Practice B1 Speaking (Sprechen)

The Goethe B1 Sprechen Section

The speaking exam is conducted in pairs — you and another candidate sit with one or two examiners. The entire exam takes about 15 minutes. You receive preparation material a few minutes before the exam begins, which gives you time to plan your presentation (Teil 2).

Many candidates fear the speaking exam the most, but it is actually the section where you have the most control over your performance. Unlike the writing exam where you must produce perfect text, the speaking exam allows natural speech with self-corrections, pauses for thought, and conversational interaction.

Teil 1: Joint Planning (Gemeinsam etwas planen)

You and your partner receive a task card with a scenario — for example, planning a surprise birthday party for a friend, organizing a weekend trip, or arranging a study group. The card includes several aspects you should discuss (when, where, who, what to bring, etc.).

Key strategies for Teil 1:

Start by establishing the task: Also, wir sollen... planen. Hast du schon eine Idee? (So, we need to plan... Do you have an idea?)

Make suggestions: Ich schlage vor, dass wir... (I suggest that we...), Wir könnten... (We could...), Wie wäre es mit...? (How about...?)

React to your partner: Das ist eine gute Idee! (That's a good idea!), Ja, das finde ich auch (Yes, I think so too), Hm, ich bin nicht sicher. Vielleicht wäre es besser, wenn... (Hm, I'm not sure. Maybe it would be better if...)

Reach a conclusion: Dann machen wir das so? (Then we'll do it that way?), Sind wir uns einig? (Are we agreed?)

What examiners evaluate: interaction quality (do you respond to your partner, or just speak independently?), suggestion-making ability, flexibility in discussion, and collaborative decision-making.

Teil 2: Presentation (Ein Thema präsentieren)

You present a topic for about 3-4 minutes. The preparation sheet gives you a topic (e.g., "Learning a foreign language," "Pets in the city," "Eating out vs. cooking at home") with four aspects to cover, typically: describe the situation in your country, share your personal experience, list advantages and disadvantages, and give your opinion.

Presentation structure:

Introduction: Mein Thema ist „..." Ich möchte über ... sprechen und meine Erfahrungen teilen. (My topic is "..." I would like to talk about ... and share my experiences.)

Situation in your country: In meinem Heimatland ist es so, dass... (In my home country, it's the case that...)

Personal experience: Ich persönlich habe die Erfahrung gemacht, dass... (I personally have experienced that...) Als ich zum Beispiel... (When I for example...)

Advantages and disadvantages: Ein Vorteil ist, dass... Allerdings gibt es auch Nachteile, zum Beispiel... (An advantage is that... However, there are also disadvantages, for example...)

Conclusion: Zusammenfassend möchte ich sagen, dass... (In summary, I would like to say that...) Meiner Meinung nach... (In my opinion...)

Common mistakes: reading from notes instead of speaking freely (notes are allowed as cues, but don't read full sentences), speaking too fast out of nervousness, forgetting to cover one of the required aspects, and exceeding or falling short of the time.

Teil 3: Discussion (Über ein Thema sprechen)

After your partner's presentation, you react with questions, comments, and your own experience. Then your partner reacts to your presentation. This part tests spontaneous interaction and active listening.

Useful reaction phrases:

Das war sehr interessant! Ich habe eine Frage dazu... (That was very interesting! I have a question about that...)

Du hast gesagt, dass... Ich sehe das ähnlich/anders, weil... (You said that... I see it similarly/differently because...)

Bei mir ist das so, dass... (For me, it's the case that...)

Hast du auch schon mal erlebt, dass...? (Have you also experienced that...?)

What examiners evaluate: whether you listened actively to your partner, whether your questions and comments relate to what was said, and whether you can build on your partner's ideas rather than just repeating your own preparation.

General Speaking Tips

Speak at your natural pace. Nervous candidates often rush, which leads to more errors and less clarity. Take a breath between sentences. Pauses for thought are natural and acceptable — fill them with Also..., Hm, lass mich überlegen... (Let me think...) rather than silence.

Self-correct confidently. If you realize you made a mistake, correct it naturally: Er hat... nein, er hatte ein Problem (He has... no, he had a problem). Self-correction is a positive signal to examiners — it shows you know the correct form.

Use a variety of structures. Don't start every sentence with Ich. Vary your sentence beginnings with time expressions (Letztes Jahr...), connectors (Außerdem...), and topic phrases (Was ... betrifft...).

Practice with a timer. Get used to speaking for 3-4 minutes on a topic. Record yourself and listen back — you'll notice filler words, repetitions, and areas where you need more vocabulary.

Practice Speaking Skills on Deutsch Fox

On deutschfox.com, while the platform focuses on writing practice, the language skills you develop — vocabulary range, grammatical accuracy, opinion expression, and argumentation — directly transfer to your speaking performance. Strong writers tend to be confident speakers because they have internalized the structures and vocabulary they need.