Goethe-Zertifikat B1 · Sprechen Teil 1
Gemeinsam etwas planen B1: practice tasks for Goethe B1 Sprechen Teil 1 (Part 1)
Gemeinsam etwas planen (planning something together) is Goethe B1 Sprechen Teil 1 (Part 1), the first part of the speaking exam. You and your partner get a situation – a party, a visit, a move – and in about 2–3 minutes you make suggestions, react to each other and agree on a plan. This page gives you four original planning tasks, Redemittel (useful phrases) sorted by what you want to do, a short sample dialogue and the mistakes that make this part harder than it needs to be.
B1 Sprechen is an independent practice tool. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Goethe-Institut or telc gGmbH. All tasks, phrases and dialogues on this page are our own practice material, not tasks from real exams; for official material, please use the links at the end of this page.
- 2–3 min
- approx. length of Teil 1 (Durchführungsbestimmungen)
- 15 min
- preparation for all three parts
- 1 partner
- another candidate, or an examiner in a single exam
- 4
- original practice tasks below
Four practice tasks for Gemeinsam etwas planen
These four tasks are our own practice material, not tasks from real exams. Each one gives a situation and four points to help you plan. Take two or three minutes to note a few keywords, then talk for about three minutes – with a partner, or alone playing both roles. In the exam, Teil 1 takes approx. 2–3 minutes according to the Durchführungsbestimmungen Goethe-Zertifikat B1 (as of 1 September 2025); the task sheet in the Modellsatz says approx. 3 minutes, and the official online Modellsatz calls this part Aufgabe 1. In a single exam, an examiner plays your partner.
- practice: approx. 3 min
Task 1 · Abschiedsfeier für die Kursleiterin
A farewell party for your course teacher
Your German course ends next month and your teacher, Frau Berger, is moving to another city. Plan a small farewell party for her with your partner. Points: Wann und wo? · Essen und Getränke? · Geschenk? · Wer macht was?
- Open with the situation, not with point one: „Frau Berger geht ja nächsten Monat weg. Sollen wir eine kleine Feier für sie machen?“
- The gift is a good place to disagree politely: „Blumen finde ich ein bisschen langweilig. Was hältst du von einem Buch?“
- „Wer macht was?“ is the point candidates forget – split the jobs out loud before you finish.
- practice: approx. 3 min
Task 2 · Einem Freund beim Umzug helfen
Helping a friend move house
Your friend Tobias is moving into a new flat on the other side of town and has asked you both to help. Plan the day together. Points: Wann anfangen? · Transport (Auto, Transporter)? · Essen für die Helfer? · Wer kümmert sich um was?
- Ask before you decide: „Hast du am Samstag Zeit, oder passt dir Sonntag besser?“
- Give reasons with weil or denn: „Wir sollten früh anfangen, weil es am Nachmittag heiß wird.“
- If your partner has no car, that is a chance for an alternative: „Dann könnten wir einen Transporter mieten.“
- practice: approx. 3 min
Task 3 · Eine Kollegin im Krankenhaus besuchen
Visiting a colleague in hospital
Your colleague Sandra has had an operation and will be in hospital for a week. You want to visit her together. Points: Wann besuchen? · Was mitbringen? · Wie hinkommen? · Wer fragt die anderen Kollegen?
- Think of the patient: „Vielleicht ist sie noch sehr müde. Wir sollten nicht zu lange bleiben.“
- Offer something concrete instead of only asking: „Ich kann sie vorher anrufen und fragen, ob sie Besuch möchte.“
- Before you finish, check the last point together: „Und wer fragt die anderen Kollegen? Soll ich eine Nachricht in die Teamgruppe schreiben?“
- practice: approx. 3 min
Task 4 · Überraschung zum 70. Geburtstag
A surprise for a neighbour's 70th birthday
Your neighbour, Herr Yilmaz, turns 70 next month. He often helps everyone in the building, so you want to surprise him. Points: Was für eine Überraschung? · Wann? · Wer wird eingeladen? · Wer organisiert was?
- Collect two or three ideas before choosing one: „Wir könnten ein Fest im Hof machen, oder wir schenken ihm einen Ausflug.“
- Weigh them together: „Ein Fest ist schön, aber vielleicht ist das zu viel für ihn. Was meinst du?“
- End with a short summary of who does what – it shows the examiner and your partner that the plan is finished.
Redemittel (useful phrases) for Gemeinsam etwas planen
You do not need many phrases – you need two or three per step that come out without thinking. Pick the ones below that feel natural to you and use them in every practice task until they do.
- Making a suggestion:„Wie wäre es, wenn wir …?“„Ich schlage vor, dass wir …“„Wir könnten doch …“„Was hältst du davon, wenn …?“
- Agreeing:„Gute Idee, das machen wir.“„Da hast du recht.“„Einverstanden – und dann könnten wir noch …“
- Disagreeing and offering an alternative:„Das finde ich nicht so gut, weil …“„Ich weiß nicht, ob das klappt. Vielleicht lieber …?“„Und wenn wir stattdessen …?“
- Asking your partner:„Was meinst du?“„Hast du eine andere Idee?“„Passt dir das?“„Wie meinst du das genau?“
- Agreeing on a plan and summing up:„Also, dann machen wir es so: …“„Ich kümmere mich um …, und du übernimmst …“„Gut, dann haben wir alles.“
Sample dialogue: the farewell party (Task 1)
A short example of how Task 1 can sound. Notice that nobody talks for long: each turn reacts to the previous one, there is one polite disagreement and the plan ends with a summary.
- A: Frau Berger geht ja nächsten Monat weg. Sollen wir eine kleine Abschiedsfeier für sie organisieren?
- B: Ja, gern! Wie wäre es mit Freitag nach dem Unterricht? Dann sind alle noch da.
- A: Freitag passt mir gut. Und wo? Im Kursraum oder lieber woanders?
- B: Was hältst du von dem Café gegenüber?
- A: Hm, das Café ist ziemlich teuer. Wir könnten doch im Kursraum feiern, und jeder bringt etwas zu essen mit.
- B: Stimmt, das ist günstiger. Dann backe ich einen Kuchen und kaufe die Getränke.
- A: Super. Und als Geschenk? Ich schlage vor, wir kaufen ihr einen Gutschein für eine Buchhandlung. Sie liest doch so gern.
- B: Schöne Idee. Ich kann das Geld von den anderen sammeln. Kaufst du dann den Gutschein?
- A: Ja, das mache ich. Also: Freitag nach dem Unterricht im Kursraum, jeder bringt etwas mit, du sammelst das Geld und ich kaufe den Gutschein.
- B: Genau, so machen wir es.
Our own example for practice, not an official model answer. Your conversation will go differently – that is the point of the task.
Typical mistakes in Gemeinsam etwas planen
Most problems in this part are not about grammar. They come from treating a conversation like a short presentation.
- Monologue: you go through all four points in one long turn and your partner has nothing left to say. Take one point, make a suggestion, then hand over: „Was meinst du?“
- Ignoring your partner: you say the sentences you prepared, whatever your partner just said. React to their idea first – „Das ist eine gute Idee, aber …“ – then add yours.
- Stopping at „gut“: „Ja, gut.“ ends the topic. Add a reason or the next step: „Gut, dann kümmere ich mich um die Getränke.“
- Agreeing with everything: a plan without a single „lieber …?“ sounds like two people waiting for the time to run out. One polite alternative is enough.
- Reading from your notes: write keywords during preparation, not full sentences, so you can look up and talk.
- No ending: without a short summary, it is unclear whether you have agreed on anything.
How to practise: alone or with a partner
Alone, the hard part is that nobody surprises you. With a partner, the hard part is that you both know the task too well. Both can be fixed with a few rules.
- Alone: set a timer for three minutes and play both roles out loud – say a suggestion, then answer it as your partner would, including one “no”.
- Alone: record yourself and listen once for one thing only: did you react to every suggestion, or did you just continue with your own?
- Alone: repeat the same task a few days later and change your partner's answers, so you cannot reuse the old dialogue.
- With a partner: prepare separately for two minutes, keywords only, and do not tell each other your ideas beforehand.
- With a partner: switch who starts, and take turns playing a difficult partner – very quiet, or against every idea.
- With a partner: afterwards, swap tasks and note one phrase each of you wants to use next time.
Phrases and outlines only help once you can say them out loud, in time, while someone reacts. The B1 Sprechen simulation gives you an AI examiner and an AI partner who responds to what you say, runs the whole exam in order starting with Teil 1, and afterwards shows feedback on your own sentences together with your recording. It does not score you, predict your result or rate your pronunciation.
telc Deutsch B1: the same task is Teil 3
If you are registered for telc Deutsch B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch) instead, you will meet Gemeinsam etwas planen as Teil 3, not Teil 1. There it takes about 6 minutes, after 20 minutes of preparation. You organise an event together, make and answer suggestions, clarify what needs to be done and who takes which job, and agree on a joint plan. The tasks and Redemittel on this page work for that too – just practise for the longer time. Our telc Deutsch B1 simulation is in preparation.
Questions about Gemeinsam etwas planen (Goethe B1 Teil 1)
01How long is Gemeinsam etwas planen in the Goethe B1 speaking exam?
Approx. 2–3 minutes according to the Durchführungsbestimmungen Goethe-Zertifikat B1 (as of 1 September 2025). The task sheet in the Modellsatz gives approx. 3 minutes.
02Are these real Goethe exam tasks?
No. All four tasks, the phrases and the sample dialogue on this page are written by us for practice. For official material, use the Modellsatz and the online Modellsatz from the Goethe-Institut linked below.
03Do I have to agree with everything my partner suggests?
No. You can disagree politely and suggest something else – „Das finde ich nicht so gut. Vielleicht lieber …?“ The task is to plan together, so in the end try to agree on what you will do.
04Can I use notes in Teil 1?
Yes. During the 15 minutes of preparation you may make notes for every task on the stamped scratch paper and take them into the exam. You are expected to speak freely, so keep them to keywords.
05What if I take the speaking exam alone?
In a single exam, one of the examiners takes the role of your partner in Teil 1.
06How many points is Teil 1 worth?
28 out of 100 points according to the marking scheme in the Modellsatz and Übungssatz. B1 Sprechen itself does not give scores or predict whether you will pass.
More practice material
Teil 2: Presentation (5 slides)
Ten practice topics, the five-slide structure with sample sentences, a complete example presentation and key phrases for Goethe B1 Sprechen Teil 2.
View materialTopics: 25 original practice topics
25 original practice topics in five life areas, with planning situations for Teil 1, questions for Teil 3 and a 7-day plan.
View materialRedemittel: useful phrases for Teil 1–3
Original German phrases with English glosses for suggesting, disagreeing, presenting, giving feedback, asking questions and handling a blackout.
View material
Taking telc Deutsch B1? This task is Teil 3 there
In telc Deutsch B1, Gemeinsam etwas planen comes last as Teil 3 and lasts about 6 minutes, and Teil 1 is a different task. Our telc page explains all three parts of that exam. Our telc Deutsch B1 simulation is in preparation.
telc Deutsch B1 speaking examOfficial material from the Goethe-Institut
Practise Gemeinsam etwas planen with a partner who reacts
The Goethe B1 simulation is coming soon; you can create your account now. In the simulation, an AI examiner and an AI partner take you through the whole speaking exam in order, starting with Teil 1, and afterwards you get feedback on your own sentences and your recording. Packs of 1, 3 or 5 simulations, from €4.90 per simulation, one-off payment, no subscription.