Goethe A1: Reading
One timer for all three Teile. Read the texts and mark richtig or falsch, or pick a or b.
Lesen · 25 minutes
| 1. short letters and emails | Items: 5 · Format: rf |
|---|---|
| 2. choosing between two ads | Items: 5 · Format: ab |
| 3. signs and notices | Items: 5 · Format: rf |
Listening · Writing · Speaking
FAQ
How long is Reading?
Reading is 25 minutes.
What are the tasks in Reading?
1. short letters and emails; 2. choosing between two ads; 3. signs and notices
What score do you need to pass?
You pass with 60 of 100. In this app you are marked ready when every module is at least 70.
How to prepare
A1 reading is short on purpose. You match a sentence to a letter or an email, you choose between two ads, and you decide whether a sign means what the sentence says. The whole module uses one timer, so do not spend the first text like an essay.
Read the question before the text when the question is one line. On a sign, the picture and the first two words usually carry the rule: Eingang, Kasse, geschlossen, nur.
A worked example
Bibliothek: Montag geschlossen. Dienstag bis Freitag 10–18 Uhr.
Sentence to judge: “The library is open on Monday.” That sentence is false.
The sign names Monday and says geschlossen. You do not need the opening hours to answer.
What usually drops the point
- Choosing the ad that shares one word with the person, even when the price or the day does not fit.
- Reading “nicht” and then answering as if the sentence were positive.
- Translating every word of a five-line email. The true/false line is usually one fact.
How to use the mock
Underline the day, the price, or the place in the text and in the statement. If they disagree, the statement is false. Then move on.
- Write two signs for a shop: one closed day, one price. Ask a partner which sentence is wrong.
- Open a course reading and answer only “who, where, when”.
- Do the A1 mock reading once without a dictionary.
Author: Fahrplan Deutsch. Last reviewed 2026-10-27. reviewed: false. A native-speaker review is still open. This page is not a Goethe-Institut paper.
How to spend the time
Give the three parts a rough share of the timer before you read anything. The emails are a little slower because you compare a sentence with a text. The two ads are a comparison, not a reading. The signs are the fastest: one rule, one sentence, true or false. If the first email is still open when half the timer has gone, mark what you can and move. You can return if time remains.
On an email, find the fact the statement names and ignore the greeting. On an ad, write the person’s limit in the margin: a day, a price, or “with a kitchen”. On a sign, the decisive word is often a negative or a limit: nicht, nur, geschlossen, ab, bis. Read that word twice and then answer. Translating the opening hours is how the timer disappears.
After the mock, sort your misses into three piles: I missed nicht, I matched one shared word, I never reached the item. The third pile is a timing problem and the first two are reading problems. Practise the pile you actually have, not all three.