In Lesen und Schreiben, you do not write your own complaint. You respond professionally to a customer on behalf of a company. This article explains the best order of work, the letter structure, useful German phrases and a complete new example.
In the Lesen und Schreiben task of the DTB B2 Beruf exam, you are not simply given a topic for a business letter. You first need to read a customer complaint and an internal message from the team leader, understand the problem and then prepare a formal reply on behalf of the company.
The combination of reading and writing is what makes this task demanding. Even strong German skills do not guarantee a good result if you overlook one of the team leader’s instructions, invent compensation that was not authorised or fail to offer a specific solution.
This article explains how to use the available 20 minutes, which information belongs in your response, how to organise the letter on the answer sheet and which German phrases help you write efficiently without sounding as though you memorised a fixed text.
You normally take the role of an employee handling an unhappy customer’s complaint. The task provides two sources of information:
the customer’s complaint describing the problem;
an internal email from the team leader containing instructions for the response.
The process can be summarised as follows:
The customer explains what happened.
The team leader clarifies the company’s position.
Your manager tells you what to explain, offer or request.
You write a formal response to the customer.
Suitable German descriptions of the task include:
auf eine Kundenbeschwerde antworten;
eine Beschwerde beantworten;
auf eine Beschwerde reagieren.
You are not writing a complaint yourself. You represent the company and must offer a solution within the limits of the instructions you received.
You need both texts, but they serve different purposes.
The complaint tells you:
which product or service caused the complaint;
when and under what circumstances the problem occurred;
what exactly the customer is unhappy about;
what the customer expects from the company.
The team leader’s message determines:
what you need to apologise for;
which reason you are permitted to give;
what solution the company is offering;
which information you need to request from the customer;
whether the customer must confirm a date or another proposal;
whether any compensation has been approved.
Your reply should primarily follow the team leader’s instructions. For example, the customer may demand a full refund, while the team leader tells you to send a replacement and propose a new delivery date. In that situation, you must not promise a refund on your own initiative.
Time is limited in the Lesen und Schreiben module, so it is useful to follow a routine you have already practised.
One practical approach is:
Immediately identify the verbs that describe the required actions:
entschuldigen — Grund erklären — neuen Termin anbieten — Bestätigung erbitten
Mark the customer’s name, order number, date, type of problem and any other details that may be needed in the response.
Do not write a complete draft. Short prompts are enough:
Entschuldigung — Personalausfall — Termin Donnerstag — bestätigen — Abschluss
Use the space carefully and do not turn the introduction into a separate essay.
At the end, compare your letter with every instruction from the team leader. Then check the salutation, word order, proposed solution and closing.
The exact number of minutes required for each step depends on your writing speed. However, checking the content should not be postponed in the hope that you may have some time left at the end.
The letter can be organised into four clear sections.
The opening should show that the company has received the message and is taking the customer’s concern seriously.
If the surname is provided:
Sehr geehrte Frau Neumann,
Sehr geehrter Herr Becker,
If no specific recipient is named:
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
The salutation is followed by a comma, and the next sentence begins with a lower-case letter:
Sehr geehrte Frau Neumann,
vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht.
Useful phrases for a short introduction include:
Vielen Dank, dass Sie uns über den Vorfall informiert haben.
Wir bedauern sehr, dass es bei unserem Service zu Problemen gekommen ist.
Für die entstandenen Unannehmlichkeiten möchten wir uns bei Ihnen entschuldigen.
You do not need to use all these phrases at once. A brief acknowledgement and one appropriate apology are normally enough.
If the team leader asks you to explain the situation, state the reason calmly and professionally:
Bei der Prüfung des Vorgangs haben wir festgestellt, dass …
Der Grund für die Verzögerung war ein kurzfristiger Personalausfall.
Aufgrund einer technischen Störung konnte Ihre Buchung nicht korrekt verarbeitet werden.
Bei der Erstellung der Rechnung ist uns leider ein Fehler unterlaufen.
Die fehlende Lieferung ist auf eine falsche Zuordnung im Lager zurückzuführen.
Avoid emotional excuses and do not blame colleagues, suppliers or the customer. Use only the information provided in the task or a neutral professional explanation that matches your instructions.
This section shows that the company is actually responding to the complaint.
The following is too vague:
Wir kümmern uns um das Problem.
Specific statements are much stronger:
Wir senden Ihnen die fehlenden Artikel noch heute per Expressversand zu.
Die korrigierte Rechnung erhalten Sie spätestens morgen per E-Mail.
Unser Kundendienst kann das Gerät am Donnerstag zwischen 10 und 12 Uhr überprüfen.
Wir haben bereits eine kostenlose Ersatzlieferung veranlasst.
Der zu viel berechnete Betrag wird innerhalb der nächsten Tage zurückerstattet.
If you need additional information from the customer, make the request clear:
Bitte teilen Sie uns Ihre Auftragsnummer mit.
Könnten Sie uns zwei Fotos der beschädigten Verpackung zusenden?
Bitte bestätigen Sie kurz, ob der vorgeschlagene Termin für Sie möglich ist.
Für die Bearbeitung benötigen wir noch eine Kopie der Rechnung.
The final section can consist of one or two sentences:
Wir hoffen, dass wir die Angelegenheit damit schnell klären können.
Für Rückfragen stehen wir Ihnen selbstverständlich gerne zur Verfügung.
Bitte lassen Sie uns wissen, ob Sie mit diesem Vorschlag einverstanden sind.
Finish the letter with the standard closing:
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Vorname Nachname]
There is no full stop after Mit freundlichen Grüßen.
Yes. Dividing a business letter into meaningful paragraphs is allowed and helpful. It enables the examiner to see the explanation, solution and request to the customer more easily.
However, you should not leave large blank spaces on the answer sheet. A practical structure is:
salutation and apology;
cause;
solution and request;
closing.
Start each new section on a new line, but do not leave an empty line after every sentence. This keeps the response clear while ensuring that it fits into the available space.
The official S30 answer sheet provides limited space, but aiming for a fixed number of lines is not useful. The length depends on your handwriting, word length and sentence structure.
It is more important that your letter:
fits entirely inside the designated area;
remains easy to read;
covers every instruction from the team leader;
has a logical ending.
Do not try to save space by using extremely small handwriting. It is better to remove repeated apologies or unnecessarily long introductory phrases.
A template helps you begin quickly, but every section must be adapted to the specific task.
Sehr geehrte Frau / Sehr geehrter Herr [Name],
vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht. Wir bedauern sehr, dass es bei [Produkt / Termin / Dienstleistung] zu Problemen gekommen ist. Bitte entschuldigen Sie die entstandenen Unannehmlichkeiten.
Bei der Prüfung des Vorgangs haben wir festgestellt, dass [Grund aus der Aufgabe]. Um die Angelegenheit schnell zu klären, werden wir [konkrete Maßnahme].
Bitte [notwendige Information oder Handlung des Kunden]. Teilen Sie uns bitte mit, ob [Termin / Lösung] für Sie passend ist.
Wir hoffen, dass wir Ihr Anliegen damit zu Ihrer Zufriedenheit lösen können. Für weitere Fragen stehen wir Ihnen gerne zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
****[Vorname Nachname]**
If the task does not require you to arrange a date or request additional information, remove the relevant sentence. The template is flexible because you can select the appropriate building blocks, not because every line must always be included.
Mr Becker complains that a member of the service team did not arrive at the agreed time to repair his coffee machine. He waited at home for several hours and received no warning.
The team leader instructs you to:
apologise for the missed appointment;
explain that the technician became ill unexpectedly;
offer a new appointment on Thursday between 10:00 and 12:00;
ask the customer to confirm the time.
Sehr geehrter Herr Becker,
vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht. Wir bedauern sehr, dass unser Servicetechniker den vereinbarten Termin nicht wahrgenommen hat und Sie darüber nicht rechtzeitig informiert wurden. Bitte entschuldigen Sie die entstandenen Unannehmlichkeiten.
Der zuständige Mitarbeiter ist am Morgen des Termins unerwartet erkrankt. Aus diesem Grund konnte er den geplanten Einsatz leider nicht übernehmen.
Als neuen Termin können wir Ihnen Donnerstag zwischen 10 und 12 Uhr anbieten. Unser Techniker wird die Kaffeemaschine vor Ort überprüfen und die notwendigen Reparaturen durchführen.
Bitte teilen Sie uns kurz mit, ob dieser Termin für Sie passend ist. Für weitere Fragen stehen wir Ihnen gerne zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
**Olga Michalchuk
The response fulfils all four instructions: it includes an apology, an explanation, a precise time for the new visit and a request for confirmation. It does not add a discount or any other promise that was not included in the internal instructions.
A discount, refund or gift is not an automatic part of every complaint response. You are writing on behalf of a company and may not make financial decisions without authorisation.
Offer compensation only when it is stated in the team leader’s instructions:
Als Entschädigung erhalten Sie einen Preisnachlass von 15 Prozent.
Selbstverständlich erstatten wir Ihnen die zusätzlich entstandenen Kosten.
Für Ihre nächste Bestellung stellen wir Ihnen einen Gutschein zur Verfügung.
If the company offers only a new visit, a replacement or a corrected invoice, that is the only remedy that should appear in the letter.
Memorising one complete letter is risky because the facts and instructions change from task to task. It is more useful to prepare several language blocks:
a brief acknowledgement;
a formal apology;
an explanation of the cause;
a specific solution;
a request for additional information;
a request for confirmation;
compensation, if authorised;
the closing of the letter.
This approach means that you do not reproduce somebody else’s model text in the exam. Instead, you combine familiar structures to create an appropriate response.
Practice sheets or exam materials may contain the fields An, Cc and Betreff. Follow the organisational instructions given by the examination supervisor before the task begins.
The subject line should be short and clear:
Ihre Beschwerde vom 8. Juni
Neuer Termin für die Reparatur
Fehlende Artikel Ihrer Bestellung
Korrektur der Rechnung
Beschädigte Lieferung
Do not waste time creating a long subject line or complicated email addresses unless the answer sheet specifically requires them.
According to the BAMF organisational instructions, the S30 answer sheet is completed in pencil. An incorrect entry can be carefully erased and corrected.
It is useful to take the following items to the exam:
two working pencils;
an eraser that does not smudge the graphite;
a pencil sharpener.
Your final answer must appear in the designated area of the official answer sheet. A response that remains only in the Aufgabenheft or on draft paper is not considered to have been transferred to the Antwortbogen.
You are writing as an employee of the company, not as an unhappy customer.
The complaint describes the problem, but the team leader determines what the response must contain.
Even a brief request for photographs or confirmation of a date is part of the communicative task.
The customer needs more than expressions of regret. They also need a clear solution.
Phrases about a delivery will not fit a situation involving an incorrect invoice or a missed service appointment.
Do not add compensation simply because you have learnt a good phrase for it.
Instead of “Wir kümmern uns darum”, state a specific action, deadline or date.
An unsuitable opening would be:
Hallo Herr Becker, das tut uns echt leid.
A formal alternative is:
Sehr geehrter Herr Becker, wir bedauern die entstandenen Unannehmlichkeiten sehr.
Very small handwriting and an incomplete ending make even strong content difficult to assess.
After dass, weil, ob and damit, the conjugated part of the verb generally appears at the end of the subordinate clause:
Wir bedauern, dass der Termin nicht eingehalten werden konnte.
Bitte teilen Sie uns mit, ob der neue Termin für Sie passend ist.
Wir kontrollieren künftig alle Aufträge zusätzlich, damit sich ein solcher Fehler nicht wiederholt.
Your practice should reproduce not only the topic but also the exam conditions.
Choose a task containing a customer complaint and a message from the team leader.
Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Mark all the manager’s instructions first.
Find the relevant facts in the complaint.
Create a short plan using keywords.
Write your response inside an area similar in size to the official answer field.
Compare every sentence with your plan.
Check the grammar and readability.
Vary the situations you practise: a delayed delivery, damaged goods, an incorrect invoice, poor cleaning, defective equipment, a missing confirmation, a missed appointment or an incomplete order.
Writing eight different letters with one clear structure is more useful than repeatedly copying the same model response.
Before finishing, check:
Does the salutation match the customer’s name?
Is it clear which problem you are responding to?
Does the letter contain a polite apology?
Have you completed every instruction from the team leader?
Have you stated the required cause?
Have you offered a specific solution?
Have you requested the necessary information or confirmation?
Have you avoided adding an unauthorised discount?
Is the style formal?
Does the letter include a closing and signature?
Does the entire response fit into the designated area?
Is the handwriting easy to read?
A strong response to a complaint in DTB B2 Beruf is neither the longest possible letter nor a collection of highly complex phrases. A successful answer shows that you understood the situation, followed the company’s internal instructions and gave the customer a clear next step.
Analyse the team leader’s message first, then find the relevant facts in the customer’s complaint and only then begin writing. Use a short introduction, a neutral explanation, a specific solution and a polite closing. This sequence saves time and prevents you from overlooking important points.
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