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Exam Review

Key Facts: Schleswig-Holstein ESA German Exam

135 min

Bearbeitungszeit for the ESA Deutsch written exam, covering Teile A-C together

Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Ziffer 6.8

15 min

Einlesezeit before the Bearbeitungszeit begins, during which answers may not yet be written

Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Ziffer 10.1

05.05.2026

Written ESA Deutsch exam date in the 2026 main session; Nachschreibtermin 19.05.2026

Erlass des MBWFK vom 14. November 2025 - III 334

3 Bereiche

Lesen and Sprache (Pflichtbereiche) plus Schreiben (one of two Schreibaufgaben chosen)

Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Ziffer 10.1

1-6 Noten

Grading scale, whole grades only, from 1 (sehr gut) to 6 (ungenügend)

Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Ziffer 7.2

Jahrgangsstufe 9

The grade level at which the ESA is normally taken in Schleswig-Holstein

za.schleswig-holstein.de — Erster allgemeinbildender Schulabschluss (ESA); Landesverordnung über Gemeinschaftsschulen (GemVO)

Free 100-question English-language MCQ study bank for the Schleswig-Holstein ESA (Erster allgemeinbildender Schulabschluss) Deutsch exam, mapped to Lesen (~35%), Sprache/grammar and spelling (~40%) and Schreiben/writing-task structure (~25%) per the Fachanforderungen Deutsch (2024) and the Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26. Official exam: German written paper, 135 min (+15 min Einlesezeit), written date 05.05.2026 (Nachschreibtermin 19.05.2026). This is a lower-secondary (Jahrgangsstufe 9) level, distinct from and less advanced than the MSA or Abitur. Not an official-format simulation; no fee for regular school candidates.

Sample Schleswig-Holstein ESA German Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Schleswig-Holstein ESA German exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Read the short passage: "Nach der Schule geht Lena sofort ins Schwimmbad, weil sie um 16 Uhr Training hat. Ihre Mutter bringt ihr die Sporttasche vorbei, weil Lena sie morgens vergessen hat." What does Lena's mother do in this passage?

A.She picks Lena up from swim training

B.She brings Lena's sports bag to the pool

C.She cancels Lena's swim training

D.She takes Lena to school

Explanation: The passage states directly that the mother drops off ("bringt vorbei") the sports bag because Lena forgot it that morning. This is a literal comprehension task: the answer is stated word-for-word in the text, which is the most basic Lesen skill tested at ESA level.

2Read the short passage: "Tim arbeitet samstags in der Bäckerei seines Onkels. Er verdient dort sein erstes eigenes Geld und spart es für ein neues Fahrrad." Why is Tim saving the money he earns?

A.To buy a new bicycle

B.To pay for a school trip

C.To help his uncle pay rent

D.To buy a birthday present

Explanation: The text states directly that Tim "spart es für ein neues Fahrrad" (saves it for a new bicycle). Locating this single stated fact and matching it to the correct option is a core literal-comprehension skill at ESA level.

3Read the short passage: "Weil es den ganzen Tag geregnet hat, verschieben die Lehrer das Sommerfest der Schule auf den kommenden Freitag." Why is the school's summer festival postponed?

A.Because of rain

B.Because of a teacher shortage

C.Because too few students registered

D.Because the gym is being renovated

Explanation: The passage gives a direct cause-and-effect statement: "weil es den ganzen Tag geregnet hat" (because it rained all day) leads to the festival being postponed. Recognizing a stated "weil" (because) clause is a basic literal-comprehension task at ESA level.

4Read the short passage: "Jonas schaut immer wieder auf die Uhr und rutscht unruhig auf seinem Stuhl hin und her, während der Lehrer die Ergebnisse der Mathearbeit austeilt." What can be inferred about Jonas from his behavior?

A.He is bored by the lesson

B.He is nervous about his grade

C.He wants to leave early to catch a bus

D.He already knows he has passed

Explanation: Repeatedly glancing at the clock and fidgeting while grades are being handed out are classic textual signals of anxious anticipation, not boredom. ESA Lesen tasks often ask readers to draw this kind of inference from described behavior rather than from a directly stated feeling.

5Read the short passage: "Als Paula ihrer Freundin von der Prüfung erzählt, spricht sie sehr schnell und lacht immer wieder, obwohl es dafür eigentlich keinen Grund gibt." What do Paula's fast speech and unexplained laughter most likely indicate?

A.She is relieved that the exam was cancelled

B.She is trying to hide her nervousness

C.She found the exam extremely easy

D.She is angry with her friend

Explanation: Speaking quickly and laughing "ohne Grund" (without an obvious reason) is a typical sign of masking nervous tension rather than genuine amusement. The word "obwohl" (although) signals that the laughter does not match a normal, relaxed reaction, pointing readers toward an inference rather than a literal statement.

6Read the short passage: "Herr Krause blättert zum dritten Mal durch dieselben Unterlagen und seufzt leise, bevor er den Elternabend eröffnet." What does Herr Krause's behavior suggest before the parents' evening begins?

A.He is well prepared and completely relaxed

B.He feels some tension about the meeting

C.He has forgotten the documents

D.He is looking forward to the meeting with excitement

Explanation: Flipping through the same papers a third time and sighing quietly are physical signs of tension or apprehension before an important event. Readers are expected to connect these small described actions to an underlying feeling rather than rely on a stated emotion.

7Read the short passage: "Ich packe meine Tasche und laufe die Treppe hinunter. Meine Schwester ruft mir noch etwas hinterher, aber ich höre es nicht mehr richtig." From which narrative perspective is this passage written?

A.Third-person narrator

B.First-person narrator (Ich-Erzähler)

C.Omniscient narrator

D.Second-person narrator

Explanation: The repeated use of "ich" (I) throughout the passage marks it as a first-person, Ich-Erzähler perspective. Identifying narrative perspective from pronoun use is a standard structural-feature task in ESA Lesen exercises.

8Read the short passage: "Marie öffnete die Tür und wusste sofort, dass etwas nicht stimmte. Ihr Bruder Ben saß still am Tisch und sah sie nicht an." Which narrative perspective is used here?

A.First-person (Ich-Erzähler)

B.Third-person (Er/Sie-Erzähler)

C.Second-person (Du-Erzähler)

D.Dialogue only, with no narrator

Explanation: The text refers to "Marie" and "ihr Bruder" using names and third-person pronouns rather than "ich", which marks a third-person narrator. This is the opposite structural pattern from an Ich-Erzähler passage, and ESA tasks often ask students to tell the two apart.

9Read the short passage: "Jetzt, zwei Jahre später, erinnert sich Felix noch genau an den Moment, als er damals zum ersten Mal die neue Schule betrat." What structural feature does this sentence introduce?

A.A flashback (Rückblick) to an earlier event

B.A description of the weather

C.Direct speech between two characters

D.The final ending of the story

Explanation: The phrase "jetzt, zwei Jahre später" combined with "erinnert sich...an den Moment, als er damals..." signals a shift back in time to an earlier event. Recognizing this kind of Rückblick is one of the structural features ESA Lesen tasks test alongside literal comprehension.

10Read the short passage: "Ob Anna sich am Ende für die neue Schule entscheidet oder doch bei ihren alten Freunden bleibt, bleibt am Ende der Geschichte offen." What kind of ending does this story have?

A.A closed ending (geschlossenes Ende)

B.An open ending (offenes Ende)

C.A flashback ending

D.A dialogue-only ending

Explanation: The narrator explicitly states that Anna's decision "bleibt offen" (remains open), which is the definition of an offenes Ende — the outcome is deliberately left unresolved for the reader. ESA-level Lesen tasks often ask students to name this structural feature directly.

About the Schleswig-Holstein ESA German Exam

The Schleswig-Holstein Erster allgemeinbildender Schulabschluss (ESA) Deutsch exam is the state's central Jahrgangsstufe-9 German assessment, administered by the MBWFK under the Landesverordnung über Gemeinschaftsschulen (GemVO) and the annual Durchführungsbestimmungen. It is a lower-secondary qualification level, sat earlier and at lower depth than the Mittlerer Schulabschluss (MSA, Jahrgangsstufe 10) or the gymnasiale-Oberstufe Abitur, and its content follows the Fachanforderungen Deutsch (2024) for Sekundarstufe I: basic literacy, reading comprehension of shorter literary and informational texts, core grammar (Wortarten, Satzglieder, Satzbau), spelling and punctuation, and functional writing such as a Stellungnahme or Brief, rather than the extended literary analysis and Erörterung expected at Abitur level. The official written exam is one Prüfungsheft with a Lesen and a Sprache Pflichtbereich plus a Schreiben Bereich in which the candidate answers one of two offered Schreibaufgaben, all handwritten in German with only a dictionary as an aid. This free bank of 100 original multiple-choice questions is an English-language study adaptation covering the same reading, grammar and writing-task skills, designed to build and check that ESA-level command. It is not a simulation of the official exam, which is answered with full German-language constructed responses rather than selected options.

Exam sponsor: Ministerium für Allgemeine und Berufliche Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur (MBWFK), Schleswig-Holstein, with task development by Fachkommissionen coordinated through the Institut für Qualitätsentwicklung an Schulen Schleswig-Holstein (IQSH). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Official written Erster allgemeinbildender Schulabschluss (ESA) examination in Deutsch, set centrally by the MBWFK for Jahrgangsstufe 9 alongside Mathematik and Englisch (1. Fremdsprache). Teil A Lesen tests Leseverständnis of a literary or informational text through closed, half-open and short constructed-response Pflichtaufgaben. Teil B Sprache tests grammar and language analysis — Wortarten, Satzglieder, Satzbau (Hauptsatz/Satzreihe/Satzgefüge), Zeitformen, Rechtschreibstrategien, Zeichensetzung, Wortbildung and simple Stilmittel — also as Pflichtaufgaben. Teil C Schreiben offers two Schreibaufgaben (for example a Stellungnahme or a Brief); the candidate chooses and answers one, using school-stamped paper, and only the higher-scoring attempt counts if both are answered. This 100-question bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation only — it does not reproduce the German-language constructed-response format.

Time Limit

135 minutes Bearbeitungszeit for Teile A-C together, preceded by a 15-minute Einlesezeit in which pupils may read but not yet answer (Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Ziffer 6.8 and Ziffer 10.1). In the 2026 main session the written ESA Deutsch exam is set for Tuesday, 5 May 2026, with a Nachschreibtermin on Tuesday, 19 May 2026 (Erlass des MBWFK vom 14. November 2025 - III 334).

Passing Score

Deutsch is graded on the 1-6 Notenskala (1 = sehr gut, 6 = ungenügend), whole grades only, with no plus/minus tendencies (Durchführungsbestimmungen 2025/26, Ziffer 7.2). The written Prüfungsnote combines with the teacher-assigned Vornote in a 2:1 ratio to form the subject Endnote. The ESA itself is awarded under the Landesverordnung über Gemeinschaftsschulen (GemVO) when, across all subjects at the ESA-Anforderungsebene, no Endnote is 'ungenügend' (6) and at most one is 'mangelhaft' (5), with every other subject 'ausreichend' (4) or better.

Exam / Certification Fees

No exam fee for regularly enrolled school candidates; the ESA is a compulsory-education school examination administered by the MBWFK. Nichtschüler-/Externenprüfungen follow separate state-administered arrangements, and no Deutsch-specific external fee is published in the sources reviewed.

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Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

Study emphasis ~35%

Lesen — Textverständnis

Locating stated information, inferring motivation and feelings, recognising narrative perspective and structural features, and identifying a text's Hauptaussage.

Study emphasis ~20%

Sprache — Wortarten, Satzglieder und Satzbau

Parts of speech, sentence parts (Subjekt, Prädikat, Objekte, adverbiale Bestimmungen), and sentence forms (Hauptsatz, Satzreihe, Satzgefüge, Relativsatz).

Study emphasis ~12%

Sprache — Rechtschreibung und Zeichensetzung

Rechtschreibstrategien, frequent error patterns (das/dass, Getrennt-/Zusammenschreibung), and comma rules for Satzreihen, Satzgefüge and direkte Rede.

Study emphasis ~8%

Sprache — Zeitformen, Wortbildung und Stilmittel

Tempusformen, word formation through Vor-/Nachsilben, and simple Stilmittel such as Vergleich, Metapher and Personifikation.

Study emphasis ~15%

Schreiben — Stellungnahme und Textsorten

Structuring an argumentative Stellungnahme and recognising the conventions of the personal Brief.

Study emphasis ~10%

Schreiben — Planung, Adressatenbezug und Überarbeitung

Planning a text, writing for a given Adressat and Aufgabe, and revising with the Wörterbuch.

Preparing for the Schleswig-Holstein ESA German Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Deutsch is graded on the 1-6 Notenskala (1 = sehr gut, 6 = ungenügend), whole grades only, with no plus/minus tendencies (Durchführungsbestimmungen 2025/26, Ziffer 7.2). The written Prüfungsnote combines with the teacher-assigned Vornote in a 2:1 ratio to form the subject Endnote. The ESA itself is awarded under the Landesverordnung über Gemeinschaftsschulen (GemVO) when, across all subjects at the ESA-Anforderungsebene, no Endnote is 'ungenügend' (6) and at most one is 'mangelhaft' (5), with every other subject 'ausreichend' (4) or better.
Assessment: Official written Erster allgemeinbildender Schulabschluss (ESA) examination in Deutsch, set centrally by the MBWFK for Jahrgangsstufe 9 alongside Mathematik and Englisch (1. Fremdsprache). Teil A Lesen tests Leseverständnis of a literary or informational text through closed, half-open and short constructed-response Pflichtaufgaben. Teil B Sprache tests grammar and language analysis — Wortarten, Satzglieder, Satzbau (Hauptsatz/Satzreihe/Satzgefüge), Zeitformen, Rechtschreibstrategien, Zeichensetzung, Wortbildung and simple Stilmittel — also as Pflichtaufgaben. Teil C Schreiben offers two Schreibaufgaben (for example a Stellungnahme or a Brief); the candidate chooses and answers one, using school-stamped paper, and only the higher-scoring attempt counts if both are answered. This 100-question bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation only — it does not reproduce the German-language constructed-response format.
Time limit: 135 minutes Bearbeitungszeit for Teile A-C together, preceded by a 15-minute Einlesezeit in which pupils may read but not yet answer (Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA 2025/26, Ziffer 6.8 and Ziffer 10.1). In the 2026 main session the written ESA Deutsch exam is set for Tuesday, 5 May 2026, with a Nachschreibtermin on Tuesday, 19 May 2026 (Erlass des MBWFK vom 14. November 2025 - III 334).
Exam / certification fees: No exam fee for regularly enrolled school candidates; the ESA is a compulsory-education school examination administered by the MBWFK. Nichtschüler-/Externenprüfungen follow separate state-administered arrangements, and no Deutsch-specific external fee is published in the sources reviewed. Official sources

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Schleswig-Holstein ESA German: Suggested Study Strategy

1Drill the core Satzglieder (Subjekt, Prädikat, Akkusativ-/Dativobjekt, adverbiale Bestimmungen) on short sentences until identification is automatic — Teil B tests this directly nearly every year.

2Practise the das/dass distinction and the comma rules for Satzreihen and Satzgefüge together, since Rechtschreibung and Zeichensetzung errors are among the most common Sprache mistakes at ESA level.

3Read short narrative excerpts and practise naming the Ich-Erzähler perspective, character motivation and structural features (Dialog, Rückblick, offenes Ende) with textual evidence, since Teil A rewards answers grounded in the text.

4Learn the Stellungnahme structure (einleitender Satz, mehrere begründete Standpunkte, zusammenfassender Schluss) cold, since Teil C gives only a choice between two Schreibaufgaben under time pressure.

5Review Wortarten and Zeitformen (Präsens, Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, Futur I) side by side, since both recur across Teil B every year in slightly different task formats.

6Rehearse the full 135 minutes with a 15-minute Einlesezeit beforehand so the real exam's pacing across Lesen, Sprache and Schreiben feels familiar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the official Schleswig-Holstein ESA Deutsch exam multiple-choice?

No. The official written paper is a German-language Prüfungsheft with closed, half-open and short constructed-response items in a Lesen and a Sprache Pflichtbereich, plus one chosen Schreibaufgabe in the Schreiben Bereich. This bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation for learning and checking the underlying reading, grammar and writing skills, not a simulation of the official format.

Why are the questions in English when the exam is in German?

This bank is a study aid for building command of the Fachanforderungen Deutsch (2024) content in English. German quotations, grammar terms and example sentences are preserved exactly where that is the tested skill, and explained in English so the underlying grammar and comprehension points stay clear.

What does the ESA Deutsch exam actually cover?

Per the Durchführungsbestimmungen ESA/MSA and the Fachanforderungen Deutsch (2024), the written exam covers Lesen (comprehension of a literary or informational text), Sprache (Wortarten, Satzglieder, Satzbau, Zeitformen, Rechtschreibung, Zeichensetzung, Wortbildung, simple Stilmittel), and Schreiben (one chosen Schreibaufgabe, such as a Stellungnahme or Brief).

How long is the exam and when is it held in 2026?

Bearbeitungszeit is 135 minutes, preceded by a 15-minute Einlesezeit in which pupils may read but not yet answer. The written ESA Deutsch exam in the 2026 main session is set for Tuesday, 5 May 2026, with a Nachschreibtermin on Tuesday, 19 May 2026 (Erlass des MBWFK vom 14. November 2025 - III 334).

Who takes the ESA, and how does it differ from the MSA or the Abitur?

The ESA is sat in Jahrgangsstufe 9, mainly at Gemeinschaftsschulen, and is a lower-secondary qualification level under the Fachanforderungen Deutsch (2024) — testing basic literacy, shorter-text comprehension and functional writing. It is distinct from and less advanced than the Mittlerer Schulabschluss (MSA, Jahrgangsstufe 10), which raises the same skills to a B1-oriented level, and from the gymnasiale-Oberstufe Zentralabitur, which adds extended literary analysis, Pflichtlektüren and Erörterung.

Is there an exam fee?

No. The ESA is a compulsory-education state school examination and regularly enrolled candidates pay no fee. Nichtschüler-/Externenprüfungen are handled under separate state-administered arrangements with no published Deutsch-specific fee in the sources reviewed.

What can candidates use during the exam?

Schools provide a Duden or other dictionary for every candidate; a student's own dictionary is allowed only if it contains no added entries. Students of non-German Herkunftssprache who meet the criteria in a separate MBWFK Ausgleichsmaßnahmen-Erlass may additionally use an issued Wortliste. No other aids or outside help are permitted.