Goethe B2 Sample Questions: Every Task Type in All 4 Modules, with Example Items
Last updated: 8 October 2026 · Verified against current official Goethe-Institut sources
The Goethe B2 task types are fixed across all four modules: Reading and Listening have 30 items each, Writing has two tasks and Speaking two parts. The official 2025 adult model exam shows the task types, item numbers and timings exactly as in the real exam. This guide sets out every part in tables and adds original example items written to the same task types.
Reading: five task types
| Part | Task | Items | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Four forum posts – assign 9 statements to people | 9 | 18 min |
| Part 2 | Factual text with gaps – place 6 of 8 sentences | 6 | 12 min |
| Part 3 | Newspaper article – a/b/c | 6 | 12 min |
| Part 4 | Eight opinion texts – match headings | 6 | 12 min |
| Part 5 | Instructions – assign headings to sections | 3 | 6 min |
The roughly 5 minutes needed to transfer answers to the answer sheet are part of the 65 minutes.
Listening: four task types
| Part | Text | Items | Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Five short texts (chat, announcement, radio) – T/F + a/b/c | 10 | Once |
| Part 2 | Radio interview – a/b/c | 6 | Twice |
| Part 3 | Host and two guests – assign statements to speakers | 6 | Once |
| Part 4 | Talk – a/b/c | 8 | Twice |
In Listening you get about 5 minutes at the end of the module to transfer your answers.
Writing and Speaking tasks
- Writing part 1 (suggested 50 min): a forum post of about 150 words with four content points such as opinion, reasons, alternatives and advantages, plus an introduction and conclusion.
- Writing part 2 (suggested 25 min): a message of about 100 words to a semi-formal contact (e.g. a manager) with four content points, greeting and sign-off.
- Speaking part 1: choose one of two topics and give a talk of about 4 minutes; your partner and an examiner then ask questions.
- Speaking part 2: a discussion of about 5 minutes with your partner, ending with a clear position. You get 15 minutes of preparation for both parts.
Original example items (not official)
- Reading part 1 – „Ich arbeite seit drei Jahren im Homeoffice. Anfangs fand ich das wunderbar, inzwischen fehlt mir der Austausch mit den Kollegen.“ (Svenja) → Aussage: „Die Arbeit zu Hause hat auch Nachteile.“ Answer: assign it to Svenja; 'fehlt mir der Austausch' is a disadvantage.
- Reading part 2 – „Viele Städte setzen inzwischen auf Leihfahrräder. ___ Dennoch bleibt das Auto für Pendler oft die erste Wahl.“ → Welcher Satz passt in die Lücke? Hint: 'Dennoch' after the gap shows the missing sentence describes an advantage of the bikes.
- Listening part 1 – Durchsage: „Wegen Bauarbeiten fährt die Linie 4 heute nur bis zum Hauptbahnhof. Fahrgäste in Richtung Messe nutzen bitte den Ersatzbus.“ → richtig/falsch: Die Linie 4 fällt heute komplett aus. Answer: false; the line is shortened, not cancelled.
- Writing part 2 – Sie können an einem Teamtreffen nicht teilnehmen. Schreiben Sie Ihrer Vorgesetzten: Entschuldigen Sie sich, nennen Sie den Grund, schlagen Sie eine Lösung vor, bitten Sie um das Protokoll. (circa 100 Wörter)
These items were written by Zertifly to the official task types; they are not taken from the model exam.
Official sources
The exam rules and figures in this guide were checked against the official sources below.
Related guide
Practise Goethe B2 tasks in exam format
Work through timed Goethe B2 Reading and Listening sets on Zertifly and get your forum post and message assessed against the official criteria.