Goethe B2 Schreiben Teil 2: A Clear Formal Message

Identify the recipient and the actions requested by the prompt, then write a concise, connected message with an appropriate greeting and closing. Explain the situation, make the required request or proposal and acknowledge the reader's perspective where asked. Do not turn Teil 2 into a forum essay.

The adult Goethe B2 model includes a forum contribution in Teil 1 and a message in Teil 2. The full writing module lasts 75 minutes. The cited Teil 2 instructions say circa 100 words and ask for a greeting and closing; they assess how the content points are handled, language accuracy and connections between sentences and paragraphs. Use the instructions in your exact task rather than borrowing telc B2's at-least-150-word rule.

This lesson focuses on developing a complete message. For the whole module, use the existing B2 format guide. For greeting choices alone, use the email-openings lesson. No phrase or paragraph pattern guarantees a score.

An instruction to explain a problem is not the same as an instruction to ask for understanding. Mark each requested action separately, then add one useful detail. A message can be polite and grammatically correct while still missing an action.

• Read who receives the message and what relationship the task supplies.
• Map explanation → request → acknowledgement → proposal when those actions are requested.
• Keep factual detail relevant to the scheduling problem.
• Choose a feasible alternative instead of asking the recipient to solve everything.

Goethi practice scenario: you cannot attend agreed training. Write to your manager, Frau Brandt. Explain why, ask for understanding, acknowledge the planning effort and suggest an alternative. These are original practice instructions, not a reproduced official examination task.

Sehr geehrte Frau Brandt, leider kann ich an der Fortbildung am Donnerstag nicht teilnehmen, da ich kurzfristig einen wichtigen Kundentermin übernehmen muss. Die zuständige Kollegin ist erkrankt, und der Termin lässt sich nicht verschieben. Ich bitte Sie um Verständnis für diese Situation. Mir ist bewusst, dass Sie die Fortbildung sorgfältig geplant haben und eine kurzfristige Änderung zusätzlichen Aufwand verursacht. Deshalb möchte ich vorschlagen, dass ich am nächsten verfügbaren Termin teilnehme. Bis dahin könnte ich die Unterlagen selbstständig durcharbeiten und offene Fragen sammeln. Wäre diese Lösung für Sie akzeptabel? Bitte teilen Sie mir mit, wie ich weiter vorgehen soll. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Mara Stein

• Explanation: the customer appointment gives a concrete reason; the colleague's absence explains why the conflict arose.
• Request: „Ich bitte Sie um Verständnis“ explicitly performs the required action. The explanation alone would not do so.
• Acknowledgement: the writer recognises the planning effort and additional work instead of only discussing personal inconvenience.
• Proposal: the next available date is combined with independent preparation. The final question invites a decision from the manager.

The greeting uses the supplied surname and formal address. The closing stays consistent. The model is intentionally concise: a long history of the course or a broad discussion of professional development would distract from these four actions.

• „Leider kann ich … nicht teilnehmen“ states the difficulty directly. Teilnehmen takes an + dative: an der Fortbildung.
• „… da ich … übernehmen muss“ gives a reason; the finite modal muss ends the subordinate clause.
• „Mir ist bewusst, dass …“ acknowledges a fact from the reader's perspective. Dass introduces a verb-final clause.
• „Deshalb möchte ich vorschlagen, dass …“ connects a proposed action to the preceding difficulty. Do not write „Deshalb ich möchte …“.
• „Wäre diese Lösung für Sie akzeptabel?“ uses Konjunktiv II for a polite question without weakening the proposal.

Useful nouns include Termin, Planungsaufwand, Unterlagen and Rückmeldung. Use them in meaningful combinations: einen Termin wahrnehmen, Unterlagen durcharbeiten, um Rückmeldung bitten. Avoid nominal phrases so long that the recipient cannot quickly find the requested action.

• Register mismatch: „Sehr geehrte Frau Brandt … Kannst du …?“ Keep Sie and Ihnen consistent.
• Missing acknowledgement: „Ich kann nicht kommen. Geben Sie mir einen anderen Termin.“ Add the required recognition of the planning effort and a proposal.
• Word-order error: „weil ich muss arbeiten.“ Correct: „weil ich arbeiten muss.“
• Wrong text type: a forum introduction about the importance of training does not address the manager's immediate decision.

• Does every requested action have an identifiable sentence?
• Have I addressed the correct person and kept the relationship consistent?
• Is the reason clear without unnecessary personal details?
• Is the proposal workable and the requested response clear?
• Have I retained greeting and closing and followed the task's circa-word guidance?
• Do finite verbs and pronoun references make the message easy to follow?

Practise again with a changed reason and a different solution. Keep the communication actions, but write a fresh message. Afterwards, use the full Goethe B2 samples to practise Teil 1 and Teil 2 together.