telc B2 Speaking Part 1 (DTB B2): procedure, topics, marking

How does Part 1 of the DTB B2 oral exam work?

The oral exam of the Deutsch-Test für den Beruf B2 (DTB B2, called "telc B2 Beruf" on LexDeutsch) is a paired exam of about 16 minutes. There is no preparation time: you get the Aufgabenblatt (task sheet) and begin. Two licensed examiners are in the room. One leads the conversation (Interlokutor), the other observes (Assessor). Only in Part 1C do the roles change briefly: the second examiner then asks for the explanation.

Candidate A starts. For Part 1, the official Übungstest (practice test) allows about four to five minutes per person. Part 2 (conversation with colleagues, approx. 3 minutes) and Part 3 (Lösungswege diskutieren, "discussing solutions", approx. 4 minutes) follow. The Übungstest plans 20 minutes for a pair: 16 to 17 minutes of conversation and 3 to 4 minutes in which the examiners discuss their marking.

Our tip: Part 1 looks like a presentation, but half of it is conversation. 1B and 1C together last a little longer than 1A and bring more points (7 compared with 5). So if you only practise the talk, you are training the smaller part.

Which topics come up in Part 1?

Official Übungstest 1 publishes eight topics. Two of them are on your Aufgabenblatt; you choose one. Each topic has Stichpunkte (key points) in brackets that show what you can talk about. Here are the eight topics in short form:

1. Describe an employer you have worked for or would like to work for (industry, products, departments, special features).
2. A good working environment (job security, salary, career opportunities, communication, your own experience).
3. Events and experiences that influenced your choice of career.
4. A person from your environment who is a professional role model for you.
5. Looking for work in a country of your choice (finding offers, first contact, application).
6. What matters in a job interview in a country of your choice.
7. A product or service of your choice (features, benefits, advantages and disadvantages, success).
8. Your business idea, if you want to become self-employed.

The wording follows Übungstest 1 DTB B2 (p. 27) in meaning; the full original wording is there too. According to the Übungstest, the two topics on your Aufgabenblatt belong to these eight (pp. 26, 44).

Our tip: prepare all eight topics, not only your two favourites. You only see in the exam which two are on your sheet. For each topic, collect three concrete examples from your working life, ideally with a number. That gets you to two minutes more easily than general statements do.

How do you fill the two minutes of Part 1A?

How to build a talk for 1A step by step, with models and many phrases, is shown in the guide Part 1A: speaking about a topic. Here is just our framework, which fits all eight topics (guide values, not an official procedure):

An example from LexDeutsch for topic 7 (product or service): „Ich möchte über den Lastenrad-Verleih in unserer Stadt sprechen, eine Dienstleistung, die unsere Handwerksfirma seit einem Jahr nutzt. Statt mit dem Transporter in die Innenstadt zu fahren, bringen unsere Elektriker kleines Material mit dem Rad zur Baustelle. Für die Kunden ist das angenehm, weil wir pünktlicher sind – wir suchen keinen Parkplatz mehr. Ein Nachteil ist, dass schwere Geräte nicht auf das Rad passen; dafür brauchen wir weiterhin den Wagen …“ ("I would like to talk about the cargo-bike rental in our city, a service that our trade business has been using for a year. Instead of driving the van into the city centre, our electricians take small materials to the building site by bike. This is pleasant for the customers because we are more punctual – we no longer look for a parking space. A disadvantage is that heavy equipment does not fit on the bike; for that we still need the van …") You can form sentences like these for almost any key point: What is it? Who uses it? What is better, what is worse?

The Übungstest says explicitly: if candidates recite memorised texts, the examiners have to interrupt them and steer the exam with targeted questions. So learn building blocks and examples, not ready-made texts.

What do the examiners ask in Part 1B?

Officially, the examiner asks "a few follow-up questions" about your talk. The Übungstest does not publish a fixed list. But the task shows what you can expect: the questions follow on from what you have just said. The question types below are our practice basis (our tip), not official exam questions.

As a guide value (our tip), three to four sentences per answer are enough: not a single word, but not a second talk either. If you have not understood a question, ask: „Habe ich Sie richtig verstanden: Sie fragen nach …?“ ("Have I understood you correctly: you are asking about …?") or „Könnten Sie die Frage bitte noch einmal anders formulieren?“ ("Could you please put the question differently once more?") Asking is better than guessing an answer (our tip). The Übungstest also describes that the Interlokutor steps in carefully when you stall and helps with open questions, for example „Was genau meinen Sie damit?“ ("What exactly do you mean by that?").

How do you explain a point from your partner’s talk in Part 1C?

While your partner speaks in 1A and 1B, you take notes. Then the second examiner asks you, for example: „TN A hat über … gesprochen. Das habe ich leider nicht ganz verstanden. Können Sie mir das noch einmal erläutern?“ ("Candidate A talked about … I unfortunately did not quite understand that. Can you explain it to me once more?") You then have about half a minute. According to the task, you explain one partial aspect in your own words (p. 26). So you report what your partner said and explain what they mean by it.

Our tip for the notes: do not write down every word; set up three columns instead: topic, example, reason. Write keywords only. If you only repeat one sentence in 1C, you give away points; if you add an explanation with „Damit meint sie …“ ("By that she means …"), you show exactly what the task asks for.

How is Part 1 marked?

The examiners mark by four criteria. Criterion I (Aufgabenbewältigung) is marked separately for each exam part; criteria II to IV refer to the whole oral exam. After the conversation, both examiners enter their own marking.

Criterion I has four levels. In 1A and 1B these are 5, 3.5, 2 or 0 points, in 1C 2, 1.5, 1 or 0 points. Criteria II to IV each have the levels "B2 gut erfüllt" (B2 fully met, 10), "B2 erfüllt" (B2 met, 7.5), "B1 erfüllt" (B1 met, 4) and "unter B1" (below B1, 0). In total, speaking counts for 60 of the 240 points of the exam. The descriptions of the levels are in Übungstest 1 on pp. 42–43, the points on pp. 47–49.

What this means for Part 1: 1A, 1B and 1C together are worth at most 12 points in criterion I. But your pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary from Part 1 also feed into the 30 points of criteria II to IV. Our tip: nowhere else do you speak alone for as long as in 1A – use the two minutes to show some more complex sentences as well.

Where do you lose points in Part 1? Self-check questions

The following questions are our tip for a self-check. Record a practice talk on your phone and listen to it with these questions. Each question belongs to an official criterion.

Our tip: listen to the recording once only for pronunciation. Words you need often (your profession, your industry, „Arbeitsbedingungen“ (working conditions), „Verantwortung“ (responsibility)) should be words you can stress confidently. It costs little time and helps in all three parts.

How do you practise Part 1 on LexDeutsch?

In the section Speaking Part 1 you find the 8 topics of the Übungstest with LexDeutsch’s own model talks, over 150 examiner questions with model answers, and a timer for the two minutes. All 8 topics are accessible without signing up. In the builder for Part 1 you put together a talk from building blocks for your own profession.

1. Days 1–2: for two topics, read the model talk, mark three sentences that you will rebuild for your profession, and then speak freely with the timer.
2. Days 3–6: two more topics every day, until you have spoken on all eight once. Record yourself.
3. Days 7–8: practise 1C with a partner or with a recording: listen, note keywords, explain for half a minute.
4. Days 9–10: practise 1B: have someone ask you questions from the trainer’s list without reading them beforehand.

This is our guide value, not an official plan. How Part 2 and Part 3 work is explained in Speaking Part 2: conversation with colleagues and Speaking Part 3: finding solutions together; an overview of the whole oral exam is given by Oral exam B2 Beruf.