Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom: format, time and pass mark
Teile, timing and the pass rule for Goethe-Zertifikat C2: Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom.
Modules
- Reading Lesen80 minutes
- Listening Hören35 minutes
- Writing Schreiben80 minutes
- Speaking Sprechen15 minutes
Pass mark
- Each module is marked out of 100 and passes at 60.
- In this app you are marked ready when every module is at least 70.
Source: Goethe-Institut: Goethe-Zertifikat C2 (GDS), Durchführungsbestimmungen (Stand 1 Sept 2025); Modellsatz (March 2026)
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FAQ
What score do you need to pass?
Each module is marked out of 100 and passes at 60. In this app you are marked ready when every module is at least 70.
How long is Reading?
Reading is 80 minutes.
How long is Listening?
Listening is 35 minutes.
How long is Writing?
Writing is 80 minutes.
How long is Speaking?
Speaking is 15 minutes.
How to prepare
C2 here is the Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom shape: modular, each part passed on its own, with longer reading and a writing task that reformulates or argues at a level where vague wording is visible.
You do not collect rare words for their own sake. You choose the word the sentence needs and you can defend why a near-synonym would be wrong.
A worked example
Der Text behauptet nicht, dass die Maßnahme wirkt, sondern dass sie noch nicht widerlegt ist.
You report the strength of the claim. That is a C2 reading and speaking habit.
Upgrading “not disproved” into “works” is the error this level is built to catch.
What usually drops the point
- Writing beautifully off-topic.
- Quoting a source more strongly than it spoke.
- Treating C2 as a larger B2: same phrases, more of them.
How to use the mock
Practise compression. Say a paragraph in one sentence that keeps the limit. Then expand it again without adding a new claim.
- Summarise a course essay in one sentence plus one concession.
- Replace five vague verbs in an old text of yours.
- Speak for two minutes on what a text does not say.
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.