Goethe-Zertifikat A1 · Lesen — format and strategy
What this part tests
The A1 Lesen module tests whether you can find concrete information in the short written German that surrounds daily life: text messages, small ads, signs, notices on a door, and entries in a timetable or catalogue. It is reading for facts, not for literary meaning — each item points you at one piece of information (an opening time, a price, whether something is allowed) and asks you to decide true or false, or to match a person's need to the right notice. You have a fixed number of minutes and no audio, so the challenge is scanning efficiently and not being fooled by words that look familiar but answer a different question.
Exam format
Verified against the certifying body's published rules and sample booklet.
| Teil | Task | Items | Options | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | True / false | 5 | 2 | — |
| 2 | Matching | 5 | 2 | — |
| 3 | True / false | 5 | 2 | — |
- Time:
- 25 min
- Points:
- 15 points
- Pass mark:
- ≥ 60%
Strategy
Start from the question, not the text: read what each item claims or what each person is looking for, then hunt the passage for just that. Underline the key noun or number in the item so your eyes know their target. For true/false items, remember that a statement is false if any part of it contradicts the text — a right time but a wrong day still makes it false. In the matching part, work by elimination: pair the easy, unmistakable matches first, which shrinks the pool for the harder ones. Watch for synonyms and paraphrase — the text rarely repeats the item's exact words, so a sign reading geschlossen answers a question about whether the shop is offen. Keep an eye on the clock and never leave a true/false blank; an educated guess costs nothing.
Worked example
Wir bleiben zu Hause, ___ das Wetter ist schlecht.
- denn
- sondern
- oder
- aber
A short Lesen text often hangs on a single connecting word that tells you how two facts relate. Here the notice says the people are staying home, and the gap must join that to a reason: the weather is bad. Reading for the logical link, you need the word that means 'because' and keeps normal word order — that is denn. Sondern would need a preceding negation, oder offers a choice, and aber marks a contrast, none of which fit a cause. Spotting that the second clause explains the first is exactly the A1 reading move: follow the connector and the whole notice falls into place. The answer is denn.
Practice
Ich kaufe ___ Apfel.
Das ist nicht mein Bruder, ___ mein Freund.
Das Geschenk ist für ___.
More practice
Official sample papers
The structure above is read directly from these free official documents — we link them, never copy them: