telc C1 Exam: Format, Points and Strategies – Allgemein, Hochschule, Beruf

Which telc C1 exam do I need: Allgemein, Hochschule or Beruf?

People searching for „telc C1 Prüfung“ (telc C1 exam) usually mean telc Deutsch C1 – the general exam at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. There are also two exams with their own focus: telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule for university studies and the Deutsch-Test für den Beruf C1 (DTB C1) for the world of work. All three certify the same level, but with different topics and partly with a different structure.

Sources: telc Deutsch C1 Übungstest 1 (telc gGmbH, 2016), telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule Übungstest 1 (telc gGmbH, 2018), Deutsch-Test für den Beruf C1 Übungstest 1 (telc gGmbH, 2022, with the BAMF and the BMAS). There is also telc Deutsch B2·C1 Beruf, another job-related exam with its own structure, which awards a B2 or a C1 certificate depending on the result.

What is the format of the telc C1 exam?

The exam consists of a written and an oral exam. The written exam starts with Leseverstehen (Reading) and Sprachbausteine (Language elements), for which you have 90 minutes together. Then there is a 20-minute break. This is followed by Hörverstehen (Listening, about 40 minutes) and Schriftlicher Ausdruck (Writing, 70 minutes). You mark your answers on the Antwortbogen (answer sheet) S30. Dictionaries and mobile phones are not allowed.

You hear all texts in the Hörverstehen only once. Before Teil 1 you have one minute and before Teil 2 three minutes to read the tasks. After listening you have five minutes to transfer your answers for Teil 3 to the Antwortbogen.

Leseverstehen: strategies for Teil 1 to 3

The Leseverstehen is worth 48 points – as much as the Hörverstehen and the Schriftlicher Ausdruck. Together with the Sprachbausteine you have 90 minutes. How you divide this time between the parts is up to you.

Teil 1: text reconstruction

You insert six sentences into a text. Two of the eight sentences do not fit anywhere. First read the whole text so that you know the line of thought. Then pay attention to the words around each gap: pronouns („dieser“ – this one, „sie“ – she/they), references („dabei“ – in doing so, „daraus“ – from this) and connectors („dennoch“ – nevertheless, „zudem“ – moreover) show which sentence follows. Practice: Lesen Teil 1.

Teil 2: selective understanding

For six questions you look for the paragraph that contains the answer. One paragraph can contain several answers, another none. Read the questions first and mark key words. The text often uses synonyms instead of the same words. Practice: Lesen Teil 2.

Teil 3: detailed and global understanding

You check eleven statements as true, false or „steht nicht im Text“ (not in the text). The difference between „false“ and „not in the text“ is the biggest trap: „false“ means the text says the opposite; „not in the text“ means the text says nothing about it. At the end you choose a heading for the whole text. Practice: Lesen Teil 3.

Sprachbausteine: 22 gaps, four options

In the Sprachbausteine you fill 22 gaps in a coherent text, choosing one of four options for each. Grammar and vocabulary (lexis) at C1 level are tested. To prepare, revise above all fixed prepositions, noun-verb combinations, connectors, participles, the passive and the subjunctive (Konjunktiv). Each correct gap is worth one point, 22 in total.

• Read the sentence to the end before you choose – often the verb at the end of the sentence decides.
• With prepositions, check the case: an option that fits the meaning but requires the wrong case is wrong.
• For vocabulary gaps, fixed combinations help: „in Betracht ziehen“ (to consider), „zur Verfügung stellen“ (to provide), „Kritik üben“ (to criticise).

Practice: Sprachbausteine C1 – currently 36 gap texts. Grammar for this: Grammar quiz C1.

Hörverstehen: strategies for Teil 1 to 3

The Hörverstehen takes about 40 minutes and is worth 48 points. Because you hear each text only once, the time before listening is especially important: read the tasks carefully and think about what you need to listen for.

Teil 1: matching opinions

Eight people give their views on a topic, and you match one of ten statements to each person. Read the statements during the reading time and, while listening, pay attention to the attitude: for, against, with reservations. Two statements are left over. Practice: Hören Teil 1.

Teil 2: radio programme in detail

For a radio programme you answer ten tasks with a, b or c. Use the three minutes of reading time to mark the key words in every task. If you miss an answer, move on to the next task straight away. Practice: Hören Teil 2.

Teil 3: lecture with slides

You hear a lecture and complete ten pieces of information in note form on a handout with the slides. Read the slides before the lecture as far as time allows, and think about what kind of information is missing: a number, a name, a reason. On LexDeutsch you choose the right information from options in this part – that way you learn which information matters. In the exam you write the notes yourself. Practice: Hören Teil 3.

Schriftlicher Ausdruck: about 350 words in 70 minutes

You choose one of two topics and write a text in which you develop your own viewpoint and set it out with arguments – for example for a local newspaper or a school newspaper. The text should be about 350 words long. In the telc Übungstest, for example, the topic is the question „Soll man Geld spenden?“ (Should you donate money?, for a local newspaper) or monitoring software for children (for a school newspaper).

The text is assessed on four criteria: Aufgabengerechtheit (task completion), Korrektheit (accuracy), Repertoire (range) and Kommunikative Gestaltung (communicative design). For each criterion there are 12, 8, 4 or 0 points, 48 at most in total. If you miss the topic, you get the lowest level in all four criteria.

1. Plan 10 minutes for an outline: introduction, arguments for, arguments against, your own position.
2. Write for about 50 minutes and deal with all points of the task.
3. Use the last 10 minutes for checking: verb position, endings, commas before subordinate clauses.

LexDeutsch has no writing trainer for C1. You will find good phrases for arguments in the guide Schreiben B2 Beruf; at C1 they should be more varied and more precise.

Oral exam: presentation and discussion

The oral exam is a Paarprüfung (exam in pairs) of about 16 minutes. Beforehand you have 20 minutes to prepare the presentation; you may make notes, but you may not talk to your partner or use a dictionary.

• Teil 1A presentation (about 3–4 minutes): you choose one of two topics and present it in a clearly structured way.
• Teil 1B summary and follow-up questions (about 2–3 minutes): your partner summarises what was especially noteworthy and asks at least one question. Then you swap roles.
• Teil 2 discussion (about 6 minutes): you discuss a topic together and exchange arguments.

The 48 points are made up of task completion (16 points: presentation 6, summary 4, discussion 6) and linguistic appropriateness across all parts (32 points: fluency, range, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation and intonation, 8 each).

Points and passing: when have I passed telc C1?

You receive the certificate with at least 128 points. At the same time you must reach 60% in both the written and the oral exam: at least 99 of 166 points in the written exam and at least 29 of 48 points in the oral exam. The Übungstest does not state a separate minimum score for Reading, Listening or Writing.

You can retake the exam as a whole as often as you like. If you failed only the written or only the oral exam, you can retake that part until the end of the calendar year following the exam. telc offers the exam digitally, in hybrid form and on paper. The exam centre will tell you the dates and fees.

How do I prepare for telc C1 with LexDeutsch?

The section telc C1 Allgemein follows the structure of the written exam: 85 tasks for the Leseverstehen, 36 for the Sprachbausteine and 72 for the Hörverstehen with audio and transcript. The first three tasks of each part are free and can be used without logging in; from the fourth task on you need VIP.

1. Week 1: do the first three tasks (free) in each part – Lesen Teil 1, Teil 2, Teil 3, Sprachbausteine, Hören Teil 1, Teil 2, Teil 3. Note where most of your mistakes occur.
2. Weeks 2–4: practise your weakest part in a targeted way; grammar with the C1 quiz, vocabulary with the C1 vocabulary list and the flashcards.
3. In parallel: work through the official telc Übungstest once under exam conditions, including Writing and Speaking.
4. Before the exam: the C1 Allgemein simulation (VIP) with Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine and Hörverstehen in the order of the exam.

At the end, the simulation shows what percentage of your answers were correct. It contains no Writing and no oral exam and is therefore a guide, not an exam result. The tasks on LexDeutsch are exercises in the format of the exam, not original telc tasks.

For the world of work there is the section telc C1 Beruf (DTB C1) with Reading Teil 1–4 and Listening Teil 1–4 – it is entirely part of VIP. If you are still at B2, start with the telc B2 exam and the section telc B2 Allgemein.

Where can I find the official practice test?

telc gGmbH provides Übungstest 1 for telc Deutsch C1 with an audio file free of charge as a ZIP file on telc.net; the same applies to telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule. The Übungstest for the DTB C1 is available as a PDF in the telc shop. If possible, work through the Übungstest in one go and with a timer – that way you experience the 90 minutes for Reading and Sprachbausteine realistically.

Afterwards, check your answers with the answer key and count your points using the table above. For Writing and Speaking, the assessment criteria in the Übungstest help: read the descriptions of levels A to D and compare your text with them.