B2.1 · 31 of 37
Schreiben: Stellungnahme
Lesson · 3 rules · about 5 min
Argue a case in written German, and find out whether it holds together.
- 1Position first, not last
- 2Concede, then answer
- 3Every connector is a claim
Why this matters
A Stellungnahme has four parts: a position, reasons for it, an honest look at the other side, and a conclusion. Write 600 to 1300 characters. The part most people skip is the objection, and it is the part that earns the marks: naming the strongest thing the other side says, and answering it, is what separates an argument from an opinion. Watch your connectors too. Each one claims a relation between two sentences, and the correction will check whether that relation is really there.
Rule · 1 of 3
Position first, not last
German argumentative writing puts the thesis at the top. The reader should know where you stand by the second sentence; everything after that is support. Saving it for the end reads as indecision.
- Meines Erachtens sollten Innenstädte weitgehend autofrei werden. In my view city centres should become largely car-free.
- Dafür spricht vor allem, dass der Platz anders dringender gebraucht wird. The main thing in its favour is that the space is needed more urgently elsewhere.
Quick check
Where does the position belong in a Stellungnahme?
Rule · 2 of 3
Concede, then answer
An objection you name yourself is worth more than two more arguments of your own. State it in the other side’s words with zwar, gewiss or sicherlich, then turn it with allerdings, dennoch or jedoch. Turning it is the step people forget.
- Zwar trifft es zu, dass der Einzelhandel kurzfristig Umsatz verliert. It is true that retailers lose turnover in the short term.
- Allerdings zeigen Erfahrungen aus Kopenhagen, dass die Frequenz nach zwei Jahren steigt. However, experience from Copenhagen shows footfall rises after two years.
A concession with no turn reads as agreement with the other side.
Quick check
Zwar ist die Umstellung teuer, rechnet sie sich langfristig.
Memory trick · 3 of 3
Every connector is a claim
folglich claims a consequence, zudem claims another point of the same kind, dennoch claims a contrast that survives. Put the wrong one in and the argument reads as broken even though every sentence is correct.
- Der Lärm sinkt; folglich steigt die Aufenthaltsqualität. Noise falls; consequently the quality of the space rises.
- Die Luft wird besser. Zudem sinkt die Zahl der Unfälle. The air gets better. In addition, accidents fall.
Quick check
Die Mieten steigen. ziehen viele Familien weg.
Listen
Play it, then pick what you heard.
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Cheat sheet
What to take with you
- Position first, not last
- Concede, then answer
- Every connector is a claim
How to remember it
- Thesis in the first two sentences, then the support.
- Two arguments, each with a reason and an example or a figure.
- Zwar …, allerdings …: concede, then turn. The turn is the point.
- Every connector claims a relation; make sure it is the real one.
A written Stellungnahme is the core writing task of the B2 certificate, and the shape of every opinion piece in a German newspaper.
Take a position in writing on this question: should cities make their centres car-free? Say where you stand, give two arguments with evidence or an example, deal with one objection, and close with what follows from it.
- state your position in the first two sentences, not at the end
- give two arguments, each with a reason and an example (a figure only if you actually know one)
- name one objection fairly and answer it
- join the argument with adverbial connectors: zudem, allerdings, folglich, dennoch
- close with a conclusion that follows from what you wrote
0 of 600 characters — keep going 0 words
2 Copy the correction request
This carries your own text. Paste it into your AI assistant and it will correct what you wrote, then give you a score and a short list of fixes.
3 Open your assistant
Copy the request first (one step back), then paste it into your assistant.
4 Bring the correction back
Paste the whole report. The SCORE= line is read
automatically, and the fixes are saved as your next things to work on.
Report a problem
Exercise
Schreiben: Stellungnahme · B2.1
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