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telc B1 Schreiben: write an email that answers every point

Abderrahmane Dioubi · 4 November 20265 min read

What the paper looks like

Schriftlicher Ausdruck

Arbeitszeit: 30 Minuten

Schreiben Sie ihr eine E-Mail. Schreiben Sie zu allen vier Punkten.

This is Schreiben, just like on exam day. You write an email to your friend Marta, because you cannot come to her party. The task lists four points, and your email has to answer each one.

The method

  1. 1Decide the order of the points

  2. 2Write two sentences for each point

  3. 3Start with a greeting and end with your name

Let's do point 4 together

1Decide the order of the points

AUFGABE

Fragen Sie nach der neuen Wohnung.

4 Frage: neue Wohnung

Point 4 says „Fragen Sie“, which means ‘ask’. You write a short note for it: „Frage: neue Wohnung“, which means ‘question: new flat’.

2Write two sentences for each point

Wie gefällt dir die neue Wohnung? Hast du schon alles eingerichtet?

The first sentence asks „Wie gefällt dir die neue Wohnung?“, which means ‘how do you like the new flat?’. The second asks „Hast du schon alles eingerichtet?“, which means ‘have you already set everything up?’. Both ask about the flat.

3Start with a greeting and end with your name

Liebe Marta, … Viele Grüße, Jonas

Marta is your friend, so you start with „Liebe Marta,“, which means ‘dear Marta,’. You end with „Viele Grüße“, which means ‘best wishes’, and your name.

Look at your plan once more before you write. Check that every point has its own note.

Your turn: the two sentences for point 1

AUFGABE

Bedanken Sie sich für die Einladung.

Point 1 needs two sentences. The first one says thanks. Which sentence comes next?

Not quite. Point 1 is about the invitation. Which sentence shows you are happy about it?

The answer is ‘b’. „Ich habe mich sehr gefreut“ means ‘I was very happy’, so it shows you are glad about the invitation. „Am Samstag muss ich arbeiten“ means ‘on Saturday I have to work’, and that is a reason for point 2. „Wie wäre es mit Sonntag?“ means ‘how about Sunday?’, and that is a suggestion for point 3.

The answer and the explanation are shown above.

Two traps in the email

Two traps can hide in your email. Look for both before you finish.

  1. A plan with no note for one point

    Say your plan has notes for points 1, 2 and 4, but none for point 3. Then your email leaves out the suggestion „Machen Sie einen Vorschlag“, which means ‘make a suggestion’. Check your plan against all four points before you write.

  2. A greeting that is too formal

    „Sehr geehrte Frau Marta,“ means ‘dear Ms Marta,’ and you use it for a stranger. Marta is your friend, so the right start is „Liebe Marta,“.

Questions

How long is telc B1 Schreiben?

You have 30 minutes. Use a few of them to plan before you write.

Do I have to write about every point?

Yes. The paper says „Schreiben Sie zu allen vier Punkten“, which means ‘write about all four points’.

Is this the real exam task?

No. It is a Velang practice paper from the app, written in the same format as the exam.

Practise Schreiben on the real exam paper in the app, with Vel checking every answer.

Start free

Sources and notes

  • Format facts: telc Deutsch B1 practice test (telc gGmbH). Schreiben, called Schriftlicher Ausdruck, takes 30 minutes and is an informal email. See telc.net.
  • The German task and the model email are a Velang practice paper from the app, not a real exam paper.
  • Velang is not part of telc.