# Faust Academy

## Goethe A1 speaking practice: the cards and what to say

URL: https://www.faustacademy.com/goethe-a1-speaking-practice-test
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-21

Goethe A1 Sprechen is a group exam in three short parts: you introduce yourself, you ask and answer questions with word cards, and you ask for things with picture cards. There is no preparation time. Below are the real cards of a Faust practice paper with sentences you can say, explained in English, and you can start that speaking paper free online, without an account.

You sit in a group of at most four candidates, and the speaking part is set at 15 minutes. Two examiners run it. Before each part an examiner explains the task and shows an example, so you always hear what to do first.

Everything below comes from Faust Übungssatz 01 for Goethe A1 Sprechen: the instructions, the cards and the Faust model answers on its teacher sheet. The model answers show one way to do it and carry no score.

### Teil 1: Sich vorstellen (introducing yourself)

The instruction: „Stellen Sie sich in der Gruppe vor. Danach buchstabieren Sie eine persönliche Angabe und nennen eine persönliche Nummer.“ You introduce yourself to the group with six keywords. Then the examiner asks you to spell something, for example your family name, and to say a number, for example your phone number.

### The six keywords and one sentence for each

The sentences are from the Faust model answer. Change the facts to your own.

| Keyword | Meaning | German you can say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Name | your name | „Ich heiße Lea Novak.“ |
| Wohnort | where you live | „Ich wohne in Bonn.“ |
| Beruf | your job | „Ich bin Köchin.“ |
| Sprachen | languages you speak | „Ich spreche Deutsch und Kroatisch.“ |
| Freizeit | free time | „In meiner Freizeit fahre ich Fahrrad.“ |
| Familie | family | „Ich bin verheiratet und habe ein Kind.“ |

### Spelling and the number

In the Faust model the examiner then asks two questions:

- „Bitte buchstabieren Sie Ihren Familiennamen.“ Answer letter by letter in German: „Novak: N, O, V, A, K.“ Practise the German letters of your own name before the exam, above all the ones that sound different from English, like E, I, J, V and W.
- „Wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer?“ The model says the digits in small groups: „Null eins sieben sechs, vier zwei, acht null, drei fünf.“ Saying single digits in short groups keeps it clear for the listener.

### Teil 2: Um Informationen bitten und Informationen geben (asking and answering)

The instruction: „Thema 1: Neue Kontakte. Thema 2: Arbeitsalltag. Stellen Sie in jeder Runde eine Frage zu Ihrer Karte und beantworten Sie die Frage einer anderen Person.“ There are two rounds, one per topic. In each round you draw a card with one word, ask another person a question with that word, and answer the question someone asks you.

On this paper the topic of round 1 is Neue Kontakte (meeting new people) and your card says Begrüßung (greeting). In round 2 the topic is Arbeitsalltag (everyday work) and your card says Feierabend (the end of the working day).

### Questions and answers for the two cards

From the Faust model answers. Your question has to use the word on your card and fit the topic of the round.

| Card | Question | Answer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Begrüßung | „Wie begrüßen Sie neue Leute?“ | Ich sage „Guten Tag“ und nenne meinen Namen. |
| Feierabend | „Wann haben Sie Feierabend?“ | „Um halb sechs.“ |
| Feierabend, your partner asks back | „Was machen Sie nach der Arbeit?“ | „Ich gehe nach Hause und koche.“ |

### If the examiner says „Bitte noch einmal“

In the Faust model answers the examiner sometimes says „Bitte noch einmal.“ (once more, please). It means your sentence was not clear. Say it again, a little slower. In the model the candidate repeats „Nach der Arbeit gehe ich nach Hause und koche.“ as a full sentence, which is clearer than the first short try.

### Teil 3: Bitten formulieren und darauf reagieren (requests)

The instruction: „Formulieren Sie zu jeder Bildkarte eine Bitte oder Frage. Reagieren Sie auch auf die Bitten einer anderen Person.“ You get picture cards without words. For each picture you ask someone for something or ask a question, and you also react when someone asks you.

On this paper your two picture cards show a sandwich and a cup of coffee.

### Requests and reactions for the two pictures

From the Faust model answers.

| Picture | Your request | A reaction |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sandwich | „Kann ich bitte das Sandwich haben?“ | „Ja, natürlich. Hier, bitte.“ |
| Coffee | „Einen Kaffee, bitte.“ | „Ja, gern. Möchten Sie Milch?“ Then you: „Ja, bitte.“ |
| Someone asks you | „Kann ich den Zucker haben?“ | „Natürlich. Hier ist der Zucker.“ |

### Two patterns cover most picture cards

Kann ich bitte ... haben? works for almost every object. Einen, eine or ein plus the thing, then bitte, is the short way to order. For reactions, Ja, gern, Natürlich and Hier, bitte are enough. A polite request with bitte that the other person understands is what this part asks for.

### Goethe A1 Sprechen at a glance

Group exam with at most four candidates and two examiners, set at 15 minutes, no preparation time.

| Teil | What you do | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Teil 1: Sich vorstellen | Introduce yourself, spell a word, say a number | Six keywords on the sheet |
| Teil 2: Um Informationen bitten und Informationen geben | Two rounds: ask a question with your card, answer one | Word cards on two topics |
| Teil 3: Bitten formulieren und darauf reagieren | Ask for something, react to someone else | Picture cards |

### How A1 speaking is marked

The teacher sheet of this Faust paper marks each task on one combined criterion: „Erfüllung der Aufgabenstellung und sprachliche Realisierung“, which means doing the task in language that others understand. Full points: done and understandable. Half points: only partly done because of gaps in language or content. 0 points: not done or not understandable.

Speaking counts toward the whole exam. Goethe A1 has 100 points, 75 written and 25 speaking. You pass with 60 points in total, and you must take every part.

### Practising A1 speaking on Faust

The Faust speaking test runs in your browser. An examiner voice leads you through the three parts, and a second voice plays the other candidate who asks and answers with you. You can also choose "Without partner" and practise alone with the examiner.

Faust writes down what you said and marks it on the exam criteria, with a reason for every lost point. One scored online paper per part is free, and all PDFs are free. Faust is an independent practice platform.

After Übungssatz 01, try Übungssatz 02 and 03 of A1 Sprechen for new cards. They are linked below.

### Questions

**Is there preparation time in Goethe A1 speaking?**

No. You get the cards in the exam and answer at once. That is why it helps to know the six Teil 1 keywords and the request patterns by heart.

**How many people are in the A1 speaking group?**

At most four candidates, with two examiners.

**Can I practise A1 speaking without a partner?**

Yes. In the Faust speaking test a partner voice plays the other candidate, or you choose to practise alone. It starts without an account.

### Sources

- [Goethe-Institut: Durchführungsbestimmungen A1, Stand 1. September 2025](https://www.goethe.de/pro/relaunch/prf/de/Durchfuehrungsbestimmungen_A1_Start_Deutsch_1.pdf)