Goethe B1 exam pass mark: how many points you need

What is the pass mark for the Goethe B1 exam?

The exam, officially the Goethe-Zertifikat B1, has four modules: Lesen (reading), Hören (listening), Schreiben (writing) and Sprechen (speaking). Each module is worth up to 100 points, and under the Goethe-Institut's exam rules a module is passed with at least 60 points, which is 60 percent. There is no overall total: a very good reading score does not make up for a weak writing score. If you need B1 in all four skills, you need 60 or more in all four modules.

How many correct answers do I need in reading and listening?

Reading and listening each have 30 questions. Every correct answer scores 1 point, a wrong or missing answer scores 0. The Goethe-Institut multiplies your correct answers by 3.33 and rounds the result, using a fixed table. So every question is worth the same, whichever part it is in.

18 correct answers give exactly 60 points; 17 give only 57. You may get 12 questions wrong and still pass. Because a wrong answer costs nothing, never leave a question blank. In the paper exam you mark your answers in the booklet first and then transfer them to the answer sheet; the rules tell you to keep about 5 minutes of the exam time for that.

How is the Goethe B1 writing module scored?

You write three texts: an email to a friend (about 80 words), an opinion post for a forum (about 80 words) and a short semi-formal email (about 40 words). Two examiners mark each text separately against four criteria:

Each criterion is rated in five bands, A to E, and each band is a fixed share of the points: A is full marks, B three quarters, C half, D a quarter, E nothing. In task 1 that is 10, 7.5, 5, 2.5 or 0 points per criterion; values in between are not allowed. For task completion in task 1, A means all three content points are covered fully; if one point is missing, the best you can get is B.

When is writing a pass? Five worked examples

The lesson: C everywhere is not enough. You need clearly more B than C. Your result is the average of the two examiners, rounded to whole points. If one examiner is above the pass mark of 60 and the other below it, and the average is under 60, a third examiner marks your writing. Example: 62.5 and 55 points average 58.75, so a third examiner looks at it. Only the clean copy on the answer sheet is marked, not your draft paper.

How is the Goethe B1 speaking module scored?

The same bands apply: B in every criterion gives 75 points, C in every criterion gives 50, which is a fail. The short warm-up chat at the start is not marked. Two examiners mark you separately, and the result is their average: up to .49 is rounded down, from .5 up. Example: 61 and 58 points average 59.5, which becomes 60, a pass.

• Teil 2 rewards all five slides. For task completion, all five slides covered properly gives A (12 points), three or four gives B (9), two slides or all of them too short gives C (6).
• Teil 3 is short but worth 16 points, as much as pronunciation: one piece of feedback, one question, one clear answer.
• In Teil 1, task completion rated E sets the whole part to 0. You then have only 72 points left and need 60 of them.

Can I retake only one module?

Yes. The modules can be taken on their own or in any combination, and the exam rules allow you to take or retake them as often as your exam centre has places. The centre may set certain periods for a retake and will tell you when you get your result. Fees follow the centre's local fee schedule. Whether modules from different dates are accepted together is decided by whoever asks for the certificate, for example the office that handles citizenship, an employer or an embassy. Ask them before you retake a single module.

What does the Goethe B1 certificate show?

You get a certificate for each module you pass, with your points on the front and the grade on the back. If you pass all four modules at one venue on one exam date, you may instead receive one overall certificate. Modules passed later can be combined with earlier ones. On request, a centre can issue an overall certificate with your best results from within one year: across Goethe-Instituts inside the European Union, within one country outside it, and at the same centre for Goethe-Zentren and exam partners. The centre may charge up to 25 percent of the exam fee for it. If you fail, you can ask for a confirmation of participation that shows your points.

The exam rules set no expiry date for the certificate. Whether an older one is still good enough is decided by whoever asks for it. Employers and authorities can check that a certificate is genuine at goethe.de/verify, and forged certificates are invalid. Be wary of anyone offering a certificate without the exam.

What if I think my result is wrong?

Results come through the exam centre where you sat the exam; the rules say an early individual result is not possible. You can appeal within two weeks of receiving your result, in writing, to the head of the exam centre. Give a reason: simply pointing out that you did not reach a certain score is not enough. Within three months you can ask to see your answers and how they were marked; the tasks and model answers are not shown.

How to use the scoring when you prepare

1. Reading: aim for 18 of 30 with room to spare, and practise with 60 minutes so the last 5 are left for the answer sheet.
2. Listening: make Teil 1 and Teil 4 your safe points, because you hear them twice.
3. Writing: count your words in practice. Always cover all three content points, and never go below half the word count.
4. Speaking: cover all five slides in Teil 2 and prepare one piece of feedback and one question for Teil 3.

You can work through all four modules under real timing in the Goethe B1 practice exam, with more tasks in the practice area. Planning to go further? The Goethe B2 pass mark works the same way, and the B1 speaking planning task is explained step by step.