Write the form the task names: Every Paper 1 task names a text type (die Textsorte) — a blog, an email, an article, a speech and so on — and you must write that form, not a generic essay. Text types fall into three families: personal texts (a blog, a diary, an email to a friend), professional texts (a formal letter, a report, a proposal) and mass-media texts (an article, a review, an interview, a speech, a leaflet). Each family has its own conventions (Merkmale) and typical register, and getting them right protects Criterion C.
- die Textsorte
- the text type — the form you must write
- persönliche Texte
- personal texts: die E-Mail, der Blog, das Tagebuch
- berufliche/formelle Texte
- professional texts: der formelle Brief, der Bericht, der Vorschlag
- Medientexte
- mass-media texts: der Artikel, die Rezension, das Interview, die Rede, die Broschüre
- die Merkmale / die Konventionen
- the conventions — the features that mark out each text type
- das Register
- the register — formal or informal, set by the type and reader
The form is named — use it: The text-type word is almost always printed in the prompt («Blog», «E-Mail», «Artikel», «Rede»…). Underline it first, then ask: what features does this form need? Writing the right form is the easiest way to bank Criterion C marks.
Each form has its features: Each text type has key conventions — the features the examiner expects to see — and a typical register. Learn the handful you're most likely to be asked for. The table below gives the must-haves for four common forms.
| Textsorte | Wichtige Merkmale | Typisches Register |
|---|---|---|
| Blog | Titel + Anrede an den Leser + Schlussgruß | halbformell |
| Formeller Brief | Sehr geehrte/r … + Sie + Mit freundlichen Grüßen | formell |
| Artikel | Überschrift + Zwischenüberschriften + Aufhänger | halbformell |
| Rede | Begrüßung des Publikums + rhetorische Fragen | je nach Publikum |
Features before sentences: Blog → Titel und Anrede an den Leser · Formeller Brief → Sehr geehrte/r … und Mit freundlichen Grüßen · Artikel → Überschrift und Aufhänger · Rede → Begrüßung des Publikums und rhetorische Fragen. Sketch the features before you write a single sentence — they're the backbone the examiner looks for.
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Find it, then serve it: Handling the text type is the same routine every time: find the form named in the prompt, recall its conventions, pick the register, and frame the answer with the right opening and closing. Do this before you develop any content.
Spot and serve the text type
1
Find the text-type word in the prompt
Underline the form the prompt names — «Blog», «E-Mail», «Artikel», «Rede». That word fixes everything that follows.
2
Recall its conventions
Bring to mind the features that form needs — title, greeting, headline, rhetorical questions — so you can include them.
3
Pick the register
Choose formal (Sie) or informal (du/ihr) based on the text type and its reader — a formal letter is Sie, a blog is semiformal.
4
Frame it (opening & closing)
Set up the opening (title or greeting) and the closing (sign-off or conclusion) before filling the body — the frame is what the examiner checks.
Find → Recall → Register → Frame
The frame protects Criterion C: Even a strong body scores poorly if the frame is missing — no title on a blog, no greeting on a letter. Set the opening and closing first: that frame is exactly what Criterion C rewards in the text type.
Identifying the type, worked through: Here's a real-style prompt taken through the moves — finding the text type and listing its must-have conventions before any writing. Tap Übersetzung anzeigen to see the English explanation, or 🔊 to hear the German.
IB-style task — die Textsorte und ihre Merkmale erkennen
Von der Aufgabe zu den Merkmalen der Textsorte
- Aufgabe: «Schreibe eine Rede, die du in der Schulversammlung über die Bedeutung des Recyclings hältst.»
- Textsorte = eine Rede. Das Schlüsselwort der Aufgabe ist «Rede».
- Pflichtmerkmale: eine Begrüßung des Publikums (Guten Morgen, liebe Mitschülerinnen und Mitschüler), rhetorische Fragen, um die Zuhörer einzubeziehen, und ein Schluss mit einem Aufruf zum Handeln.
- Register: je nach Publikum — hier ist es die Schule, also korrekt, aber nahbar, an die Zuhörer gerichtet («ihr / euch»).
- Schneller Plan: Begrüßung → warum Recycling wichtig ist → zwei konkrete Aktionen → ein letzter Aufruf zum Handeln.
Conventions are non-negotiable: Once you've named the text type, its conventions are non-negotiable — a speech needs a greeting and rhetorical questions, a blog needs a title and a sign-off. List them in your plan and tick them off as you write to secure Criterion C.
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Right form vs costly mistakes: Marks lost on text type rarely come from weak German — they come from writing a generic essay, missing the conventions, or using the wrong register for the form. Here's the contrast.
Die richtige Form
- Schreibe die Form, die die Aufgabe verlangt.
- Verwende die Merkmale der Textsorte.
- Setze eine Überschrift in einen Artikel, einen Titel in einen Blog.
- Passe das Register an die Textsorte an.
Typische Fehler
- Write a generic essay regardless of the named form.
- Miss the conventions — no title, no sign-off.
- Use the wrong register for the type (du in a formal letter).
- Mit dem Schreiben anfangen, ohne die Form zu rahmen.
A great essay can still score low: If the task asked for a blog and you wrote a polished essay, Criterion C drops — the examiner can't see the form. Name the text type out loud in your head, then give it the features expected. That alone protects those marks.