (150–200 words each), and each article comes with three multiple-choice questions with three options (A, B, C) — six items in total. Questions may ask about a detail, an opinion, or the main idea of the text.

• ›Questions follow the order of the text — work through them sequentially.
• ›Eliminate clearly wrong options first, then decide between the remaining two.
• ›Watch for "extreme" answer options (always, never, only) which are usually wrong.
• ›The correct answer often paraphrases the text rather than quoting it directly.

Teil 3 — Matching people to adverts

Seven people each have a need or situation described in one or two sentences. You match each person to the advert or notice (out of ten, labelled A–J) that best meets their need. For one situation there is no suitable advert — in that case you mark 0.

• ›Highlight keywords in each situation: activity type, time, place, price, target group.
• ›An advert matches only if it satisfies all key conditions of the situation.
• ›Each advert can be used only once — eliminate obvious mismatches first.
• ›Remember the no-match option: exactly one situation has no fitting advert, so marking 0 is a real answer, not a guess.
• ›This is a scanning task — do not read every advert in full; hunt for the deciding details.

Teil 4 — Yes / No opinions

You read an online discussion — several short reader comments on one question of public interest (for example: should city centres be car-free?). For each of the seven statements you decide whether the writer is for (Ja) or against (Nein) the proposal.

Teil 5 — Multiple choice rules text

The final part presents a short set of rules or instructions (150–200 words) — a house rulebook (Hausordnung), library or gym regulations, safety instructions — with four multiple-choice questions (A, B, C). Formal, bureaucratic vocabulary is the main hurdle here. Attempt all four even if uncertain, since wrong answers are not penalised.

Scoring and passing

All 30 items count equally, and your raw score is converted to a scale of 100 points for the module. You need at least 60 out of 100 to pass Lesen. Blank answers score exactly the same as wrong ones — zero — so never leave an item empty.

Preparation strategies

• ›Work through at least two complete Goethe B1 Modellsätze under timed conditions.
• ›Build a vocabulary log of paraphrase pairs (e.g. günstig / preiswert, häufig / oft).
• ›Read authentic German texts daily: news, blog posts, product descriptions.
• ›For Teil 3, practise matching job ads or event listings to hypothetical candidates — and always look for the one with no match.
• ›Time yourself per part and adjust your pace over 4–6 weeks of practice.