German exam preparation
German exam preparation, from GCSE to Goethe C2.
School examinations, the Goethe-Institut certificates, and the university-entry tests German institutions ask for. Different papers, different criteria, one plan built backwards from your date.
Which route are you on?
Certificates of level, and tests for a specific door.
German qualifications divide cleanly by purpose. One group certifies a CEFR level for general and professional use; another exists specifically to get you into a German-speaking university. Preparation is not interchangeable between them.
- Goethe-Zertifikat
- The Goethe-Institut's certificates, from A1 to C2. Sat at a fixed level, internationally recognised, and the default when someone asks for proof of German.
- telc
- An alternative family of standardised CEFR examinations, widely sat in Germany, including versions oriented towards work and towards particular professions.
- TestDaF and DSH
- University-entry examinations for degree study in German. TestDaF reports levels per skill; DSH is set by individual German universities. Which one your target university accepts is a question for the university.
The examinations
German examinations we prepare candidates for.
School and academic German
The school and academic route. Preparation is built around the board and specification the school actually follows, because the assessment objectives differ between them.
German is a smaller cohort subject in UK schools, which means fewer specialists and far fewer classmates to practise with. Individual preparation makes a disproportionate difference here.
- GCSE German
- AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas and others: four skills, translation both ways, and tier strategy taken seriously.
- IGCSE German
- Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel specifications and their speaking arrangements.
- AS and A-Level German
- Literature and film essays, translation, the independent research project and the oral — the components where German candidates most often plateau.
- IB German
- Language B at SL and HL and Language ab initio, including the individual oral.
Goethe-Zertifikat and telc
Level certificates for study, work and residence purposes, prepared for against their published criteria.
Which certificate and which level a German authority, employer or university accepts is set by them and changes. Confirm the requirement before you register.
- Goethe-Zertifikat A1 and A2
- Short and highly formatted papers, including versions designed for younger candidates.
- Goethe-Zertifikat B1
- Modular — the four modules can be sat and retaken separately, which changes how preparation is sequenced.
- Goethe-Zertifikat B2 and C1
- Argued writing, structured speaking tasks and dense listening at speed.
- Goethe-Zertifikat C2
- Long-horizon preparation with heavy production work.
- telc Deutsch
- Prepared for where an employer or authority names telc specifically.
University entry in German
For candidates intending to study a degree taught in German.
We prepare candidates for these examinations. Admissions requirements themselves are set by each university and must be confirmed with them.
- TestDaF
- Reports a level per skill rather than a single pass, so preparation targets the weakest module against the level your faculty requires.
- DSH
- Format and pass thresholds vary by institution; preparation works from the published past material of the specific university where it is available.
Preparation
What German exam preparation actually involves.
German rewards precision in a way few other language examinations do. Case, word order and register are marked visibly, and candidates who communicate confidently still lose marks by the handful on accuracy under time.
The specialist is matched from our network for that examination and that candidate, with a chemistry call before you commit, a review at week six, and oversight through to the exam date.
- Case and word-order accuracy under timed production
- Translation both ways, marked to the specification's criteria
- A-Level literature and film essay structure in German
- Modular Goethe preparation, sequenced by module
- Listening to authentic-speed German with note-taking technique
- TestDaF module practice against per-skill targets
Two ways to prepare
Private German preparation, or a small exam cohort.
One candidate, one paper, one date.
A German specialist matched from our network for your examination, a programme written around your actual gaps, and scheduling that fits around school or work.
From £89/hr
See the investmentGerman exam terms currently scheduled
Goethe B1 German preparation
Ten-week term, Mondays, online — Autumn 2026 and Winter 2027.
£950 for a ten-week term
See dates and reserveWho we prepare
Trusted by families, schools and organisations.
German candidates reach us from two directions: pupils in schools that expect a grade, and professionals whose next step depends on a certificate. Both are prepared by a specialist matched from our network.
Corporate clients
Professionals sitting German and English tests
Employees at these organisations have prepared with us for language tests, official diplomas and the requirements attached to a move abroad.
Partner schools
Pupils preparing for school examinations
Pupils at these schools have prepared with us for German language papers, against the board and specification their school actually follows.
Investment
What German exam preparation costs.
Private preparation is bought as hours, used at the pace the exam date demands. The more hours you commit to, the lower the effective hourly rate — and every plan carries the identical service.
Hours of private exam preparation, delivered online and typically used at one hour a week. All prices include VAT. Face-to-face lessons in London, intensive revision courses and additional hours are quoted individually.
Flexi
4 hours
Month to month
£105/hr£420 in total
Discovery
12 hours
Up to 3 months
£100/hr£1,197 in total
Momentum
24 hours
Up to 6 months
£95/hr£2,268 in total
Mastery
48 hours
Up to 12 months
£89/hr£4,284 in total
Every private plan, whichever you choose, includes
Bespoke programmes — not lesson bundles.
- Exam and board diagnostic
- Specialist matched for that qualification
- Chemistry call before you commit
- Programme dated to the exam
- Marked past-paper practice
- Monthly progress reports
- Week-six review
- Timed mocks in the run-in
£950 for a ten-week term
Per learner, 10 × 90-minute sessions — 15 teaching hours. Including VAT. Maximum six candidates, one exam objective, one level.
Before you book
German exam preparation — your questions, answered.
- Which German certificate should I take?
- Ask whoever is requiring it. Employers and residence routes usually name a Goethe level or telc; universities teaching in German usually name TestDaF or their own DSH. Once you have the published requirement, the preparation plan is straightforward.
- Can Goethe B1 be taken one module at a time?
- The B1 examination is modular, and modules can be sat and retaken separately. That changes preparation: we sequence the work module by module rather than treating the exam as one block.
- Our school offers German to very few pupils. Does that matter?
- It usually does. Smaller sets mean less speaking practice and fewer marked essays. One-to-one preparation restores the volume of marked production that a bigger cohort would generate naturally.
- Do you prepare for Austrian or Swiss requirements?
- We prepare candidates for the examination named in the requirement, including Goethe and telc certificates sat for Austrian or Swiss purposes. The requirement itself is set by the authority concerned and should be confirmed with them.
- Is there a group German exam course?
- A Goethe B1 term runs online. Other levels and GCSE or A-Level German groups run only if a cohort fills — register interest and we will tell you when one is scheduled.
Ready to work backwards from the exam date?
Schedule a chat with Maria.
Tell us which German examination, which board or level, and when it is sat. You will get an honest view of the gap and which specialist we would match you with.
Maria Toubbe
- 20 minutes
- A conversation, not a sales call.
- With Maria
- Our founder, every time — not a call centre.
- No obligation
- Advice you can use even if you never book.
20 min · video call · free
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