Goethe B1 Lesen and Hören: How Each Part Works and How to Beat It
Goethe B1 Lesen (reading) has 5 parts and lasts 65 minutes; Hören (listening) has 4 parts and lasts about 40 minutes. Each module has 30 items converted to 100 points, and you need 60 points to pass each one. In listening, parts 1 and 4 are played twice, parts 2 and 3 only once.
These goethe b1 lesen hören tips are organised part by part, followed by a 4-week routine built on the free official practice papers. Exam facts were checked against the Goethe-Institut’s B1 regulations (status 1 September 2025) and the official B1 model paper for adults in October 2026. Example sentences below are written for this guide; no tasks are copied from the official papers.
The two modules at a glance
| Lesen | Hören | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 65 minutes | about 40 minutes |
| Parts | 5 | 4 |
| Items | 30 | 30 |
| Pass mark | 60 of 100 points | 60 of 100 points |
| Roughly needed | about 18 of 30 correct | about 18 of 30 correct |
The “about 18 of 30” figure comes from the conversion table in the official practice paper, where 15 raw points equal 50 and 30 raw points equal 100. Use it as a target in your practice, and see the Goethe B1 passing score guide for how the modules combine.
Lesen, part by part
The minutes below are the times suggested in the official model paper. They are not enforced per part; only the 65-minute total is.
Teil 1: personal text, true or false (about 10 minutes, 6 items)
A blog post or personal email about someone’s experience. You decide whether statements are richtig or falsch.
Strategy: Read the statements first and underline the key fact in each (who, when, how often). The text runs in the same order as the statements. Watch for small words that flip meaning: nicht mehr (no longer), noch nicht (not yet), erst (only/not until), fast (almost).
Teil 2: two press articles, multiple choice (about 20 minutes, 6 items)
Two short newspaper or magazine texts with three a/b/c questions each. This is the most time-consuming part.
Strategy: Read the headline and first paragraph to get the topic, then read each question and hunt for the matching passage. The correct option almost never repeats the text’s words; it paraphrases. If an option copies a phrase word for word, be suspicious.
Teil 3: situations and ads, matching (about 10 minutes, 7 items)
Seven people with specific needs, and a set of short ads. You match each person to an ad. There are more ads than people, and for one person there may be no suitable ad at all; the instructions tell you how to mark that.
Strategy: For each person, write down two or three hard criteria (price, day, age group, place). An ad that fits the topic but fails one criterion is the distractor. Example: someone wants a weekend course for beginners; an ad for an evening course for advanced learners has the right topic but is wrong twice.
Teil 4: opinions, yes or no (about 15 minutes, 7 items)
Several short reader comments on one question. For each comment you decide: is this person for or against?
Strategy: Look at the last sentence of each comment first; people often summarise their position there. Then check for concessions: “Natürlich gibt es Nachteile, aber …” (Of course there are disadvantages, but …). Whatever follows aber or trotzdem is usually the real opinion.
Teil 5: rules or instructions, multiple choice (about 10 minutes, 4 items)
A practical text such as house rules, terms of use or instructions. Four a/b/c questions.
Strategy: Scan for headings and numbers. Modal verbs carry the answer: muss (must), darf nicht (must not), muss nicht (does not have to), soll (should). “Sie müssen den Ausweis nicht mitbringen” means you do not have to bring it, not that you must not.
Hören, part by part
| Part | Audio | Items | Format | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teil 1 | 5 short texts (announcements, messages) | 10 | true/false + a/b/c, 2 per text | twice |
| Teil 2 | one monologue (e.g. a guided tour) | 5 | a/b/c | once |
| Teil 3 | everyday conversation | 7 | true/false | once |
| Teil 4 | radio discussion with a host and two guests | 8 | who says what | twice |
Teil 1: short texts, heard twice
Train announcements, voicemails, radio traffic news. Each text has a true/false item and an a/b/c item.
Strategy: In the reading time before each text, read both items. On the first listening, answer what you can; on the second, check. Numbers, times and days are the classic traps: speakers often correct themselves (“um drei … nein, um halb vier”).
Teil 2: one monologue, heard once
Strategy: The questions follow the order of the talk. Use the reading time to note what kind of information you need (a time, a place, a reason). If you miss one answer, move on immediately, or you lose the next two.
Teil 3: conversation, heard once
Two people talk about everyday plans or experiences. Seven true/false statements.
Strategy: Know whose opinion each statement is about. Many wrong answers come from mixing up the two speakers. Write a short “M” or “F” next to each statement as you listen.
Teil 4: radio discussion, heard twice
A host and two guests discuss a topic. For each statement you decide who said it.
Strategy: On the first listening, focus on recognising the three voices and their positions. On the second, confirm each item. The host often summarises guests’ views, so be careful: if the host says “Sie meinen also, dass …”, the opinion belongs to the guest.
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How to improve your B1 listening
Listening gains come from volume plus focused repetition, not from doing model papers only.
- Daily 15 minutes of real audio at B1 level. Slow news (Deutsche Welle offers news for learners), podcasts for learners, short dialogues.
- Shadowing. Repeat a 30-second clip sentence by sentence. It trains your ear for weak forms like “hab’s” and “‘ne”.
- Transcribe 1 minute a week. Write down a short clip word for word, then compare with the transcript. Your gaps show exactly what you mishear.
- Speak. Listening and speaking feed each other: once you can say a structure, you hear it faster.
That last point is where SipLingo (our app) fits. You have spoken conversations with an AI partner in everyday situations, which trains you to process German at speaking speed, and you get instant corrections in your own language. It is not a listening-test simulator and does not replace the official model papers.
A 4-week practice routine
| Week | Lesen | Hören | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full official model paper, timed. Mark errors by part. | Full model paper, real conditions. Note which parts fall below 60%. | 2 sessions of 2 hours |
| 2 | Your two weakest Lesen parts, 3 times each, from other practice sets. | Teil 2 and 3 (single play) daily with learner audio. | 30–40 min/day |
| 3 | Teil 2 under time pressure (20 min). Practise paraphrase spotting. | Teil 4 discussions: learner podcasts with 2–3 speakers. | 30–40 min/day |
| 4 | Second official practice set, timed. | Second practice set, real conditions. Compare scores. | 2 sessions of 2 hours + light review |
The Goethe-Institut publishes a free B1 Modellsatz and a free B1 Übungssatz for adults on goethe.de, including audio files and answer keys. Use the first in week 1 and the second in week 4, so you can measure progress on comparable tasks. If your score in either module is still under 50 in week 4, give yourself 2 to 4 more weeks before booking. That is an estimate based on the gap, not a rule.
Common mistakes in both modules
- Leaving answers blank. There is no penalty in the scoring description for a wrong answer, so always choose something.
- Spending 30 minutes on Lesen Teil 2. Set checkpoints: Teil 1 done by minute 10, Teil 2 by minute 30, Teil 3 by minute 40.
- Translating every word. You need the gist plus the details the question asks for, nothing more.
- Transferring answers late. Leave time at the end to fill in the answer sheet if your centre uses one.
For the other B1 modules, see the Goethe B1 writing exam guide, the Goethe B1 speaking exam and the overview of the four modules.
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- Goethe-Institut: Goethe-Zertifikat B1 – official exam page – Modules, durations, fees, 350–650 lessons to B1, results in 2 days–2 weeks
- Goethe-Institut: Goethe B1 practice materials (model tests, audio, speaking video) – Free B1 model and practice sets for adults and teens, audio and a speaking video
Frequently asked questions
How many parts does B1 reading have?
Goethe B1 Lesen has 5 parts with 30 items in total, and you have 65 minutes for the whole module.
How long is the Goethe B1 listening test?
About 40 minutes, with 4 parts and 30 items. The exact length depends on the recordings, which is why Goethe states it as approximate.
How can I improve my B1 listening?
Listen to 15 minutes of learner-level audio daily, shadow short clips, transcribe one minute a week, and practise speaking so structures become familiar. Finish with two timed official practice papers.
Is B1 Hören difficult?
Many learners find the single-play parts (Teil 2 and 3) the hardest. With daily listening practice, about 18 of 30 correct answers is a realistic target.
How many times is the audio played in B1?
In the Goethe B1 model paper, Teil 1 and Teil 4 are played twice, while Teil 2 and Teil 3 are played only once.
Train your ear by speaking German every day: start a free conversation in SipLingo.
