telc B1 Reading (Lesen): Teil 1–3 with Strategy

How is reading at telc B1 structured?

The written exam starts with reading (Leseverstehen) and the Sprachbausteine. For both subtests together you have 90 minutes without a break, and you divide the time yourself. After that come listening (Hörverstehen) and writing (Schriftlicher Ausdruck). Dictionaries and mobile phones are not allowed; you enter your answers on the answer sheet (Antwortbogen) S30.

Reading counts for 25 % of the whole exam, the same as listening. In numbers, one task in Teil 1 and Teil 2 gives 5 points, one task in Teil 3 gives 2.5 points. There is no separate minimum score for reading: you pass the written exam with 135 of 225 points, which you collect from reading, Sprachbausteine, listening and writing together. The guide telc B1 exam explains all parts and grades.

How do I divide the 90 minutes between reading and Sprachbausteine?

The practice test (Übungstest) gives no time for the individual parts. A look at the points helps with planning: 20 reading tasks give 75 points, 20 gaps in the Sprachbausteine only 30. In numbers, one reading task gives 2.5 to 5 points, one gap in the Sprachbausteine only 1.5. Our tip is this plan:

Our tip: do not get stuck on one task. If after two minutes you are still choosing between two answers, mark both in the task booklet (Aufgabenheft) and move on. Do not wait until the last second to transfer your answers to the answer sheet: while you write, keep your finger on the number in the task booklet and compare it with the line on the answer sheet. Mark an answer even for tasks you are unsure about – an empty line gives nothing. How to finish the Sprachbausteine in 25 minutes is explained in the guide telc B1 Sprachbausteine.

telc B1 Lesen Teil 1: How do I find the right heading?

In Teil 1 you read five short texts, in the practice test short newspaper reports. For each text you choose one matching heading from ten. Each heading fits at most once, and five are left over. What counts is the main message of the whole text, not a single detail. In the practice test, some of the extra headings take a word or the topic of a text but say something different. Typical traps from our practice tasks:

• Word bait: the heading takes a word from the text („Kühlschrank“ – fridge, „Gebühr“ – fee) but tells a different story.
• Different time: the text reports on a festival last summer, the heading announces it for this year.
• Different people: place and topic are right, but the heading talks about parents, for example, and the text about children.
• The opposite: in the text prices go up, in the heading they go down, or a project ends instead of starting.
• Wrong size: „Neue Regeln für alle Schwimmbäder“ (new rules for all swimming pools) is too broad for a text about one single pool; a heading that only takes one example from the text is too narrow.

1. Cover the headings and first give the text your own title of five words at most.
2. Then look for the heading that says your title in other words.
3. Check: does the heading fit the whole text? Are the people, the time and the direction right?
4. If you are unsure, note two letters and solve the other texts first. At the end fewer headings are left.

Example (our own exercise): „Vor der Schule am Lindenplatz steht seit Montag ein ungewöhnlicher Bücherschrank: ein alter Kühlschrank, den die Klasse 8b bemalt und mit Regalbrettern ausgebaut hat. Wer ein Buch übrig hat, stellt es hinein; wer etwas lesen möchte, nimmt sich eins mit – ohne Ausweis und ohne Gebühr. Die Idee hatten die Schülerinnen und Schüler selbst.“ a) Bibliothek am Lindenplatz verlangt keine Gebühren mehr b) Jugendliche schaffen einen Ort zum Tauschen von Büchern c) Wohin mit dem alten Kühlschrank?

Answer: b. The main message is: pupils have built a place where you leave books and take them away. Heading b uses hardly any word from the text, but the meaning is right. Heading a takes „Lindenplatz“ and „Gebühr“, but the text is not about a library. Heading c asks how to get rid of an old appliance – that is not the topic either. You can practise this in telc B1 Lesen Teil 1.

telc B1 Lesen Teil 2: How do I answer the questions on the long text?

Teil 2 is a longer text, in the practice test a newspaper article, with five tasks. In the practice test each task starts with the beginning of a sentence, and you choose from a, b or c the ending that fits the text. This part is about details. Often all three answers sound possible; only one says exactly what the text says. Typical traps from our practice tasks:

• Number swapped: person and place are right, but the answer gives a different number, a different date or a different group.
• Plan becomes fact: in the text someone wanted to do something, was supposed to do it or would have liked to do it; the answer says it really happened.
• Knowledge instead of text: the answer sounds sensible and fits what you know about the topic – but it is not in the text.
• Signal word missed: „nur“ (only), „erst“ (not until), „kaum“ (hardly), „nicht mehr“ (no longer) change the meaning. The table in the next section shows the most important ones.

1. Read the beginning of the task sentence and mark the key word, for example a name, a number or a time.
2. Find the matching place in the text. Our tip: in the practice test the tasks follow the order of the text, so the place for task 8 is usually after the one for task 7.
3. Read this place completely, including the sentence before and after it.
4. Compare each answer word by word with the place: are the number and the person right? Has it already happened – or does the text only describe a plan?
5. Choose the answer that says what the text says in other words. Using the same words proves nothing.

Example (our own exercise): „Seit einem Jahr gibt es in der Nordstadt einen Leihladen. Mitglieder können dort Bohrmaschinen, Zelte oder ein Waffeleisen für ein paar Tage ausleihen. Die Mitgliedschaft kostet zwölf Euro im Jahr, Studierende zahlen die Hälfte. Eigentlich wollte der Verein auch Lastenräder verleihen, doch dafür fehlt bisher ein Raum.“ Im Leihladen kann man … a) gegen einen Jahresbeitrag Geräte leihen. b) seit einem Jahr auch Lastenräder bekommen. c) als Studentin kostenlos Mitglied werden.

Answer: a. „Die Mitgliedschaft kostet zwölf Euro im Jahr“ means „Jahresbeitrag“ (annual fee) in other words. Answer b turns a plan („wollte … doch dafür fehlt“ – wanted to … but there is no) into a fact and also takes „seit einem Jahr“ from the first sentence. Answer c turns „die Hälfte“ (half) into „kostenlos“ (no cost). You will find more texts with five questions in telc B1 Lesen Teil 2.

Which small words change the meaning?

In Teil 2 and Teil 3, small words that are easy to overlook can decide the answer. If you only pay attention to nouns while reading, you miss them. Mark these words in the text and in the answers – if they appear on only one side, the answer is suspicious.

„Nicht müssen“ is especially tricky: in German it means „not necessary“, not „forbidden“. Subjunctive forms (Konjunktiv) like „hätte“, „wäre“ and „würde“ are also misleading: they describe wishes, conditions or things that are only possible – nothing that really happened. Read the sentence to the end: the participle or the infinitive often comes only there, and only then do you see whether something happened, was only planned or would only be possible.

telc B1 Lesen Teil 3: How do I match ten situations to twelve adverts?

In Teil 3 you read ten short situations and twelve adverts (Anzeigen) a–l, for example for courses, restaurants, trips or services. For each situation you look for the matching advert. Each advert fits at most once. If no advert fits a situation, you mark „x“. In the practice test „x“ comes up more than once; the task does not give a fixed number.

Check each advert with these questions. An advert only fits if all the answers are right:

• Offer or request? Does the advert offer what the person needs – or is it looking for something itself, for example a tenant or a buyer?
• Day and time: do opening hours or dates fit „abends“ (in the evening), „am Wochenende“ (at the weekend) or „im August“?
• Who can take part? Age, membership, beginners or advanced learners.
• The same size? The offer must be as broad as the wish: someone looking for used furniture for a whole flat is not helped by a dealer in office chairs.
• Small print: our tip – read every advert to the end, restrictions are often in the last sentence.

1. Next to each situation, note two or three key words, for example „Holz + Samstag + Kind“ (wood + Saturday + child).
2. Then go through the adverts from a to l and tick only where all key words are met.
3. Enter safe pairs straight away and cross the advert out in the list.
4. For the open situations only a few adverts are left. If each of them fails on at least one question, „x“ is right.

Example (our own exercise): Situation 11: Sie möchten am Samstag mit Ihrer sechsjährigen Tochter zusammen etwas aus Holz bauen. Situation 12: Sie suchen eine Arbeit am Abend in einem Café oder Restaurant. Anzeige a: „Kinderwerkstatt Span – Vogelhäuser aus Holz bauen, samstags 10–12 Uhr, für Kinder ab 5 Jahren zusammen mit Mutter, Vater oder Oma.“ Anzeige b: „Café Linde sucht Aushilfe für den Frühstücksservice, Montag bis Freitag 6–10 Uhr.“ Anzeige c: „Töpfern für Erwachsene, mittwochs ab 19 Uhr, ohne Vorkenntnisse.“

Answer: 11 = a, 12 = x. Advert a meets all conditions: wood, Saturday, child aged 5 or older, adults build too. Advert b has the right topic but the wrong time – in the morning instead of the evening. Advert c fits no situation: a pottery course on Wednesday evening for adults – no wood, no Saturday and no job either. You will find more tasks with ten situations in telc B1 Lesen Teil 3. If you want to practise a shorter format first: DTZ Lesen Teil 2 has five situations and eight adverts, with tips in the guide DTZ Lesen B1.

How do I practise telc B1 reading with LexDeutsch?

LexDeutsch has its own versions in the telc format for each reading part: 45 for Teil 1, 42 for Teil 2 and 40 for Teil 3. LexDeutsch writes all texts itself; they are not tasks from the exam. After „Prüfen“ (check) you see which answers are right, and you can translate the texts if needed. The first three versions of each Teil are free and need no sign-up; more versions are part of VIP access.

1. In each part, do the first three versions (the free ones) with a clock: Teil 1 in 15 minutes, Teil 2 and Teil 3 in 20 minutes each.
2. For every mistake, write down the reason: same word, half-truth, small word, wrong direction or lack of time.
3. Then practise the part with the most mistakes, one version a day.
4. After each version, say the main message of each text out loud in one sentence. This trains exactly what Teil 1 tests: the main message.
5. Once a week, do reading and Sprachbausteine together in 90 minutes.

For the real thing there is the telc B1 exam simulation with a clock for each block; it is part of VIP. How to score the official practice test is explained in the guide telc B1 model test. telc gGmbH offers the Übungstest telc Deutsch B1 (ZIP) as a download free of charge.