German B2 connectors: which ones the exams actually use

Which connectors come up most often in German B2 exams?

Each exam provider publishes an official sample test, called a Modellsatz or Übungstest. We counted the connectors in the four complete B2 sample tests: telc Deutsch B2 (Übungstest 1), the Goethe-Zertifikat B2 in its adult and its teenager version, and the ÖSD Zertifikat B2. We counted the whole test booklet: reading texts, tasks, instructions and, where printed, the listening scripts. The table shows in how many of the four papers each connector appears at least once.

Two results stand out. Einerseits … andererseits does not appear in any of the four papers, even though it tops almost every list of useful phrases. And obwohl appears in only one. You can of course still use both in your own writing. For reading and listening, though, make sure you recognise the words in the top half of the table instantly: they carry the logic of the texts, and that logic is what the questions test.

Where does the verb go after a German connector?

Word order is where most grammar points are lost. The connectors above fall into four groups:

How many points do connectors earn in the writing test?

None of the three exams counts connectors one by one. But all three have a separate marking criterion for how well your text is linked together. This is what the official marking sheets say:

telc spells out the limit. Grade B is not given „wenn die Leitpunkte linear ohne logische Verknüpfung aufgelistet sind“: if the bullet points of the task (the Leitpunkte) are simply listed one after another without logical links. Work through your three points in a plain list and the best you can get on this criterion is C. That is 3 points instead of 9 or 15.

telc also describes the grades themselves in terms of linking. Grade A (B2 well achieved) reads: „Kann verschiedene Verknüpfungsmittel sinnvoll verwenden, um inhaltliche Beziehungen deutlich zu machen“ (can use a variety of linking devices to make the relations between ideas clear). The lowest grade D (A2 or below) includes: „Kann nur die häufigsten Konnektoren benutzen“ (can only use the most frequent connectors). If you only ever write und, aber and weil, you are moving towards the bottom grade.

Bei der Bewertung wird darauf geachtet, wie genau die Inhaltspunkte bearbeitet sind, wie korrekt der Text ist und wie gut die Sätze und Abschnitte sprachlich miteinander verknüpft sind. (Marking looks at how precisely the content points are covered, how correct the text is, and how well the sentences and paragraphs are linked.)

So Goethe tells you in the task itself, and coherence makes up almost a quarter of the writing points. ÖSD gives only 2 points per task for coherence, but on its marking sheet the lowest band carries an asterisk. The footnote reads: „n. b. oder 0 Punkte = gesamte Aufgabe 1 nicht bestanden“ (not passed or 0 points = the whole task 1 is not passed). A text with no visible linking is a risk for the whole task there.

Where do the reading and listening tests check connectors?

• Goethe B2, Lesen Teil 2 (Reading part 2): six gaps, eight sentences, two of which do not fit. In the two official sample tests, 9 of the 18 sentences (example included) start with a connector: denn four times, dennoch twice, and trotzdem, allerdings and aber once each. A sentence starting with denn gives the reason for the sentence before it. A sentence with dennoch or trotzdem goes against what the sentence before it led you to expect.
• telc B2, Sprachbausteine Teil 1 (grammar gaps): ten gaps with three words to choose from, each gap worth 1.5 points. In Übungstest 1, three of the ten choice sets contain linking words, including a choice between dass, falls and ob.
• telc B2, Hörverstehen Teil 1 (Listening part 1): news items, heard only once. The statements often contain a logical pair such as sowohl … als auch or nur …, aber nicht. A false statement is often false exactly there: only one half is true.
• ÖSD B2, Lesen Aufgabe 4 (Reading task 4): an advertising letter with ten gaps, one word per gap. In the sample test, nine of the ten answers are small function words: prepositions, pronouns, an article, zu and one connector.

Which connectors should you use in your B2 writing?

For a B2 email or forum post, six functions are enough. Pick one or two words from each row that you can use without hesitation:

Here is the difference. A plain list, the kind telc marks down: „Der Kurs war teuer. Die Gruppe war groß. Ich habe wenig gelernt. Ich möchte Geld zurück.“ Linked: „Der Kurs war nicht nur teuer, sondern die Gruppe war auch doppelt so groß wie angekündigt. Deshalb habe ich kaum etwas gelernt, obwohl ich jeden Termin besucht habe. Ich bitte Sie daher, mir einen Teil der Gebühr zu erstatten.“ The content is the same (an expensive course, a large group, little learned, a refund request), but now reason, result and contrast are visible.

How should you practise connectors for the exam?

1. Take your last practice text and mark every connector. If you only find und, aber and weil, replace two of them with connectors from other rows of the table above.
2. Link each bullet point of the task (Leitpunkt at telc, Inhaltspunkt at Goethe) to the one before with a transition such as außerdem, deshalb or allerdings.
3. In Goethe Lesen Teil 2, read the start of each sentence first. A connector, or a word like diese, dort or das, points back to the sentence before the gap.
4. In telc Hörverstehen Teil 1, underline sowohl, nur, nicht and aber during the reading time. That is where true or false is decided.
5. Write under exam time: 30 minutes at telc, 50 and 25 minutes at Goethe, 90 minutes for both texts at ÖSD.

You can practise under real exam timing on our pages for telc Deutsch B2, the Goethe-Zertifikat B2 and the ÖSD Zertifikat B2. For the full structure and pass marks, read telc German B2 exam: format and pass mark and Goethe B2 exam: format and pass mark.