Goethe B1 Speaking Part 1: Make a Plan, Keep the Conversation Moving

Goethe B1 Speaking Part 1: Make a Plan, Keep the Conversation Moving

You suggest Saturday. Your partner says they work on Saturdays. You have practised an opening, a list of useful phrases and a tidy ending. None of them quite fits this moment.

This is the bit worth practising: changing your plan after someone else speaks.

In Goethe-Zertifikat B1 speaking Part 1, you and a partner plan an activity together in about three minutes. You need to make suggestions, respond to each other and reach decisions. A prepared speech cannot do that job. A few flexible sentences can.

This guide gives you an original practice task, a worked dialogue and a way to review your recording. It covers the Goethe B1 adult exam's planning task; use your own provider's model paper if you are taking a different exam.

What does Goethe B1 speaking Part 1 ask you to do?

The official Goethe B1 speaking model describes three speaking tasks. Part 1 is the joint planning task, lasting approximately three minutes. The regular paired speaking module takes 15 minutes, with 15 minutes of individual preparation for the whole module. You may make notes, but should speak freely.

The important instruction is to respond to your partner's suggestions as well as make your own. Goethe's model lists interaction among the assessment criteria for Part 1, alongside task fulfilment, vocabulary/register and structures. Pronunciation is assessed across the speaking tasks.

The method below is a practice tool, not an official marking scheme. It helps you notice whether the conversation actually goes somewhere.

Use one small cycle: propose, respond, decide

Take the first point on your task sheet. Offer something concrete, listen to the response, then settle it or change it. Move to the next point once you have a workable decision.

You do not need every phrase in every exchange. If your partner's suggestion works, accept it and add something useful: “Ja, das passt. Ich kann die Fahrkarten kaufen.”

A reason is especially helpful when you disagree. “Nein” leaves your partner with little to work with. “Am Samstag kann ich nicht, weil ich arbeiten muss. Geht es am Sonntag?” gives them a new option.

Notice the verb at the end after “weil”: “weil ich arbeiten muss.” If that structure slows you down, two sentences also work: “Am Samstag kann ich nicht. Ich muss arbeiten.” Practise more complex structures separately; during the conversation, use language you can control.

An original practice task: a Sunday outing

Two friends from your German course want to organise a short outing for the group. Plan these four points together:

• When and where will you meet?
• How will you get there?
• What will you bring to eat and drink?
• What will you do if it rains?

This task was written for this article. It is not a reproduced Goethe exam question or a prediction of your exam topic.

For a first attempt, use a park or lake you know. Choosing a familiar place lets you spend your attention on the conversation rather than inventing geography.

A worked dialogue: watch what happens after “but”

Read the dialogue once. Then cover it and try the task yourself. It illustrates useful exchanges; it is not a full three-minute response or a script to memorise.

A: Wir könnten am Sonntag einen Ausflug zum See machen. Wie wäre es mit zehn Uhr am Bahnhof?

B: Zum See finde ich gut, aber zehn Uhr ist mir zu früh. Ich muss morgens noch arbeiten. Können wir uns um zwölf treffen?

A: Ja, zwölf Uhr passt. Dann treffen wir uns vor dem Haupteingang. Wollen wir mit dem Bus fahren?

B: Lieber mit dem Zug. Der Bus braucht fast eine Stunde, und mit dem Zug sind es nur zwanzig Minuten.

A: Gut, dann nehmen wir den Zug. Ich schaue nach einer Verbindung. Was sollen wir zum Essen mitbringen?

B: Ich kann belegte Brötchen machen. Kannst du Getränke mitbringen?

A: Ja, ich bringe Wasser und Saft mit. Und wenn es regnet?

B: Dann könnten wir ins Museum gehen. Das ist in der Nähe vom Bahnhof.

A: Einverstanden. Also: Sonntag um zwölf vor dem Bahnhof, mit dem Zug zum See. Du bringst Brötchen mit, ich die Getränke. Bei Regen gehen wir ins Museum.

B: Genau. Ich schreibe der Gruppe heute Abend.

The useful moment is B's first answer. B keeps the destination, changes the time and explains why. A accepts the change instead of repeating the original plan. Later, B disagrees about transport, and A takes up that suggestion too.

The ending makes the decisions easy to follow and assigns a final action. A short recap is a useful habit when time allows; it is not a compulsory formula or a substitute for discussing the task points.

When the conversation gets awkward

Your partner only says “yes”

Ask a small question with options: “Möchtest du lieber mit dem Bus oder mit dem Zug fahren?” That is easier to answer than “Was denkst du über unseren Ausflug?”

If they still give a short answer, contribute your own reason, then offer another turn: “Ich würde den Zug nehmen. Das geht schneller. Passt das für dich?” Avoid filling every pause with a longer speech.

Your partner talks for a long time

Enter at a natural pause and refer to something they said: “Deine Idee mit dem Museum finde ich gut. Wie kommen wir dorthin?” You show that you listened while bringing the discussion to the next practical point.

You did not understand a detail

Check the detail: “Meinst du Samstag oder Sonntag?” or “Habe ich dich richtig verstanden: Wir treffen uns am Bahnhof?” A specific clarification gives the other person an easy way to help.

You forget a word

Describe it. If “Kühltasche” disappears, try “eine Tasche, damit die Getränke kalt bleiben.” If you cannot manage that sentence, simplify further: “Wir müssen die Getränke kalt halten.” The shared plan can survive one missing noun.

A 12-minute practice session you can repeat

Use a phone to record practice, with your partner's agreement. Phones are for this home exercise; Goethe's model says they are not allowed as exam aids.

1. Spend two minutes noting options for the four points. Write keywords such as “Sonntag / zwölf / Bahnhof,” not a complete script. This is a short drill, not the official preparation period.
2. Set a three-minute timer and do the task with a partner. Neither of you should know all the other's preferences in advance.
3. Spend two minutes replaying the conversation. Each person identifies one missed response and one unclear sentence.
4. Repeat for three minutes with a changed constraint: the train is too expensive, someone cannot come on Sunday, or the museum is closed.
5. Use the final two minutes to compare the attempts. Did you respond to the changed constraint, or deliver the same lines again?

The changed constraint matters. If the second attempt is just a smoother recital, you have practised recall. If the plan changes because of something your partner said, you have practised interaction.

Review decisions, not just grammar

After listening, answer these questions. Write down the sentence or moment that supports each answer.

• Did both people suggest something concrete?
• Did each person respond to what the other actually said?
• Did you address all four task points?
• Could a listener tell what you finally agreed to do?
• Was there a misunderstanding you left unresolved?
• Which sentence was hard to understand, and how could you say it more clearly?

These are self-review questions, not a Goethe score calculator. A plan can be complete while the language still needs work. If you need a judgement against the official speaking criteria, ask a teacher familiar with the exam to review an attempt.

Choose one repair for the next session. For example: “When I disagree, I will give a reason and suggest another option.” That is specific enough to hear in your next recording.

Can you practise this without a partner?

Yes, partially. Record a suggestion, then answer it with a conflicting constraint: “Sonntag geht leider nicht.” Pause and produce an alternative aloud. Change the day, price or transport each time.

Solo practice helps you retrieve phrases and recover when a plan changes. It cannot reproduce another person's timing or unexpected answer. Arrange some live practice before the exam, even if it is a short call with another learner.

If you use Lingogrind for your wider preparation, keep the correction you want to practise alongside your other speaking and writing feedback work. Treat this partner exercise as an additional practice session, rather than assuming an app feedback score predicts your official result.

For your next attempt, cover the dialogue, set the timer and let your partner reject the first suggestion. Practise the sentence you say next.

Official material to keep nearby

The exam facts above were checked on 6 October 2026 against Goethe-Institut's accessible B1 speaking model. For candidate sheets and speaking assessment criteria, use the official adult B1 model paper. The dialogue, outing task and review routine in this article are original practice material by Arnau Oller for Lingogrind.