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How to Pass A1 Schreiben: The 3-Box Checklist Examiners Actually Use

GetGermanReady••5 min readA1WritingExam tips

Here's a result that confuses a lot of A1 candidates: they write a short message with barely a grammar mistake — and still lose marks. Meanwhile someone with clumsier German passes comfortably. The reason isn't luck. A1 Schreiben (writing) isn't scored the way beginners assume. It's not a grammar test — it's a checklist, and the marks live in the boxes you remember to tick.

In Start Deutsch 1 / Goethe A1, the main writing task asks you to write a short, everyday message — an email to a friend, a note to a colleague, a reply to an invitation. The task always gives you three bullet points (the Leitpunkte) that your message has to cover. That little list is the whole game.

What you're actually graded on
Two things, and neither is fancy grammar: content (did you address all three Leitpunkte?) and communicative form (did you open with a greeting and close with a sign-off, in the right register?). Miss a bullet or forget the greeting and you drop marks no perfect sentence can win back.

The 3-box checklist

  1. Anrede (greeting) — „Liebe Anna,“ / „Hallo Tom,“ for friends, or „Sehr geehrte Frau Müller,“ for formal messages. One line, easy marks.
  2. The three Leitpunkte — answer every bullet the task gives you. One or two simple sentences each is plenty.
  3. Gruß (closing) — „Viele Grüße“ / „Liebe Grüße“ (informal) or „Mit freundlichen Grüßen“ (formal), then your name.
Greeting + three points + closing = a passing A1 message. Everything beyond that is a bonus, not a requirement — get these boxes right first.

A worked example

Task: „Ihre Freundin Anna hat Geburtstag. Schreiben Sie ihr: Warum schreiben Sie? Wann kommen Sie? Was bringen Sie mit?“ — three bullets: why you're writing, when you'll come, what you'll bring. A passing answer just walks the checklist:

  • Anrede: „Liebe Anna,“
  • Point 1 (why): „ich gratuliere dir ganz herzlich zum Geburtstag!“
  • Point 2 (when): „Ich komme gern zu deiner Party am Samstag.“
  • Point 3 (what): „Ich bringe einen Kuchen mit.“
  • Gruß: „Liebe Grüße, Maria“

Five short lines. Nothing clever — every bullet answered, greeting and closing in place. That is a pass.

The word behind the greeting: die Anrede

diedie Anrede
an — to / at+Rede — speech, talk (from reden, to speak)
literally a “speaking-to”→the form of address — how you open a message (Liebe…, Sehr geehrte…). Its partner at the end is der Gruß, the sign-off.

Common mistakes that cost easy marks

  • Skipping a Leitpunkt. The single most common A1 writing fail. Three bullets, three answers — always.
  • No greeting or closing. A message with no „Liebe …“ or „Viele Grüße“ loses the communicative-form marks, even if the middle is perfect.
  • Mixing du and Sie. Match the register to the reader: a friend gets du + „Liebe …“; an office or authority gets Sie + „Sehr geehrte …“. Don't switch halfway through.
  • Writing too much. A1 asks for only about 30 words. A long, ambitious paragraph adds mistakes without adding marks.
The task gives three bullet points but you only have time to answer two of them really well. What should you do?
Answer all three, even briefly. A short sentence for each bullet scores more than two beautiful sentences and a missing point — coverage is the main criterion.
You're writing to „Frau Müller“ at an office. Which greeting and closing fit?
Formal: open with „Sehr geehrte Frau Müller,“ and close with „Mit freundlichen Grüßen“. Save „Hallo/Liebe …“ and „Viele Grüße“ for friends.

The takeaway

A1 Schreiben rewards a calm routine, not linguistic bravery. Open with a greeting, answer all three bullets in simple sentences, sign off — and you've hit every scoring box. Treat it as a checklist, and passing stops depending on whether your grammar is flawless.

Want to practise on real A1 tasks and build the checklist into a habit? Start here: