This work aims to discuss the competence and skill level requirements in German writing for High School students to obtain the Deutsches Sprachdiplom - DSD - (German Language Diploma). It consists of a bibliographic research based on the concept of communicative competence as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - CEFR (2001), a document which rules the elaboration and assessment criteria for the DSD examinations. Initially, this work presents a survey of the linguistic studies from the Classical Antiquity to the advent of the communicative competence concept. In this stage, the connections with some related areas were identified - Textual Linguistics, Sociolinguistics and Pragmatics. Next, the study shows the concept of competence as proposed by CEFR and within the Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais do Ensino Médio - 2000 - (High School National Curricular Parameters), a document which, in parallel with Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional - 1996 - (National Educational Bases and Guidelines Law), and with Orientações Curriculares para o Ensino Médio - 2006 - (High School Curricular Guidelines) serves as basis for the Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio - ENEM - (High School National Examination). In order to discuss the application of the proposed parameters to the writing skill assessment in German, this work selects the DSD essay writing tests - specifically for B1 proficiency level - and ENEM writing tests with their respective criteria for correction. Finally, this study proposes a joint work with the teaching of Portuguese at schools since the definition of communicative competence applies to both the mother tongue and the foreign languages.