Language course
Englisch
In the writing part of the telc B1 exam you write a letter or an email. Here you will find the perfect structure, important set phrases, the zero rule and the best tips for a good mark.
The writing part is the last part of the written telc B1 exam. After Lesen, Sprachbausteinen and Hören comes the Schreiben. You then have exactly 30 minutes.
In these 30 minutes you write one letter or an email. This is not a story and not an essay — just a simple letter to a person. That person can be a friend, an acquaintance or a semi-formal person (for example a landlord or a company).
The writing part gives you a maximum of 45 points. That is 15 % of the entire exam. Many candidates think: “That is not so important.” But be careful: if you score few points here, you cannot pass the written exam overall!
You only have 30 minutes for the letter. That is not much time! You therefore need to know before the exam what a good letter looks like. Learn the structure and the most important set phrases by heart — then you will manage within the time.
The task is always structured the same way. You receive two things:
Your friend Anna has written to you. She would like to visit you in Germany. Write her a letter. Write about all four points:
You must answer ALL four Leitpunkte in your letter. If you forget one point, you will receive fewer points. If you forget two or more points, you will even receive 0 points for the entire letter!
There is no exact word count. But a good guideline is: approximately 80 words. That is 10 to 15 sentences. Do not write too short, but also not too long. Quality is more important than quantity!
These topics come up frequently in the exam:
A good letter always has the same structure. If you learn this structure well, you will save a lot of time in the exam. Here are the six parts of a letter:
Write the date at the top right. For example:
The salutation depends on who you are writing to:
Important: After the salutation there is always a comma. After that you continue with a lower-case letter.
The introduction is short — only 1 or 2 sentences. Here you thank the person for their letter or explain why you are writing. Examples:
This is the most important part. Here you answer the four Leitpunkte. Write 1 to 3 sentences for each point.
Important tip: You do not have to address the Leitpunkte in the same order as in the task! You can choose a logical order. For example: the easiest point first, the most important one last.
At the end you write 1 or 2 sentences. Here you can:
Finally a closing formula. Here too: du or Sie?
Then leave one line blank and write your name.
Datum → Anrede → Einleitung → 4 Leitpunkte → Schluss → Grußformel → Name
Learn these seven parts by heart. In the exam you will then have more time to think about the content.
Set phrases (Redemittel) are ready-made sentences and expressions. If you know them, you can simply use them in your letter. You save time and make fewer mistakes.
Expressing an opinion:
Making a suggestion:
Explaining or giving a reason:
Showing connections between sentences:
Now you can see what a good letter looks like. We work with the task from section 2:
Your friend Anna would like to visit you in Germany. Write her a letter and answer these four points:
Dortmund, 15. Mai 2026
Liebe Anna,
vielen Dank für deinen lieben Brief! Ich freue mich sehr, dass du mich in Deutschland besuchen möchtest.
Die beste Zeit für deinen Besuch ist der Juni. Dann ist das Wetter schön und nicht zu heiß. Außerdem gibt es im Juni viele Feste in unserer Stadt.
In Dortmund gibt es viel zu sehen. Wir können zusammen in den Zoo gehen oder am Phönixsee spazieren. Am Wochenende gibt es auch einen schönen Flohmarkt.
Bring bitte leichte Kleidung mit — ein T-Shirt und eine kurze Hose. Aber auch eine Jacke für den Abend ist wichtig, weil es manchmal kühl wird.
Ich koche gerne für dich! Mein Lieblingsessen ist Pasta. Ich kann auch einen leckeren Apfelkuchen backen — den magst du sicher!
Ich freue mich schon jetzt auf deinen Besuch. Schreib mir bald, wann du kommst.
Liebe Grüße,
Maria
Learn a model letter like this one as a structure by heart. In the exam you then only change the details. This saves you a lot of time!
Two assessors read your letter and award points. They assess you according to three criteria:
| Criterion | What is assessed? |
|---|---|
| 1. Content (Leitpunkte) | Have you answered all four Leitpunkte? Does the content match the task? |
| 2. Communicative design (Kommunikative Gestaltung) | Is the letter well structured? Are the sentences logically connected? Does the language suit the reader? |
| 3. Formal accuracy (Formale Richtigkeit) | Is the grammar correct? Are spelling and sentence structure correct? |
For each criterion you receive a grade from A to D:
| Grade | Meaning | Points per criterion |
|---|---|---|
| A | Very good | 5 points |
| B | Good | 3 points |
| C | Not quite sufficient | 1 point |
| D | Not sufficient | 0 points |
The maximum score is 15 (3 criteria × 5 points). Plus up to 2 bonus points (Zusatzpunkte). Then everything is multiplied by 3:
(3 × 5 + 2) × 3 = 51 — but the maximum is 45 points.
You can receive up to 2 Zusatzpunkte:
But be careful: Zusatzpunkte are only awarded if all three criteria are rated at least B!
Now comes a very important rule. If you do not know this rule, you cannot pass the writing exam — no matter how good your letter is!
If criterion 1 (Leitpunkte) OR criterion 3 (grammar) receives grade D, then the entire letter = 0 points.
This applies even if the other criteria are very good!
You receive a D for criterion 1 (Leitpunkte) if you:
Conclusion: You must answer at least three of four Leitpunkte in order to receive at least a C (1 point). And for a good grade you must answer all four Leitpunkte.
You receive a D for criterion 3 (grammar) if:
Don’t panic! A few mistakes are no problem. A D is only awarded when the letter is really very poor. If your letter is comprehensible, you will receive at least a C or B.
Always check two things at the end:
If both answers are “yes”, you are safe!
Here are the most important tips for the writing exam. If you follow them, you will achieve a good mark!
You only have 30 minutes. Plan them like this:
You do not have to write complicated sentences. A simple, correct sentence is better than a long sentence with mistakes.
Not like this:
„Weil das Wetter sehr schön war, obwohl meine Mutter gesagt hatte, dass es regnen würde, sind wir ins Schwimmbad gegangen.“ (too complicated, often mistakes)
Better like this:
„Das Wetter war sehr schön. Meine Mutter hat gesagt, dass es regnen würde. Aber wir sind ins Schwimmbad gegangen.“ (simple and correct)
You do not have to invent every sentence from scratch. Learn standard sentences for the Anrede, Einleitung, Schluss and Grußformel. You can use these sentences in every letter.
When you read the task, immediately underline the four Leitpunkte. After writing, check: is every point really in the letter? This is the most frequent mistake — many candidates forget one point!
In the last 5 minutes check your letter:
This is a very common mistake! When writing to a friend: always du, dich, dir, dein. When writing to a formal person: always Sie, Ihnen, Ihr. Never mix them!
The best way to get a good mark: Üben, üben, üben! Write a short letter every day. After two weeks you will write much better. Get feedback from a teacher or learning partner.
Do you have questions?
Ask our assistant!
