German C1.1: the words, the grammar and the mock exams

What C1 means

At C1 you understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognise what they imply. You express yourself fluently and spontaneously, without searching for words, and use the language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes.

These are the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which the Goethe-Zertifikat and telc exams follow. Each step's words and grammar are Sogda's selection for its level.

The 20 grammar topics of C1.1

• Textgrammatik: Kohäsion und Thema-Rhema
• Nominalstil ↔ Verbalstil bewusst steuern
• Erweiterte Partizipialattribute aktiv bilden
• Partizipialkonstruktionen und verkürzte Nebensätze
• Funktionsverbgefüge im Schriftdeutsch
• Passiversatzformen
• Konjunktiv I in längerer indirekter Rede
• Konjunktiv II: Distanz, Höflichkeit, irreale Vergleiche
• Modalpartikeln präzise
• Subjektive Modalität
• Genitiv im gehobenen Stil
• Präfixverben mit Bedeutungsnuancen
• Mehrfachunterordnung steuern
• Konnektoren der Schriftsprache
• Satzstellung zur Fokussierung
• Negation: Skopus und Teilnegation
• Vergleichs- und Proportionalsätze
• Konzessive und restriktive Konstruktionen
• Nominalisierung und Informationsverdichtung
• Verweisstrukturen

The 3 mock exams

Each mock exam for C1.1 has 40 questions and two tasks, 48 points in all, with a result for each section. Like the real exams, they test listening, writing and speaking, plus vocabulary and grammar; there's no reading-comprehension part. They're generated from the step's words and grammar, not official Goethe or telc papers.

• Vocabulary: 10 questions
• Reverse (from the meaning to German): 8 questions
• Articles: 6 questions
• Word forms: 4 questions
• Gap fill: 6 questions
• Grammar: 4 questions
• Listening: 2 questions
• Writing: a text of at least 200 words
• Speaking: up to 120 seconds

25 of the 403 words

A sample from step C1.1: each word with its article and forms where it has them, its meaning in English and a pronunciation guide. The app has all 403, with examples.

der Handlungsbedarf

need for action — /HANT-loongss-buh-darf/

rhetorisch

rhetorical — /ray-TOH-rish/

geradezu

downright / virtually — /guh-RAH-duh-tsoo/

seitens

on the part of — /ZAI-tenss/

tiefgreifend

profound / fundamental — /TEEF-grai-fent/

empirisch

empirical — /em-PEE-rish/

rechtsverbindlich

legally binding — /REHYTS-fair-bint-lihy/

förmlich

formal — /FURM-lihy/

offenlegen · legt offen · hat offengelegt

to disclose — /OF-fen-lay-gen/

gehoben

elevated (register) — /guh-HOH-ben/

überproportional

disproportionately — /EW-ber-pro-por-tsyo-nahl/

der Grundsatz · Grundsätze

principle — /GROONT-zats/

das Framing

framing — /FRAY-ming/

ringen um · ringt · hat gerungen

to struggle for / to wrestle with — /RING-en oom/

die Gewichtung · Gewichtungen

weighting — /guh-VIHY-toong/

dürfte

is likely to (assumption) — /DEWRF-tuh/

herleiten · leitet her · hat hergeleitet

to derive — /HAIR-lai-ten/

gravierend

serious / grave — /gra-VEE-rent/

das Erkenntnisinteresse · Erkenntnisinteressen

research interest / epistemic aim — /air-KENT-niss-in-tuh-res-suh/

die Vorgabe · Vorgaben

requirement / specification — /FOHR-gah-buh/

die Rechtsgrundlage · Rechtsgrundlagen

legal basis — /REHYTS-groont-lah-guh/

vorrangig

primary / with priority — /FOHR-rang-ihy/

differenzieren · differenziert · hat differenziert

to differentiate — /dif-fuh-ren-TSEE-ren/

entgegen

contrary to — /ent-GAY-gen/

erwirtschaften · erwirtschaftet · hat erwirtschaftet

to generate (economically) — /air-VEERT-shaf-ten/

Questions, answered.