Writing (Schreiben / Aufsatz)
The writing task asks you to produce a short connected text: an informal email or letter, a message, a dialogue, a description or a short opinion. Marks are given for content coverage, communicative design (greeting, closing, register) and language accuracy (grammar, vocabulary, spelling).
Structure
- Informal email: Anrede (Liebe Anna / Lieber Jonas), opening thanks or reference, body in two or three short paragraphs, closing (Liebe Grüße / Bis bald), your name.
- Formal letter: Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren or Sehr geehrte Frau ..., closing Mit freundlichen Grüßen.
- Use connectors: zuerst, dann, danach, deshalb, trotzdem, außerdem.
- Keep the finite verb in second position in a main clause. After weil, dass or ob, the finite verb goes to the end.
Worked example
Task: Decline Lisa's cinema invitation and suggest Sunday. 'Liebe Lisa, vielen Dank für deine Einladung. Leider kann ich am Freitag nicht kommen, weil ich für die Prüfung lernen muss. Hast du am Sonntag Zeit? Wir könnten uns um 16 Uhr treffen. Liebe Grüße, Rohan' Reasoning: the greeting is correct for a friend; the thanks covers one content point; the refusal gives a reason with weil and the verb at the end; the alternative suggestion covers the second point; the closing is appropriate. All task points are present.
Traps
- Missing greeting or closing costs communication marks.
- Mixing du and Sie in one text.
- 'weil ich habe keine Zeit' is wrong; write 'weil ich keine Zeit habe'.
- Writing far more than the task asks; irrelevant content earns no content marks.