Goethe B1 Lesen: Overview of All 5 Parts

What the Lesen module looks like

The Reading module (Lesen) lasts 65 minutes and contains 5 Teile (parts). You read five different text types and answer a mix of richtig/falsch (true/false) and multiple-choice items. Each module is worth a maximum of 100 points, and you pass the exam with 60% overall across all four modules.

There is no separate transfer time built into a generous block: you must manage the 65 minutes yourself and transfer your answers to the answer sheet (Antwortbogen) as you go. Only what is on the answer sheet is graded.

The 5 parts at a glance

Teil	Text type	Task	Items
1	A blog post / personal text	richtig/falsch + multiple choice	~6
2	Two press / online articles	multiple choice (3 options)	~6
3	Short advertisements	match 7 people to 10 ads (one answer = X, "no match")	~7
4	Readers' opinions / comments on one topic	decide dafür (for) or dagegen (against) — ja/nein	~7
5	A set of rules / instructions (e.g. a Hausordnung or Benutzungsordnung)	multiple choice (3 options)	~4

Item counts vary slightly between exam versions; the total is 30 items.

Part-by-part strategy

Teil 1 — Blog / personal text

• Read the statements first, then read the text once for the gist.
• The questions follow the order of the text, so work top to bottom.
• For richtig/falsch, watch for a small change of meaning, e.g. immer (always) vs manchmal (sometimes).

Teil 2 — Two articles, multiple choice

• These are the most demanding texts. Read the question stem before each pair of options so you know what you are hunting for.
• Locate the relevant sentence in the text, then compare each option against it. The correct option is usually a paraphrase, not a copy of the text's words.

Teil 3 — Matching people to ads

• Read each person's need carefully (what, when, for whom, budget).
• Skim the ads for the one that matches all conditions. If two ads almost fit, the one that fails a single detail (wrong city, wrong time) is wrong.
• Remember: one item has no matching ad — mark it X. Don't force a match.

Teil 4 — For or against (dafür / dagegen)

• Each short comment expresses an opinion on the same topic. Decide whether the writer is dafür (in favour) or dagegen (against).
• Watch for phrases that signal stance: Ich bin dagegen, dass … (I am against …), Es ist sinnvoll, … (it makes sense to …), Ich halte nichts davon (I don't think much of it).
• Beware writers who start positive and end negative (or vice versa) — judge the overall stance.

Teil 5 — Rules / instructions

• This is a factual text (house rules, library or pool regulations). Read the question, then scan for the exact rule.
• Answers depend on precise details: who may do what, when, and with whose permission.

General reading strategy

• Budget your time: roughly 10–13 minutes per Teil; do the parts you find easiest first.
• Skim for the main idea, then scan for the specific detail a question asks about.
• Don't read every word. Underline names, numbers, dates and negations.
• Transfer answers regularly, not all at the end — running out of time is the biggest avoidable loss.
• Never leave a blank: there is no penalty for wrong answers, so always guess.

Common traps and mistakes

• Synonyms and paraphrase: the right answer rarely uses the same words as the text. Matching identical words often leads to a distractor.
• Distractors: an option may be true in the real world but not stated in the text — only what the text says counts.
• Negation: small words (kein, nicht, nur, außer) flip the meaning. Read them carefully.
• Over-thinking Teil 3: forcing a match when the answer is X.
• Forgetting the answer sheet: marks on the question booklet do not count.

You already understand the structure better than most candidates — now put it into practice with a full timed mock exam and watch your speed improve.