German B1 speaking exam: the planning task, points and tips

What happens in the planning task?

The task is called Gemeinsam etwas planen (plan something together). You and your partner get the same task sheet: a short situation and a list of keywords such as „Wann?“ (when?), „Wo?“ (where?), „Essen?“ (food?), „Wer bezahlt?“ (who pays?). The list often ends with „…“, which leaves room for your own ideas. telc names typical occasions: an event, a party, a concert, an exhibition or a sports event.

This is not a speech. It is a conversation that ends with a plan. You make suggestions, react to your partner's suggestions and decide together. In telc the task sheet says it directly:

Überlegen Sie sich, was alles zu tun ist und wer welche Aufgaben übernimmt.

The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 sheet asks you to talk about the points, make suggestions, react to your partner's suggestions, and „Planen und entscheiden Sie gemeinsam“ (plan and decide together). In the DTZ, telc describes the task as sharing ideas, making suggestions and reacting to your partner's. The DTZ (Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer) is the test taken at the end of the integration course in Germany; if you are preparing abroad, you will most likely sit telc or Goethe.

telc, Goethe and DTZ: how long is the task and what is it worth?

The task has the same name in all three exams, but it comes at a different point, lasts a different time and carries different weight:

Two differences catch many people out. In Goethe the planning comes first and it is short: after about one minute of greetings, which is not marked, the planning starts straight away. In the DTZ there is no preparation time: the practice test names none, and the examiners hand you the Teil 3 sheet only when Teil 3 begins. You get a moment to read it.

How is the planning task marked?

In all three exams two examiners mark, and each candidate gets their own score. A weaker partner does not lower your points. What counts differs:

telc also writes: „Nachfragen und gegenseitige Hilfestellungen werden positiv bewertet“ (asking follow-up questions and helping each other are marked positively). Asking your partner a question or helping with a missing word earns credit; it does not waste time.

In the DTZ, Teil 3 is worth up to 20 points for the task; pronunciation, fluency, accuracy and vocabulary are marked across the whole exam. The telc criteria show what separates B1 from A2. B1: „Kann ein Gespräch beginnen und in Gang halten. Kann im Gespräch spontan etwas planen, Ideen und Meinungen mitteilen, Vorschläge machen, auf solche reagieren“ (can start a conversation and keep it going, can plan spontaneously, share ideas and opinions, make and react to suggestions). A2: can ask and answer questions but „versteht aber kaum genug, um selbst das Gespräch in Gang zu halten“ (hardly understands enough to keep the conversation going on their own). In short: at B1 you move the conversation forward yourself, rather than only answering.

How much depends on this task? Three worked examples

In telc, the gap between all C and all A in part 3 is 22 points, almost half of the 45 you need to pass the speaking exam. In the DTZ example, 8 points in part 3 make the difference between B1 and A2. This last part is not a cool-down.

How should I use the preparation time?

In telc and Goethe you prepare alone. In telc a supervisor makes sure candidates do not talk to each other, so you cannot agree on the plan in advance. Notes are allowed: in telc only on stamped sheets (not on the task sheet), in Goethe on stamped scrap paper. You should not read them out. Our suggestion for your planning notes:

1. One suggestion with a reason per keyword, in note form: „Sa 10 Uhr, nach Arbeit“ (Saturday 10 a.m., after work), not full sentences.
2. One idea of your own for the „…“, for example music, the weather, a plan B.
3. Three phrases you are sure to use: a suggestion, a polite no with an alternative, a summary.
4. Split your time. telc gives 20 minutes for three parts, Goethe 15. Four to five minutes are usually enough for the planning; in Goethe the presentation in part 2 needs more. This is our advice, not a rule of the exam boards.

The DTZ has no preparation time, so practise reading a new sheet in half a minute and opening with a question straight away.

What does a good planning conversation look like?

1. Open. One of you sums up the situation in a sentence and suggests where to start. In telc the examiner usually asks one candidate to begin with their suggestions.
2. Point by point: suggest, react, decide. Make a suggestion with a reason, listen, react (agree, add something or offer an alternative) and confirm the result before moving on.
3. Ask questions. Ask what your partner thinks. That shows interaction and keeps the talk going.
4. Add an idea of your own that is not on the sheet.
5. Share out the jobs. Who buys, who books, who tells the others? In telc this is part of the task.
6. Sum up. One sentence at the end: what you decided and who does what. In the Goethe model test the examiner closes the part by asking „Haben Sie an alles gedacht?“ (have you thought of everything?).

Timing (our rule of thumb): in telc and the DTZ you have about 6 minutes, so a little over a minute per keyword and half a minute at the end to sum up. In Goethe you have only 2 to 3 minutes: touch on three or four points briefly rather than getting stuck on the first. For the DTZ, the examiner notes in Modellsatz E say plainly: „Die Stichpunkte müssen nicht alle besprochen werden, wenn die Aussagen insgesamt ausführlich genug sind“ (not every keyword has to be covered if what you say is detailed enough overall).

Which German phrases do I need for planning?

Decide early, ideally in the first part, whether you and your partner use du or Sie, and stick to it.

A sample task and conversation

We wrote this task in the exam format; it is not from a real exam. Situation: Leyla from your German course is moving into a new flat on Saturday. You want to help her move. Plan together what you will do. Keywords: Wann treffen? (when to meet) / Transport? / Essen und Getränke? (food and drinks) / Was mitbringen? (what to bring) / Wer macht was? (who does what) / …

What the example shows: every point ends with a decision. B says no once, with a reason and an alternative (I work until eight … how about ten?). Both ask questions. A adds an idea that is not on the sheet (tools), and the talk ends with a summary that gives each person a job. Spoken aloud, it takes about two minutes, which fits Goethe. For telc and the DTZ, say a little more about each point.

Common mistakes in the planning task

• Two monologues instead of a conversation. Each person reads out their ideas without responding to the other. But telc marks taking part in the conversation, and Goethe marks interaction.
• Only saying „Ja, gut.“ Agreeing without adding anything does not move the plan forward. Say why, or add something.
• No decision. If you do not know at the end what you agreed and who does what, you have solved only half the task.
• Talking to the examiners. telc recommends seating where candidates face each other, precisely so they do not speak towards the examiners. Look at your partner.
• Reading from your notes. Both exam boards want you to speak freely; notes are only a prompt.
• Talking the whole time. If one candidate dominates, telc's examiner steps in and speaks directly to the other person.

What if my partner does not speak?

This is the most common worry, and the exams have an answer. In telc, the examiner who leads the conversation should speak as little as possible. They step in if someone dominates or does not take part, and then address the quieter candidate directly. If the talk stalls, they help with open questions such as „Was genau meinen Sie damit?“ (what exactly do you mean?). In the DTZ, according to the model test, the examiners make sure both candidates get enough time to speak.

The most useful thing you can do is ask: „Was meinst du?“ (what do you think?), „Hast du eine Idee für das Essen?“ (any idea for the food?), „Lieber Samstag oder Sonntag?“ (Saturday or Sunday?). A question with two options is easier to answer than an open one. Help when a word is missing. It does not cost you: telc marks follow-up questions and mutual help positively, and your points are your own. In Goethe and telc, if there is no partner, one of the examiners takes that role.

How speaking counts in the DTZ result is explained in DTZ exam: how many points for B1, and when you only get A2. For the written telc B1 task, see telc B1 writing: how many words, and how the letter is marked. You can practise the written parts with a real timer in our practice tests for telc Deutsch B1 and the Goethe-Zertifikat B1. For the planning task you need a second person and a clock: set 6 minutes (telc, DTZ) or 3 minutes (Goethe) and practise with tasks like the one above.