Goethe A1 Exam: Start Deutsch 1 Format, Syllabus and Tips

The Goethe (GUR-tuh) A1 exam, officially Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1, is the Goethe-Institut's German exam for beginners. It has four parts (listening, reading, writing and speaking), takes about 80 minutes, and you pass with 60 of 100 points.

Many people take it to join a husband or wife in Germany, since the spouse visa usually asks for A1 German. Others take it for work or study plans, or as a first milestone.

Below: each part with an example and tips, scoring, the syllabus, a study plan, booking, mistakes and practice. Details are correct at the time of writing (November 2026). Beyond German isn't connected to the Goethe-Institut, whose own pages have the last word.

Goethe A1 Exam: Quick Facts

What	Details (November 2026)
Official name	Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1
Level	A1, the first of the six CEFR levels
Who can take it	Anyone, of any nationality; recommended from age 16
Parts	Hören (listening), Lesen (reading), Schreiben (writing), Sprechen (speaking)
Time	About 80 minutes: 65 written, about 15 speaking
Pass mark	60 of 100 points in total
Grades	sehr gut, gut, befriedigend, ausreichend; below 60: nicht bestanden
Retakes	The whole exam, as often as you like
Validity	Doesn't expire, but many institutions and employers want a recent one
Fees	Vary by country and exam centre

Learners aged 10 to 16 can take Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Fit in Deutsch 1 instead.

Who Needs the Goethe A1 Exam?

For a Spouse Visa to Germany

If you're joining your husband or wife in Germany, the Residence Act (§ 30 AufenthG) asks you to communicate in German "at least in a simple way", and the law defines that as A1. There are exceptions, for example:

illness or disability
citizens of countries who may enter Germany visa-free for long stays
spouses of EU Blue Card holders and of some skilled-worker or researcher permit holders
cases where learning German before you arrive is impossible or unreasonable

Each German embassy or consulate decides which certificates it accepts and how old they may be. Goethe, telc and ÖSD certificates are widely accepted, and some missions want one no older than a year. Read your embassy's information sheet for spouse visas before you book.

Work, Study and a First Milestone

If an employer, university or office asks for German, ask which level and which certificates they accept. For a settlement permit or citizenship, the usual level is B1: see our German B1 exam guide.

Goethe A1 or telc A1?

It's the same exam. The Goethe-Institut and telc developed Start Deutsch 1 together, and telc offers it as Start Deutsch 1 / telc Deutsch A1 in the same format. Only the provider differs: Goethe exams run at Goethe-Instituts and partner centres worldwide, telc exams at licensed centres, often adult education centres (Volkshochschulen) in Germany. Each centre sets its own dates and fees.

The Four Parts of the Goethe A1 Exam

The written exam takes 65 minutes with no break. The speaking test takes about 15 minutes, within 14 days of the written part and often on the same day. The parts keep their German names: Hören (HUR-en), Lesen (LAY-zen), Schreiben (SHRY-ben) and Sprechen (SHPREKH-en).

Our examples below are written in the style of the exam, not official tasks. The Goethe-Institut publishes free official model tests online: do at least one before exam day.

Hören (Listening): About 20 Minutes

You hear short everyday recordings and answer 15 questions in three parts. Some recordings play twice, some only once.

Practice example. You hear a phone message:

Guten Tag, Frau Weber, hier ist die Praxis Dr. Klein. Ihr Termin am Donnerstag um zehn Uhr geht leider nicht. Können Sie am Freitag um halb neun kommen? Vielen Dank und auf Wiederhören! (Hello Ms Weber, this is Dr Klein's practice. Unfortunately, your appointment on Thursday at ten doesn't work. Can you come on Friday at half past eight? Thank you, goodbye!)

Wann ist der neue Termin? (When is the new appointment?) a) Donnerstag, 10 Uhr b) Freitag, 8:30 Uhr c) Freitag, 9:30 Uhr

Answer: b. Halb neun means "half to nine": 8:30. More in telling time in German.

Read the question first, so you know what to listen for: a time, a day, a price, a place.
Know numbers and dates cold. Practise German numbers and the days of the week and months until you stop translating them.
Don't freeze on a missed word. The rest of the message often gives you the answer.

Lesen (Reading): 25 Minutes

You read short texts in three parts and answer 15 questions: short notes and emails, small ads, and signs.

Practice example. A sign on a shop door:

Bäckerei Sommer (Sommer Bakery)
Montag bis Freitag: 6 bis 18 Uhr (Monday to Friday: 6 am to 6 pm)
Samstag: 7 bis 13 Uhr (Saturday: 7 am to 1 pm)
Sonntag geschlossen (Closed on Sunday)

Am Samstagnachmittag kann man hier Brötchen kaufen. (You can buy bread rolls here on Saturday afternoon.) Right or wrong?

Answer: Wrong. On Saturday it closes at 13 Uhr (1 pm): German signs and timetables use the 24-hour clock.

You don't need every word. Read the question, then look for the one detail it asks about.
Watch the small words that flip a meaning: nicht (not), kein (no), nur (only), geschlossen (closed), geöffnet (open).
Answer every question. A blank can never earn a point.

Schreiben (Writing): 20 Minutes

There are two tasks. First, you fill in a form with five gaps: write names and numbers carefully, and put the day first in dates (14.03.1995 is 14 March 1995). Second, you write a note of about 30 words that covers three points from the task.

Practice example. Your friend Anna has invited you to her birthday party on Saturday, but you can't go. Write to Anna: thank her, say why you can't come, and suggest another day.

Liebe Anna,
vielen Dank für die Einladung! Leider kann ich am Samstag nicht kommen. Meine Eltern besuchen mich. Hast du am Sonntag Zeit? Dann können wir zusammen Kaffee trinken.
Viele Grüße
Ravi

(Dear Anna, thank you very much for the invitation! Unfortunately, I can't come on Saturday. My parents are visiting me. Are you free on Sunday? Then we can have coffee together. Best wishes, Ravi)

Cover all three points. One or two simple sentences for each is enough.
Match the greeting to the reader. For a friend: Liebe Anna or Lieber Tom, ending with Viele Grüße. For a formal note: Sehr geehrte Frau Weber (no name: Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren), ending with Mit freundlichen Grüßen.
Mind German letter style. After Liebe Anna, the next line starts with a small letter (except nouns and Sie), and Viele Grüße takes no comma.

Sprechen (Speaking): About 15 Minutes

You speak in a group of up to four candidates, with no preparation time, in three parts.

Part 1: Introduce yourself. You say who you are, then spell a word and say a number. One sentence per point is enough:

Point	German	English
Name	Ich heiße Priya Sharma.	My name is Priya Sharma.
Alter (age)	Ich bin 29 Jahre alt.	I'm 29.
Land (country)	Ich komme aus Indien.	I'm from India.
Wohnort (where you live)	Ich wohne in Pune.	I live in Pune.
Sprachen (languages)	Ich spreche Hindi, Englisch und ein bisschen Deutsch.	I speak Hindi, English and a little German.
Beruf (job)	Ich bin Lehrerin.	I'm a teacher.
Hobby	Ich fotografiere gern.	I like taking photos.

A man says Ich bin Lehrer. Spell with German letter names: Sharma is es, ha, a, er, em, a. Practise spelling your name with our German alphabet guide; how to introduce yourself in German has more sample intros.

Part 2: Ask and answer with word cards. You get a topic and a card with a word, ask a question with it, and answer someone else's. Topic Essen und Trinken (food and drink), card Frühstück (breakfast):

Was essen Sie zum Frühstück? (What do you eat for breakfast?)
Zum Frühstück esse ich Brot mit Käse und trinke Tee. (For breakfast, I eat bread with cheese and drink tea.)

Part 3: Make requests with picture cards. You turn a picture into a polite request and react to others'. For where bitte goes, see please in German.

A window: Können Sie bitte das Fenster aufmachen? (Could you open the window, please?) Ja, gern. (Sure.)
A pen: Haben Sie einen Kuli für mich? (Do you have a pen for me?) Ja, hier, bitte. (Yes, here you go.) or Nein, tut mir leid. (No, sorry.)

Learn your intro in short blocks, not one long script, so you can adapt it.
Build questions correctly: question word, then verb (Was essen Sie…?), or the verb first for yes/no questions (Haben Sie…?). See German question words.
Didn't catch something? Say Wie bitte? (Pardon?) or Können Sie das bitte wiederholen? (Could you repeat that, please?) It beats guessing.

How the Goethe A1 Exam Is Scored

Each of the four parts gives up to 15 raw points. These are multiplied by 1.66, so each part is worth about 25 of the final 100: 75 for the written exam and 25 for Speaking.

Part	Raw points	Counts as
Hören	15	25
Lesen	15	25
Schreiben	15	25
Sprechen	15	25
Total	60	100

You pass with 60 or more of the 100 points, and Speaking has no separate pass mark. That's roughly 9 of 15 raw points per part, and a strong part can balance a weaker one: 12, 11, 8 and 10 make 41 raw points, about 68 of 100. A pass.

Points	Grade	Meaning
90-100	sehr gut	very good
80-89	gut	good
70-79	befriedigend	satisfactory
60-69	ausreichend	sufficient (a pass)
0-59	nicht bestanden	not passed

The exam isn't modular: if you don't pass, you retake all of it, as often as you like.

The German A1 Syllabus: Topics, Grammar and Words

A1 is everyday German about you and the world right around you.

Topics

Yourself and your family: Ich habe eine Schwester. (I have a sister.)
Home: Meine Wohnung hat zwei Zimmer. (My flat has two rooms.)
Shopping, numbers and prices: Was kostet das? (How much is that?)
Food and drink: Ich möchte einen Tee, bitte. (I'd like a tea, please.)
Time and dates: Der Kurs beginnt am Montag um neun Uhr. (The course starts on Monday at nine.)
Travel and directions: Wo ist der Bahnhof? (Where is the station?)
Health: Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. (I have a headache.)
Work basics: Ich arbeite von acht bis vier. (I work from eight to four.)
Free time: Am Wochenende spiele ich Fußball. (At the weekend, I play football.)

Grammar You Need for A1

Present tense, regular and irregular: ich wohne, du fährst, er isst
sein and haben: Ich bin müde. Ich habe Zeit.
Questions with a question word or the verb first: Wo wohnen Sie? Haben Sie Kinder?
Word order: the verb comes second in a statement: Morgen arbeite ich.
Modal verbs, above all möchten and können, with the infinitive at the end: Kann ich hier parken?
Articles in the nominative and accusative, including ein and kein: Ich habe einen Bruder. Ich brauche keinen Termin.
Requests with the Sie imperative, including separable verbs: Machen Sie bitte die Tür zu.

A1 runs mostly on the present tense, but most courses also teach a few past forms like ich war (I was) and ich habe gearbeitet (I worked): learn to recognise them.

The Official A1 Word List

The Goethe-Institut's free A1 word list (Wortliste) has about 650 counted entries: you should understand all of them and be able to use about half. Indented extras (die Abfahrt under abfahren) and word groups like numbers and months come on top. All in German and sorted A to Z, it's a checklist more than a study tool. Our guide to the Goethe A1 word list shows how to learn it, and how many words you need for A1 puts the number in perspective.

Want it sorted for you? Our A1 Word Kit has every word on the Goethe A1 list plus a few everyday words for life in Germany: 787 words sorted by situation into 26 real-life chapters, every word with its article, plural or verb forms, two example sentences and audio. You can try four chapters in the free sample.

Preparing for the Goethe A1 Exam: Time and a Study Plan

The Goethe-Institut's guideline is 80 to 200 lessons of 45 minutes, depending on what you already know. That's about 60 to 150 hours, or two to five months at an hour a day. Not sure where you stand? Take our free German level test first.

A 12-Week Plan for Self-Learners

About an hour a day, six days a week: roughly 70 hours. Know some German already? Squeeze it into 8 weeks. Less time? Stretch each phase.

Weeks	Focus	Your goal
1-3	Sounds, alphabet, numbers, greetings, yourself and family; present tense, sein, haben	You can introduce yourself and spell your name
4-6	Shopping, food, time and dates, home; questions, accusative, möchten, können	You can ask for prices and times and understand the answers
7-9	Travel, directions, health, work, free time; one exam part a day, untimed	You know every task type
10-12	Timed model tests, a 30-word note every other day, speaking out loud	You score comfortably above 60 in a timed model test

Your Daily Hour

15 minutes: new words with audio (10 to 15 a day), plus review
15 minutes: listening: dialogues, announcements, numbers, times
10 minutes: one small grammar point
10 minutes: reading signs, messages and ads
10 minutes: speaking out loud or writing a short note

Our simple daily routine to learn German faster shows how to keep it going.

Prefer a structured path? Our self-study online German course from A1 to B1 includes practice for every part of Start Deutsch 1 (Goethe and telc A1). It prepares you for the exam; the certificate itself comes only from passing the official exam.

Booking, Fees and Exam Day

How to Book

You book with a Goethe-Institut or a Goethe partner centre in your country. On the Goethe-Institut's exam overview, choose your country to find local centres, dates and prices. In India, Goethe-Instituts are also known as Max Mueller Bhavan. Check dates early.

Exam Fees

Fees vary by country and centre. One example at the time of writing (November 2026): the Goethe-Institut in Bonn charges €155, or €124 if you took a Goethe course there in the last six months. Prices elsewhere, India included, can be quite different.

On Exam Day

Bring a valid photo ID. Ask your centre which documents it accepts.
Arrive early. Ask your centre what time to be there.
Check your invitation for your speaking time and for what you may bring into the room.
Ask your centre about results. Certificates come on paper or digitally, and whoever receives yours can verify it online, so be wary of anyone selling certificates without an exam.

Common Mistakes

Reading Halb neun as 9:30

Wrong: halb neun = 9:30 Right: halb neun = 8:30 (half an hour before nine). Careful: British "half nine" means 9:30.

Putting the Verb Third

Wrong: Am Samstag ich kann nicht kommen. Right: Am Samstag kann ich nicht kommen.

Giving Your Age With Haben

Wrong: Ich habe 29 Jahre. Right: Ich bin 29 Jahre alt.

Spelling With English Letter Names

Wrong: E said like "ee", I said like "eye". Right: In German, E sounds like "ay" and I like "ee".

Only Reading, Never Listening or Speaking

Wrong: preparing with word lists and grammar tables alone. Right: listen and speak daily, and do at least one timed model test. Hören and Sprechen are half your points.

Practice

Try these, then check the answers below:

A recording says the bus leaves um Viertel nach sieben. What time is that?
Spell the name Weber with German letter names.
Fix the word order: Heute ich gehe ins Kino.
Topic: Freizeit (free time). Card: Wochenende (weekend). Ask a question.
Picture card: a door. Ask someone politely to close it.

Answers: 1. 7:15 2. we, e, be, e, er (vay, ay, bay, ay, air) 3. Heute gehe ich ins Kino. 4. Was machen Sie am Wochenende? 5. Können Sie bitte die Tür zumachen?

Then test your words and grammar with the free A1 German quiz.

Keep learning:

German for Nurses: Which Level You Need and How to Get There

FAQ

Is the Goethe A1 exam hard?

It's made for beginners, and you need 60 of 100 points, so with steady study it's a realistic goal. Practise listening and speaking daily: some recordings play only once, and speaking has no preparation time.

What is the pass mark for Goethe A1?

60 of 100 points in total, with no separate pass mark for Speaking. 60-69 points is ausreichend; 90-100 is sehr gut.

How long does it take to prepare for the A1 exam?

Goethe's guideline is 80 to 200 lessons of 45 minutes, about 60 to 150 hours: two to five months at an hour a day.

How much does the Goethe A1 exam cost?

It depends on your country and centre. At the time of writing, the Goethe-Institut in Bonn charges €155. Check your local centre's price.

Does the Goethe A1 certificate expire?

No. But many institutions and employers want one no older than two years, and some German missions want spouse-visa certificates no older than one year. Check with whoever asks for it.

Can I take the Goethe A1 exam online?

Don't assume so. This guide describes the exam as run by a Goethe-Institut or partner centre, with a group speaking test. If you see an online option, confirm it with the Goethe-Institut for your country, and check that your embassy accepts it, before paying.

What's the difference between Goethe A1 and telc A1?

Very little: both are Start Deutsch 1, in the same format. The provider, centres, dates and fees differ. Embassies widely accept both for spouse visas, but check yours.