Goethe-Zertifikat B2 exam: pattern, pass marks and how to pass

The Goethe-Zertifikat B2 is the Goethe-Institut's certificate for German at level B2. Before you book, ask whoever wants the certificate, whether a university, an employer or an authority, if they accept this particular one. The exam has four modules that count separately, and if one goes wrong you retake only that one. You do not need to have taken a Goethe-Institut course to sit it, and you can prepare on your own with the free official sample paper.^1–3

Goethe B2 exam pattern

The three written modules take about 180 minutes without breaks, with at least 15 minutes of break between modules.¹

Dictionaries and phones are not allowed. The exam is held at Goethe exam centres around the world, and there is no single date or fee: each centre sets its own dates, registration deadline and fee, so ask the centre where you plan to sit. As an example from outside Europe, the Goethe-Institut in Kolkata listed the B2 at 21,200 rupees for all four modules and 5,300 per module for external candidates in its 2025 brochure, with lower prices for its own course participants.^2–4

Goethe B2 passing marks

You pass a module with at least 60 of 100 points. There is no overall total across modules. Grades run 90–100 sehr gut, 80–89 gut, 70–79 befriedigend and 60–69 ausreichend; below 60 is nicht bestanden (fail).¹

In Lesen and Hören each correct answer is multiplied by 3.33 and the result rounded to a whole point. 18 correct out of 30 gives 59.94, so 60 points and a pass. 17 correct gives 57 and a fail. You can therefore get 12 of the 30 items wrong in each of those modules.¹

Retaking Goethe B2 modules

Each module can be taken and retaken as often as you like. The exam centre may set a waiting period before a retake and tells you when it sends the result.²

Say you sat all four modules on one date and scored Lesen 72, Hören 58, Schreiben 64 and Sprechen 70. You get a certificate for each of the three passed modules and retake only Hören. The new module certificate combines with the earlier ones. Pass all four at one venue on one date and you are entitled to a single certificate covering all four.²

Goethe B2 Schreiben: forum post and message

Part 1 is a forum post giving your opinion, about 150 words, with 50 minutes suggested. Part 2 is a semi-formal message, for example to your manager, about 100 words in 25 minutes, with a greeting and a sign-off. In the sample paper each task has four content points to cover.³

Markers check how fully the content points are covered, how correct the German is and how well sentences and paragraphs connect. A text that misses the task scores 0 for the whole task, however good its German. Two markers grade independently and the average counts. If one is below 60, the other above, and the average under 60, a third marker grades it. A sample answer with comments and Redemittel is in our guide to Goethe B2 Schreiben.^1·3

Goethe B2 Sprechen: talk and discussion

Speaking is normally taken in pairs, alone only in exceptional cases. You get 15 minutes to prepare. The short warm-up at the start is not graded.¹

In part 1 you pick one of two topics and give a talk of about 4 minutes with an introduction, main part and conclusion, then answer questions. In part 2 the pair discusses a controversial question for about 5 minutes.³

How to build the talk, phrases for the discussion and how both parts are marked are covered in the guide to Goethe B2 Sprechen.

Goethe B2 sample paper and how to prepare

The Goethe-Institut publishes the B2 Modellsatz for adults as a free PDF on goethe.de, with all four modules and the marking sheets for writing and speaking. Start there.³

1. Do Lesen and Hören against the clock, 65 and 40 minutes, and count your correct answers. Fewer than 18 of 30 marks the module to work on first.
2. Write both Schreiben tasks in 75 minutes and check them against the marking criteria: is every content point covered, does the text hang together?
3. Prepare a 4-minute talk on one of the sample topics and give it aloud with a timer.
4. Book the modules you are sure of first and sit the weaker one later on its own.

The ÖSD B2 exam and telc Deutsch B2 are different exams with their own tasks; the comparison of Goethe, ÖSD and telc sets out how. One level down is the Goethe-Zertifikat B1, and the other exams are on the German certificates page.^5·6

Источники

· 6 проверены 08.11.2026

1. 1Goethe-Zertifikat B2: Durchführungsbestimmungen, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
2. 2Prüfungsordnung, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
3. 3Goethe-Zertifikat B2: Modellsatz Erwachsene, Goethe-Institut
4. 4Courses and examinations 2025, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata
5. 5ÖSD Zertifikat B2: Durchführungsbestimmungen, ÖSD
6. 6telc Deutsch B2: Übungstest 1, telc gGmbH