telc B1 Exam: Format, Points and Passing

What is the telc B1 exam?

telc Deutsch B1, also called „Zertifikat Deutsch“, is an exam by telc gGmbH for general German at level B1. It shows that you can communicate in everyday life. The Zertifikat Deutsch was developed jointly by telc, the Österreichisches Sprachdiplom (ÖSD, Austrian language diploma), the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EKD), represented by the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), and the Goethe-Institut.

The exam consists of a written and an oral exam. telc offers it in digital, hybrid and paper form. According to telc, you can download the official practice test with all tasks, answers and audio files free of charge: Übungstest telc Deutsch B1 (ZIP). All numbers on this page come from this practice test (2020 edition) and from the telc gGmbH website.

telc B1 is not the DTZ. The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (German test for immigrants) is the final exam of the integration course and has a different format. You will find the comparison further down and in detail in the guide Which B1 exam is right for me?.

What is the format of the telc B1 exam?

The written exam takes 150 minutes: first Leseverstehen (reading) and Sprachbausteine together in 90 minutes without a break, then Hörverstehen (listening, about 30 minutes) and finally the Schriftlicher Ausdruck (written expression, 30 minutes). You usually take the oral exam in pairs; it takes about 15 minutes, and before it you have 20 minutes of preparation time.

Together that is 300 points: 225 for the written exam (75 %) and 75 for the oral exam (25 %). Reading and listening count 25 % each, Sprachbausteine 10 % and the Schriftlicher Ausdruck 15 %. Dictionaries, mobile phones and other electronic devices are not allowed.

What comes up in Leseverstehen and Sprachbausteine?

Reading and Sprachbausteine together have 40 tasks in 90 minutes. You divide the time yourself. The three reading parts test global understanding, detailed understanding and selective understanding; the Sprachbausteine test grammar (Teil 1) and vocabulary (Teil 2). You enter all answers on the answer sheet S30.

Lesen Teil 1 – headings. Five short texts, ten headings; each heading fits at most once, five are left over. Our tip: sum up the main message of each text in one sentence. Many wrong headings take a word from the text but say something different – compare the message, not single words.

Lesen Teil 2 – longer text. A longer text (in the practice test a newspaper article) with five tasks (a, b or c). Our tip: the tasks usually follow the text. First read the beginning of the task sentence, mark the place in the text and then check every answer against the text, not against your general knowledge.

Lesen Teil 3 – adverts. Ten situations, twelve adverts; each advert fits only once. If there is no matching advert for a situation, you mark „x“. Our tip: look for two conditions in each situation (for example „draußen sitzen“ – sitting outside – and „heute“ – today) – an advert only fits if both are right.

Sprachbausteine Teil 1 – grammar. A letter with ten gaps and three options for each. It is often about prepositions, connectors, forms of articles and verbs. Our tip: read the whole sentence up to the verb at the end before you choose.

Sprachbausteine Teil 2 – vocabulary. A letter with ten gaps (in the practice test an enquiry to a guesthouse) and 15 words; each word fits only once, five are left over. Our tip: first decide what kind of word the gap needs (preposition, adverb, connector, verb) and cross out the words you have used.

How often do you hear the texts in Hörverstehen?

It depends on the part: you hear Teil 1 (five short texts) only once, Teil 2 (one conversation) twice and Teil 3 (five short texts) each text twice. All 20 tasks are true/false tasks. Before Teil 1 you have 30 seconds, before Teil 2 one minute to read the tasks. The recording runs without a break.

• Teil 1 – global understanding: five short statements, in the practice test by people on an everyday topic.
• Teil 2 – detailed understanding: a longer conversation, for example a radio interview, with ten statements.
• Teil 3 – selective understanding: short announcements, for example directions, a cinema programme, a weather report or a public announcement.

Our tip: use the reading time to mark the most important word in each statement – a number, a place, a word like „nur“ (only) or „nicht“ (not). You hear Teil 1 only once: decide straight away and move on to the next statement.

What is marked in the Schriftlicher Ausdruck?

In the Schriftlicher Ausdruck (written expression) you write one email in 30 minutes – informal or semi-formal, for example a reply to a friend. The task gives four Leitpunkte (guiding points) that you write something about. There is no choice between two tasks, and no fixed word count either. Think about the subject line, greeting, introduction, order of the points and closing.

The total is multiplied by three: 45 points at most. In criterion II there is no A if typical features of an email are missing, the register is wrong or keeps changing, the Leitpunkte stand next to each other without any link, or most sentences start with „Ich“ (I) or „Wir“ (we). If the text does not fit the task at all, you get D in all criteria.

How to structure an email at B1, with useful phrases and examples, is explained in Writing a letter at B1. For practice you can use the 85 Musterbriefe B1 (sample letters) – many are formal (for the DTZ), some are personal with „du“ (informal you) as at telc.

How does the oral exam work at telc B1?

Before the oral exam you get all task sheets and have 20 minutes of preparation time. You make notes only on stamped sheets; you may take them into the exam, but you should not read from them. Then you talk for about 15 minutes with your partner while two licensed examiners listen.

Each part is marked on four criteria: Ausdrucksfähigkeit (range of expression), Aufgabenbewältigung (task completion), Formale Richtigkeit (accuracy) and Aussprache und Intonation (pronunciation and intonation). Asking questions and helping each other are marked positively. In Teil 3 the examiner says: „Zum Schluss einigen Sie sich bitte darüber, was zu tun ist und wer welche Aufgabe übernimmt.“ (Finally, please agree on what needs to be done and who takes on which task.)

Our tip: talk to your partner, not to the examiners. Use the 20 minutes to note a suggestion for each point on the list for Teil 3 – but only key words, not full sentences.

How many points do you need to pass telc B1?

You pass if you reach at least 60 % in the written exam and at least 60 % in the oral exam: 135 of 225 points written and 45 of 75 points oral. There is no separate minimum for reading, listening or writing. If you pass, you get a certificate with a grade; otherwise you get a results sheet.

Repeating: if you failed or did not take only one of the two exams (written or oral), you can repeat that exam in the same or the following calendar year. Then only the result of the repeat counts. You can repeat the whole exam as often as you like.

Important: at telc B1 there is no A2 result. If you do not pass, you have no certificate – unlike the DTZ, where an A2 certificate is also possible.

What is the difference between telc B1 and the DTZ?

Both exams test German for everyday life, but they have different formats and you pass them in different ways. The DTZ is the final test of the integration course, with the result A2 or B1. telc B1 is a separate exam for one level, with Sprachbausteine and 300 points.

You can read more about the DTZ – procedure, points and tips for every reading part – in the guide DTZ B1 exam.

Which parts of telc B1 can I already practise on LexDeutsch?

To be honest: LexDeutsch does not have its own model test for telc B1 yet. Our B1 exercises follow the DTZ format. But some task types are the same or very similar, only with fewer tasks. You can already train these parts now – the first three tasks of every part are free and need no sign-up.

For Lesen Teil 1 and 2, Sprachbausteine Teil 2, Hörverstehen and the oral exam of telc B1, we do not have matching exercises yet. For these it is best to use the official practice test from telc.

telc B1 model test on LexDeutsch – in progress

We are building a separate section for telc Deutsch B1 in the official format: Leseverstehen Teil 1–3, Sprachbausteine Teil 1–2, Hörverstehen with our own listening texts, Schriftlicher Ausdruck and an exam simulation. We write all texts ourselves – they are not tasks from the exam. We cannot give a date yet.

Until then: practise the similar task types from the table above, do the official practice test under time pressure and revise the topics where you made mistakes. If you have not yet decided between telc B1 and the DTZ, the comparison of the B1 exams will help.