Further information

Back to Goethe-Zertifikat C1

Everything included! The exam sections

The Goethe-Zertifikat C1 exam comprises reading, listening, writing and speaking sections. The speaking section of the exam is completed in pairs or individually. The exam is administered and evaluated in the same way all over the world.
 

Reading

You will be asked to read excerpts from reference books, commentaries, reviews and/or reports and complete exercises on these texts (e.g. producing summaries of parts of them) which demonstrate that you can cope with longer texts.

Duration: 70 minutes

Writing

You will be required to write a well-structured, detailed text on a topic about which you have been given information in the form of a diagram.

Duration: 80 minutes

Listening

You will be asked to listen to discussions, telephone conversations, interviews or radio reports, make notes on what you hear and categorise statements.

Duration: approx. 40 minutes

Speaking

During the first part of the exam, you will be asked to express your opinion on a short text. You will then enter into a discussion with your conversation partner in which you come to a joint decision on a specific matter or find a solution to a problem.

Duration: 10 or 15 minutes

Requirements

The Goethe-Zertifikat C1 is a German exam for adults.

The Goethe-Institut exams are available to all interested parties and can be taken regardless of age and nationality.
  • A minimum age of 16 years is recommended to take the Goethe-Zertifikat C1 exam.
  • To sit the Goethe-Zertifikat C1 exam, candidates must have German language skills corresponding to the fifth level of competence (C1) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
  • To reach this level, candidates need to have completed between 800 and 1,000 45-minute units of teaching, depending on their previous knowledge and learning requirements.