Writing: producing clear texts with accurate structures
What the Writing domain tests
Writing is internally assessed: you produce a variety of text types in German on areas of immediate relevance, such as an email, blog post, invitation, description or short article. You need to communicate the task fully, use a range of language, and keep control of grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Core writing rules
- Match the text type. Informal email: Liebe Anna / Hallo Tim, body, Viele Grüße / Bis bald. Formal: Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, Mit freundlichen Grüßen. An invitation must include what, when, where and RSVP.
- Master main-clause order. The verb is second: Am Samstag fahren wir nach Berlin. If you start with a time phrase, the verb still comes second - do not write Am Samstag wir fahren.
- Use subordinate clauses. weil, dass, wenn, obwohl send the verb to the end: Ich freue mich, weil ich meine Freundin wiedersehe.
- Check cases and prepositions. mit + dative (mit dem Zug), für + accusative (für meinen Bruder), zu + dative (zu Hause), in + accusative for direction (ins Kino).
- Add connectives and opinion phrases for range: außerdem, deshalb, trotzdem, ich finde, hoffentlich, leider.
Worked example
Task: write an email about a planned trip. Draft: Am Samstag fahren wir nach Berlin. Wir wollen das Museum besuchen, weil es sehr interessant ist. Ich freue mich, weil ich meine Freundin wiedersehe. Reasoning: Am Samstag is first, so fahren is second; wollen is a modal verb and besuchen goes to the end; weil es ... ist has the verb last; mich is the accusative reflexive; wiedersehe is separable (wieder + sehe). To improve range, add Leider or hoffentlich and check every noun capital.
Traps that cost marks
English word order after time phrases; verb-second after weil; wrong case after mit; writing nach Hause when you mean zu Hause; missing noun capitals and umlauts; forgetting a bullet point; overusing machen; inserting commas before dass/weil clauses correctly but not checking verb position.