telc B1 Sprechen: Teil 1–3 – Format, Topics, Redemittel

How does the telc B1 oral exam work?

The oral exam is a separate part of the exam alongside the written exam. You normally take it in pairs with another candidate. Two examiners are in the room; one of them leads the conversation. If you register on your own, you can take an individual exam; then an examiner takes the role of your partner.

The speaking time is about 15 minutes in total. The oral exam counts for 75 of 300 points, which is 25 %. You pass it with at least 45 points. For the certificate you also need at least 135 of 225 points in the written exam. If you failed only the oral exam, you can retake it on its own in the same or the following calendar year.

How is the oral exam marked?

Each of the three parts is marked on its own, using the same four criteria. Teil 1 is shorter and brings fewer points.

Teil 2 and Teil 3 together bring 60 of the 75 points. So if you were unsure in Teil 1, you can still make up for it later. Aussprache und Intonation is the smallest criterion (3 or 6 points); most points are given for Ausdrucksfähigkeit, Aufgabenbewältigung and Formale Richtigkeit.

Our tip: read the four criteria as questions to yourself. Did I speak enough and with variety? Did I do what the task asks – report, ask back, plan? Are my sentences understandable, even if not every one is free of mistakes? Can people understand me easily?

How do you use the 20 minutes of preparation?

During the preparation you get the task sheets. You make notes only on the stamped sheets you are given for this, not on the task sheets. You may take the notes into the exam, but you should not read from them.

Our tip for dividing up the time:

Write your key words so big and clear that a quick glance is enough. An example for Teil 2: „Blatt: Jana – fast alles mit Karte/Handy, schnell / ich: meistens Karte, aber Markt nur bar / Frage an Partner: Und du?“ ("Sheet: Jana – almost everything by card/phone, fast / me: mostly card, but market only cash / question to partner: And you?")

Teil 1: What do you say and ask when getting to know each other?

Teil 1 is called „Einander kennenlernen“ (getting to know each other) and takes about 3 minutes. You tell your partner something about yourself and ask them questions, and they do the same. It is a conversation, not a talk: if you only speak about yourself, you only do half of the task. Our tip: prepare for everyday topics, for example where you come from and where you live, family, work or training, learning German, free time and plans.

Answer in two or three sentences instead of one word, and then pass the question back. That way a conversation develops, and you show more than simple sentences.

Our own example (extract).

• Teresa: „Hallo, ich bin Teresa. Ich komme aus Portugal und lebe jetzt seit zwei Jahren in Mainz. Und du?“ ("Hello, I'm Teresa. I come from Portugal and have been living in Mainz for two years now. And you?")
• Farid: „Ich heiße Farid und komme aus Afghanistan. Ich wohne in Wiesbaden, also gar nicht weit von dir. Was machst du in Mainz?“ ("My name is Farid and I come from Afghanistan. I live in Wiesbaden, so not far from you at all. What do you do in Mainz?")
• Teresa: „Ich arbeite in einem Hotel an der Rezeption. Die Arbeit gefällt mir, weil ich viele Sprachen sprechen kann. Nur die Nachtschichten sind anstrengend. Arbeitest du auch?“ ("I work at the reception of a hotel. I like the job because I can speak lots of languages. Only the night shifts are tiring. Do you work too?")
• Farid: „Im Moment mache ich ein Praktikum in einer Autowerkstatt. Wenn alles klappt, kann ich dort im Herbst eine Ausbildung anfangen.“ ("At the moment I am doing an internship at a car repair shop. If everything works out, I can start an apprenticeship there in the autumn.")
• Teresa: „Toll! Wie hast du das Praktikum gefunden?“ ("Great! How did you find the internship?")

Teil 2: How do you talk about a topic?

Teil 2 is called „Über ein Thema sprechen“ (talking about a topic) and takes about 6 minutes. You and your partner have different sheets on the same topic; each one shows a different, often opposite opinion. First you tell each other what is on your sheet. Then you exchange views: how do you see it yourself, and what experiences have you had with it?

1. Report: give the opinion on your sheet in your own words, in two or three sentences. Do not read it out.
2. Your own opinion: say what you think and give a reason with „weil“ or „denn“ (because).
3. Experience: give a concrete example from your life or from your home country.
4. Exchange: ask for your partner's opinion and react to it – agree, disagree, ask back.

Our tip: Teil 2 is not a debate that someone has to win. Your own opinion does not have to be the same as the one on your sheet. What matters is that both of you speak, respond to each other and give reasons for your own view. It gets difficult when someone reads from the sheet, talks alone for a long time without asking the partner anything, or just states an opinion without giving a reason.

Our own example. Topic: „Bar oder mit Karte bezahlen?“ ("Pay in cash or by card?") On sheet A, Jana (29) says that she pays for almost everything by card or phone because it is quick. On sheet B, Herr Brandt (63) says that he prefers cash because that way he keeps better control of his spending.

• A: „Auf meinem Blatt erzählt eine junge Frau, Jana, dass sie fast nie Bargeld dabeihat. Sie bezahlt mit Karte oder mit dem Handy, weil das schneller geht und sie kein Kleingeld suchen muss. Und was steht auf deinem Blatt?“ ("On my sheet a young woman, Jana, says that she almost never has cash on her. She pays by card or phone because it is quicker and she doesn't have to look for coins. And what is on your sheet?")
• B: „Auf meinem Blatt ist es genau umgekehrt. Ein älterer Mann, Herr Brandt, bezahlt lieber bar. Er sagt, mit Bargeld sieht er sofort, wie viel Geld er noch hat. Ehrlich gesagt verstehe ich ihn gut.“ ("On my sheet it's exactly the other way round. An older man, Mr Brandt, prefers to pay cash. He says that with cash he can see at once how much money he has left. To be honest, I understand him well.")
• A: „Warum? Bezahlst du auch lieber bar?“ ("Why? Do you prefer paying cash too?")
• B: „Ja, meistens. In meinem Heimatland bezahlen viele Leute bar, und ich habe mich daran gewöhnt. Außerdem kann man auf dem Wochenmarkt oft gar nicht mit Karte bezahlen.“ ("Yes, mostly. In my home country many people pay cash, and I got used to it. Besides, at the weekly market you often can't pay by card at all.")
• A: „Das stimmt, auf dem Markt nehme ich auch Bargeld mit. Aber im Supermarkt finde ich die Karte viel praktischer. Wenn ich meine Ausgaben kontrollieren will, schaue ich in die App meiner Bank.“ ("That's true, I take cash to the market too. But in the supermarket I find the card much more practical. When I want to check my spending, I look at my bank's app.")

Teil 3: How do you plan something together?

Teil 3 is called „Gemeinsam etwas planen“ (planning something together) and takes about 6 minutes. Your task: you are to organise something together, for example a party. The sheet lists points you should discuss, such as „Wann?“ (When?) and „Wo?“ (Where?). The examiner's instruction says: „Zum Schluss einigen Sie sich bitte darüber, was zu tun ist und wer welche Aufgabe übernimmt.“ ("At the end, please agree on what needs to be done and who takes on which task.")

1. Opening: briefly state the goal („Wir wollen also … organisieren.“ – "So we want to organise …") and start with the first point.
2. Suggestion and reaction: make suggestions and react to your partner's suggestions: accept them, or make a counter-suggestion with a reason.
3. All points: go through the list one by one and bring in your own ideas too.
4. Agreement: at the end, sum up what you have decided and who does what.

Our tip: a „Nein“ (no) on its own slows the conversation down. If you turn something down, give a reason and an alternative straight away. And do not decide everything alone: ask your partner for their opinion on every point.

Our own example. Task: you want to organise a clothes swap in your German course. Points: When? Where? How will the others find out about it? What happens to the clothes that are left over?

• A: „Wir wollen also eine Kleidertauschbörse für unseren Kurs machen. Wann passt es dir?“ ("So we want to hold a clothes swap for our course. When suits you?")
• B: „Wie wäre es mit Freitag nach dem Unterricht? Da haben die meisten Zeit.“ ("How about Friday after class? Most people have time then.")
• A: „Freitag ist gut, aber nach dem Unterricht sind alle müde. Vielleicht lieber in der Mittagspause?“ ("Friday is good, but after class everyone is tired. Maybe in the lunch break instead?")
• B: „Die Mittagspause ist nur 30 Minuten lang, das ist zu kurz. Was hältst du von Freitag um 17 Uhr, mit Kaffee und Kuchen?“ ("The lunch break is only 30 minutes long, that's too short. What do you think of Friday at 5 pm, with coffee and cake?")
• A: „Einverstanden. Und wo? Ich schlage den großen Kursraum vor, da gibt es Tische für die Kleidung.“ ("Agreed. And where? I suggest the big classroom, there are tables for the clothes there.")
• B: „Gute Idee. Ich frage die Kursleiterin, ob wir den Raum benutzen dürfen. Kannst du einen Zettel für die anderen schreiben?“ ("Good idea. I'll ask our teacher if we can use the room. Can you write a note for the others?")
• A: „Mache ich. Und was machen wir mit den Sachen, die übrig bleiben?“ ("Will do. And what do we do with the things that are left over?")
• B: „Die könnten wir in eine Kleiderkammer bringen. Hier in der Nähe gibt es eine.“ ("We could take them to a clothing bank. There is one near here.")
• A: „Super. Also: Freitag um 17 Uhr im großen Kursraum. Du sprichst mit der Kursleiterin und bringst die Reste weg, ich schreibe den Zettel und backe einen Kuchen.“ ("Great. So: Friday at 5 pm in the big classroom. You talk to the teacher and take the leftovers away, I write the note and bake a cake.")

What if your partner says very little or talks a lot?

You usually cannot choose your partner. Our tips for both cases:

• Your partner says little: ask open questions („Wie ist das in deinem Land?“ – "What is it like in your country?") instead of yes/no questions. Offer two options („Lieber am Samstag oder am Sonntag?“ – "Saturday or Sunday?"). Give them time after your question – a short silence is not a problem.
• Your partner talks a lot: join in politely („Moment, dazu fällt mir etwas ein.“ – "Just a moment, that reminds me of something."; „Da habe ich eine andere Idee.“ – "I have a different idea there."). Pick up on their last sentence, then your way in sounds natural.
• You do not understand something: ask back („Entschuldigung, kannst du das noch einmal sagen?“ – "Sorry, can you say that again?"; „Meinst du, dass …?“ – "Do you mean that …?"). Asking back is part of a normal conversation.
• You are missing a word: describe it („das Ding, mit dem man …“ – "the thing you use to …"; „so etwas wie …“ – "something like …") and keep talking instead of searching for a long time.

In any case: speak to your partner, not to the examiners. Look at them and react to what they have just said.

How do you practise telc B1 Sprechen on LexDeutsch?

In the telc B1 Sprechen section you practise all three parts with LexDeutsch's own topics: Teil 1 with 8 topics with questions and short model answers; Teil 2 with 10 topics with sheet A, sheet B and a model conversation; Teil 3 with 10 planning tasks with a model dialogue and an agreement at the end. For every Teil there are Redemittel with translations and a Redemittel trainer in which you match sentences to their function. The first three topics of every Teil and the Redemittel are free to use without signing up; further topics are part of VIP.

The trainer does not record your voice and does not mark it. This is how you still practise effectively:

1. Read the task and set a timer: 3 minutes for Teil 1, 6 minutes for Teil 2 and Teil 3.
2. Speak out loud, ideally with a study partner, or if need be alone, taking both roles. Record yourself on your phone.
3. Then compare with the model conversation: which Redemittel were missing? Did you ask questions and give reasons?
4. Repeat the same task the next day with two new Redemittel.

The telc B1 exam simulation is part of VIP and includes reading, Sprachbausteine and listening with points the telc way; the oral exam is not included. telc gGmbH offers the official Übungstest with task sheets for the oral exam free of charge: Übungstest telc Deutsch B1 (ZIP). How the whole exam works is explained in the guide telc B1 exam.