Goethe-Zertifikat A2: format, time and pass mark

Teile, timing and the pass rule for Goethe-Zertifikat A2.

Modules

Pass mark

You pass with 60 of 100.
The written part needs at least 45.
The oral part needs at least 15.
In this app you are marked ready when every module is at least 70.

Source: Goethe-Institut: Goethe-Zertifikat A2, Durchführungsbestimmungen (Stand 1 Sept 2025); Modellsatz Erwachsene

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FAQ

What score do you need to pass?

You pass with 60 of 100. The written part needs at least 45. The oral part needs at least 15. In this app you are marked ready when every module is at least 70.

How long is Reading?

Reading is 30 minutes.

How long is Listening?

Listening is 30 minutes.

How long is Writing?

Writing is 30 minutes.

How long is Speaking?

Speaking is 15 minutes.

How to prepare

Goethe-Zertifikat A2 is still everyday German, but the texts are a step longer: a short article, boards and directories, letters, and ads you match to people. You write two messages, and you speak with a partner about cards, your life, and a plan.

The pass rule is not only a total. You also need enough points in the written modules as a group and enough in speaking. The level page states the floors. Do not skip speaking because reading feels safer.

A worked example

Wollen wir am Sonntag ins Kino gehen? Der Film beginnt um 16 Uhr. Passt dir das?

A planning sentence names the day, the place and a question. That is the A2 speaking task in one turn.

At A2 you are judged on whether the other person can answer, not on a speech.

What usually drops the point

Ignoring the written-part minimum because the total still looks like a pass.
Writing the email in one block and forgetting the second message.
Talking about your week when the card asks for a plan with the partner.

How to use the mock

Use the four skill pages. Each one names the tasks. Practise the task, not a general “A2 vocabulary list”, unless the task is the vocabulary.

Match five short ads to five needs on paper.
Write a text message of about twenty-five words and an email a little longer.
Plan a Sunday with a partner in German for two minutes.

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

A2 adds length and a second pass rule. The total is not enough: the written modules together have a floor, and speaking has its own floor. The numbers are on the level page. Read them once so you do not plan a week with no speaking. Then work from the skill pages, because each one is a different task shape.

A useful week is four short sessions, one skill each, plus one mixed day. On the mixed day, do the matching ads, one listening item that plays once, the shorter of the two writing tasks, and a two-minute plan with a partner. Stopping after one task type is how you discover the task you have been avoiding.

Do not collect a general A2 word list. Collect words the tasks force: days and times, prices, constraints (nur, ab, bis, ausgebucht), and the verbs you need to propose a plan (treffen, mitbringen, anfangen, passen). If you can use them in a message and in a spoken plan, they are the right words.