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Goethe-Zertifikat B1 · Sprechen Teil 2

Goethe B1 presentation (Teil 2): 10 practice topics, the 5-slide structure and a full example

The Goethe B1 presentation is Teil 2 of the speaking module: you choose one of two topics and present it along five slides (Folien), for about 3–⁠4 minutes. This page gives you the five-slide structure with sample sentences, a complete example presentation, the key phrases (Redemittel), a plan for your preparation time and ten practice tasks we wrote ourselves; the clip further down comes from an AI simulation recorded in B1 Sprechen.

Hear an example ↓

Simulate the whole speaking exam: AI examiners and an AI partner, all three parts, then feedback in German on your own sentences – pay once, no subscription.

B1 Sprechen is an independent practice tool. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Goethe-Institut or telc gGmbH. The example presentation, practice topics and phrases on this page are our own; for official material, please use the official links at the end of this page.

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1 of 2
topics to choose from
5 slides
Folien as your outline
approx. 3–⁠4 min
per candidate (official)
40 / 100
points for Teil 2 (official)
01Folie 1 · Folie 2 · Folie 3 · Folie 4 · Folie 5

The 5-slide structure: what to say on each Folie

In the official Modellsatz the five slides follow the order below; the slide titles here are our own short summaries. Always read the slides on your own task sheet, because they tell you what to talk about. The official time for Teil 2 is approx. 3–⁠4 minutes per candidate (Durchführungsbestimmungen Goethe-Zertifikat B1, as of 1 September 2025; the Modellsatz task sheet says approx. 3 minutes). The time per slide below is our suggestion, not an official rule. All sample sentences are our own.

  1. suggested: approx. 20–⁠30 s

    Folie 1 · Thema und Aufbau vorstellen

    Introduce the topic and your structure

    Name the topic and tell your listeners in one or two sentences how your presentation is organised. This slide is short, but it gives you a plan you can follow when you get nervous.

    • „Ich möchte heute über das Thema ‚…‘ sprechen.⁠“
    • „Zuerst erzähle ich von meinen eigenen Erfahrungen, dann spreche ich über die Situation in meinem Heimatland.⁠“
    • „Danach nenne ich Vor- und Nachteile und sage meine Meinung. Am Ende komme ich zu einem kurzen Fazit.⁠“
  2. suggested: approx. 40–⁠50 s

    Folie 2 · Eigene Erfahrungen

    Your personal experience

    Tell a short, concrete story from your own life that fits the topic: when, where, what happened, how you felt. A small everyday example is enough; what matters is that it is clear and fits the topic.

    • „Ich habe selbst Erfahrungen damit gemacht: Letztes Jahr …⁠“
    • „Als ich noch in … gewohnt habe, musste ich jeden Tag …⁠“
    • „Für mich persönlich war das wichtig, weil …⁠“
  3. suggested: approx. 40–⁠50 s

    Folie 3 · Situation im Heimatland

    The situation in your home country

    Describe how this topic looks in your home country and give one or two examples. You do not need statistics; describe what is normal, what people usually do and, if you know it, what is different in Germany.

    • „Jetzt komme ich zur Situation in meinem Heimatland.⁠“
    • „Bei uns ist es ganz normal, dass …⁠“
    • „In meinem Heimatland ist das ein bisschen anders als in Deutschland. Zum Beispiel …⁠“
  4. suggested: approx. 50–⁠60 s

    Folie 4 · Vor- und Nachteile & Meinung

    Pros and cons, and your opinion

    Name at least one advantage and one disadvantage, each with a reason or an example, and then say clearly what you think. Plan it as your longest slide.

    • „Ein großer Vorteil ist, dass man … kann.⁠“
    • „Ein Nachteil ist aber, dass …⁠“
    • „Meiner Meinung nach ist … besser, weil …⁠“
  5. suggested: approx. 10–⁠20 s

    Folie 5 · Abschluss & Dank

    Closing and thanks

    Signal that you are finished, sum up your opinion in one sentence and thank your listeners. After that, Teil 3 begins: your partner and the second examiner give feedback and ask you questions.

    • „Damit bin ich am Ende meiner Präsentation.⁠“
    • „Zum Schluss möchte ich sagen: Für mich ist … wichtig.⁠“
    • „Vielen Dank fürs Zuhören! Haben Sie Fragen?⁠“

recorded in B1 Sprechen · all voices AI

Hear a Goethe B1 presentation: a clip from an AI simulation

Alex (AI) presents the topic „Arzttermin per Video oder in der Praxis“ (video appointment or visit to the practice). Right at the start he announces the structure of his presentation – as slide 1 asks for – and then moves on to his own experience.

Part 2 · Presenting a topic

Excerpt 02:28–03:21AI simulation
Frau Weber (AI)Examiner
Herr Braun (AI)Examiner
Alex (AI)Candidate
Emilio (AI)Fellow candidate

Frau Weber (AI) Alex, präsentieren Sie bitte Ihr gewähltes Thema.

02:28 / 03:21Part 2 · Presentation Alex

From the feedback on this part

Alex (AI)02:38Went well

„Erst sage ich etwas über meine Erfahrung, dann beschreibe ich die Situation in meinem Heimatland. Danach nenne ich Vorteile und Nachteile und am Ende sage ich, was ich persönlich denke.“

Sie kündigen den Aufbau an und helfen den Zuhörenden, dem Vortrag zu folgen.

Transcript excerpt · 02:28–02:57

  1. 02:28Frau Weber (AI)scriptAlex, präsentieren Sie bitte Ihr gewähltes Thema. Emilio, hören Sie zu und überlegen Sie sich eine Frage.
  2. 02:38Alex (AI)liveOkay, also, Ich präsentiere jetzt mein Thema: Arzttermin per Video oder in der Praxis. Erst sage ich etwas über meine Erfahrung, dann beschreibe ich die Situation in meinem Heimatland. Danach nenne ich Vorteile und Nachteile und am Ende sage ich, was ich persönlich denke. Jetzt komme ich zu meiner Erfahrung. […]

Redemittel (useful phrases) in this clip

  • „Ich präsentiere jetzt mein Thema: …““I’m now presenting my topic: …”: names the topic (slide 1)
  • „Erst sage ich etwas über …, dann beschreibe ich …““First I’ll say something about …, then I’ll describe …”: announces the structure so listeners can follow
  • „Danach nenne ich Vorteile und Nachteile und am Ende sage ich, was ich persönlich denke.“announces slide 4: pros, cons and your own opinion
  • „Jetzt komme ich zu …““Now I come to …”: moves to the next slide

In the full conversation from 02:28Feedback page for this simulation (Part 2)

Listen to this excerpt in the full conversation – or see what the feedback says about exactly these sentences.

All voices are AI · Candidate Alex (AI) plays a typical B1 learner – the feedback picks up his mistakes.

How this sample is made
  1. Real-time voice: the AI partner listens and responds live to what is said.
  2. An orchestrator steers candidate Alex (AI) part by part – with the same task sheets you get.
  3. B1 Sprechen records the conversation, transcribes it and builds the feedback page – about a minute later, just like yours.
  4. For the excerpts we only cut – each one jumps to its place in the full recording.

Where the lines come from

script pre-recorded live

Examiners: fixed texts, recorded in advance; only Herr Braun's questions to Alex in Part 3 are live. Partner: partly recorded in advance (introduction, first suggestion in Part 1, presentation, answer to Herr Braun's question), otherwise live.

02

Goethe B1 presentation topics for practice

In the official Modellsatz the topics are everyday questions with two sides, so you can tell a personal story, compare with your home country and weigh pros and cons. The ten topics below are practice topics we wrote ourselves in that style. They are not past exam topics, and nobody can tell you which topics will come up in your exam. For the official sample, see the Modellsatz linked below.

  • „Feste Essenszeiten in der Familie – noch wichtig?⁠“ (fixed family mealtimes)
  • „Reparieren statt neu kaufen?⁠“ (repairing things instead of buying new ones)
  • „Sollten Kinder im Haushalt helfen?⁠“ (should children help at home?)
  • „Bücher auf Papier oder als E-Book?⁠“ (paper books or e-books)
  • „Früh aufstehen: Ist man morgens produktiver?⁠“ (are you more productive in the morning?)
  • „Allein reisen oder in einer Gruppe?⁠“ (travelling alone or in a group)
  • „Kochen als Schulfach – eine gute Idee?⁠“ (cooking lessons at school)
  • „Feiertage: lieber mit der Familie oder mit Freunden?⁠“ (spending holidays with family or friends)
  • „Ein Haustier für Kinder – ja oder nein?⁠“ (pets for children)
  • „Wohnen bei den Eltern oder in einer eigenen Wohnung?⁠“ (living with your parents or on your own)

Tip: take one topic a day, fill the five slides with keywords in about 6–⁠7 minutes, as in the preparation plan below, then give the presentation out loud.

03

Goethe B1 presentation example: a complete sample

Our own example on the topic „Wohnen: lieber in der Stadt oder auf dem Land?⁠“ (Living in the city or in the countryside?). Spoken at a calm pace it takes roughly three minutes; one or two more details from your own life bring you to about three and a half, well within the 3–⁠4 minutes. Use it to see how the five slides connect – then write your own version from keywords.

Folie 1: „Ich möchte heute über das Thema ‚Wohnen in der Stadt oder auf dem Land‘ sprechen. Zuerst erzähle ich von meinen eigenen Erfahrungen. Dann berichte ich über die Situation in meinem Heimatland. Danach spreche ich über Vor- und Nachteile und sage meine Meinung. Am Ende komme ich zu einem kurzen Fazit.⁠“

Folie 2: „Zuerst zu meinen Erfahrungen. Ich bin in einem kleinen Dorf aufgewachsen. Dort war es ruhig, und wir hatten einen großen Garten. Aber für die Schule musste ich jeden Tag eine Stunde mit dem Bus fahren. Seit drei Jahren wohne ich in einer großen Stadt. Jetzt bin ich in zehn Minuten bei der Arbeit, aber meine Wohnung ist klein und ziemlich teuer.⁠“

Folie 3: „Jetzt komme ich zur Situation in meinem Heimatland. Ich komme aus Indien. Dort ziehen viele junge Leute vom Land in die großen Städte, weil sie dort Arbeit finden. Die Eltern und Großeltern bleiben oft im Dorf, und die Kinder besuchen sie vor allem an Feiertagen.⁠“

Folie 4: „Das Leben in der Stadt hat viele Vorteile. Es gibt mehr Arbeitsplätze, Ärzte, Kinos und Restaurants, und man braucht oft kein Auto. Ein Nachteil ist aber, dass die Mieten sehr hoch sind. Außerdem ist es laut, und es gibt wenig Natur. Auf dem Land ist es dagegen ruhiger und günstiger, aber man hat weniger Möglichkeiten. Meiner Meinung nach ist die Stadt für junge Leute besser, weil man dort mehr lernen und erleben kann. Für Familien mit kleinen Kindern finde ich das Land aber schöner.⁠“

Folie 5: „Damit bin ich am Ende meiner Präsentation. Für mich ist die Antwort also: Es kommt darauf an, in welcher Lebensphase man ist. Vielen Dank fürs Zuhören! Haben Sie noch Fragen?⁠“

This is our own example at B1 level – not an official model answer and not a task from a real exam. Do not learn it by heart: a memorised text breaks easily when you forget one word, while keywords let you rephrase.

04

Redemittel for the B1 presentation: key phrases

You do not need many phrases – you need a few that come out automatically. Pick one or two from each group and use them in every practice presentation until you no longer have to think about them. Watch the word order: after „Meiner Meinung nach⁠“ the verb comes next; after „dass⁠“ and „weil⁠“ it moves to the end.

  • Moving to the next slide:„Damit komme ich zum nächsten Punkt.⁠“„Jetzt möchte ich über … sprechen.⁠“
  • Giving an example:„Ein Beispiel dafür ist …⁠“„Zum Beispiel habe ich letztes Jahr …⁠“
  • Giving your opinion:„Ich finde, dass …⁠“„Meiner Meinung nach ist …⁠“„Ich bin der Meinung, dass …⁠“
  • Pros and cons:„Auf der einen Seite …, auf der anderen Seite …⁠“„Dafür spricht, dass … Dagegen spricht, dass …⁠“
  • Comparing:„Im Vergleich zu Deutschland …⁠“„In meinem Heimatland ist das anders: …⁠“
  • Gaining a moment:„Wie soll ich sagen …⁠“„Moment, ich überlege kurz.⁠“
  • Closing:„Zusammenfassend kann ich sagen, dass …⁠“„Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit.⁠“
05

Preparing the five slides in the preparation time

You have 15 minutes of preparation for the whole speaking exam, alone – that covers the planning task of Teil 1 as well as your presentation. You receive the task sheets and may write notes on stamped scratch paper (Konzeptpapier); you may take these notes into the exam. Dictionaries and phones are not allowed.

There is no official split of the time. Since Teil 2 carries the most points (40 of 100), it makes sense to spend a good part of the 15 minutes on it. One way to do it:

  • About 1 minute: look at both topics and choose the one where a personal story comes to mind at once. Do not switch later.
  • About 6–⁠7 minutes: write 2–⁠4 keywords per slide – no full sentences. For Folie 4, write at least one pro, one con and your opinion with „weil⁠“.
  • About 1–⁠2 minutes: write out only your first sentence and your last sentence; they carry you in and out.
  • The rest: prepare Teil 1 (two or three suggestions and one alternative), then run through your slides once in your head.

This split is our suggestion, not an official rule.

06

Common mistakes in the B1 presentation

Watch out for these – they are about structure and time rather than grammar:

  • Reading from your notes. You may use them, but the examiner's script in the Modellsatz asks candidates not to read everything from their notes. Keywords force you to speak freely.
  • Skipping a slide. Each slide on your task sheet is part of the task. The home-country slide and your own opinion on Folie 4 are easy to forget.
  • Too long on one slide. A two-minute story on Folie 2 leaves no time for pros, cons and your opinion. Keep a rough time per slide in mind.
  • Only one side. Name at least one advantage and one disadvantage before you give your opinion.
  • No beginning, no end. Without a short structure at the start and a clear closing sentence, the presentation sounds unfinished.
  • Sentences that are too long. Short, clear sentences with „weil⁠“, „dass⁠“ and „aber⁠“ are easier to say correctly than long ones you build while speaking.
07

Practising your German B1 presentation alone

Phrases and outlines only help once you say them out loud, in time. You can do a lot of that on your own:

  • Set a timer for 3–⁠4 minutes and give the whole presentation without stopping, even if you make mistakes.
  • Record yourself on your phone. Listen once for structure only: did you cover all five slides, and how long did each take?
  • After each run, ask yourself two questions a partner might ask („Wie ist das bei dir?⁠“ „Warum findest du das besser?⁠“) and answer them – that is Teil 3.
  • Use a new topic each time; the structure stays, the content changes.

What you cannot practise alone is presenting to an examiner and a partner who then react to what you said. The B1 Sprechen simulation gives you that: an AI examiner and an AI partner, the whole exam in order – Teil 1, then each presentation followed straight away by feedback and questions – and afterwards feedback on your own sentences plus your recording. It does not score you, predict your result or assess your pronunciation.

Give your presentation to an examiner and a partner

  • Preparation and all three parts, in the order of your exam
  • An AI partner who responds live to what you say
  • Shortly after: feedback in German on your own sentences, with quotes and timestamps

In the simulation you present to an AI examiner and an AI partner, answer their questions and go through the whole speaking exam in order, then get feedback on your own sentences and your recording. Packs of 1, 3 or 5 simulations, from €5.98 per simulation, one-off payment, no subscription.

Try one part for freeapprox. 5 minStart with 1 simulation · €7.90See prices

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Within 14 days of purchase, we refund unused simulations pro rata to the pack price – no reason needed. If you have not used any simulation yet, you get the full amount back. Refund policy

08

Questions about the Goethe B1 presentation

01How long should my Goethe B1 presentation be?

About 3–⁠4 minutes per candidate according to the Durchführungsbestimmungen Goethe-Zertifikat B1 (as of 1 September 2025); the task sheet in the Modellsatz says approx. 3 minutes. Stay within 3–⁠4 minutes, aim for about three and a half, and cover all five slides.

02Can I choose my presentation topic?

Yes, you choose one of two topics on your task sheet. You receive the task sheets in the preparation time.

03Can I use my notes during the presentation?

Yes. Notes you write on the stamped scratch paper during preparation may be used in the exam. Try not to read everything from them – you are expected to speak freely.

04What happens after my presentation?

Teil 3 follows directly: your partner and the second examiner give you feedback and ask questions, and you answer. The same happens after your partner's presentation, where you give the feedback and ask a question – whichever of you presents first. In a single exam you give a short presentation alone and only the examiner asks.

05How many points is the Goethe B1 presentation worth?

Teil 2 is worth 40 of the 100 points in the speaking module (Modellsatz Erwachsene, 2nd ed. 2015, © Goethe-Institut · ÖSD · Universität Freiburg/Schweiz). B1 Sprechen does not calculate points or predict whether you will pass.

06Are these real Goethe B1 presentation topics?

No. All topics, sample sentences and the example presentation on this page are our own practice material. We do not publish past exam tasks. The official sample tasks are in the Modellsatz on goethe.de.

07Is there a presentation in telc Deutsch B1 as well?

No. telc Deutsch B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch) has no presentation; its Teil 2 is Über ein Thema sprechen, where you and your partner report different opinions on a topic and discuss them. We also offer a telc Deutsch B1 simulation.

More practice material

Taking telc Deutsch B1 instead?

telc Deutsch B1 has no presentation. Its Teil 2, Über ein Thema sprechen, is a discussion: each of you gets a different task sheet with opinions on one topic, you report them to each other and discuss (approx. 6 minutes), after 20 minutes of preparation. Our page on the telc speaking exam explains all three parts. We also offer a telc Deutsch B1 simulation.

telc Deutsch B1 speaking exam

Official material from the Goethe-Institut