telc Deutsch B1 — Exam Format Cheat Sheet

telc Deutsch B1 — Exam Format

Everything verified against the official telc Übungstest 1 (2019 revised edition — the current format). Exam date: 5 July 2026.

300total points

60%to pass — each part separately

135 / 225written pass mark

45 / 75oral pass mark

The retake rule (your strategy depends on it — verified): written and oral are passed separately at 60% each. If you fail only one part, you can retake just that part within the exam's calendar year or the following year. Caveat: if you retake a part, only the new result counts — irrevocably, even if it's worse.

Written exam — 150 min, no break (225 pts)

Subtest	Part	Task	Items	Points	Time
Leseverstehen 75 pts (25%)	Teil 1	Match 10 headlines (a–j) to 5 texts	1–5	25	90 min shared across Lesen + Sprachbausteine — you manage the split
Teil 2	Long text + 5 × multiple choice (a/b/c)	6–10	25
Teil 3	Match 10 situations to 12 ads (a–l), `x` = no match	11–20	25
Sprachbausteine 30 pts (10%)	Teil 1	Letter with 10 gaps — grammar, 3-option MC	21–30	15
Teil 2	Text with 10 gaps — vocab, pick from 15 words, each once	31–40	15
Hörverstehen 75 pts (25%)	Teil 1	5 short texts — richtig/falsch heard ONCE	41–45	25	~30 min (audio-paced)
Teil 2	One interview — 10 × richtig/falsch heard twice	46–55	25
Teil 3	5 announcements/messages — richtig/falsch heard twice	56–60	25
Schriftlicher Ausdruck 45 pts (15%)	—	Reply to an e-mail, addressing all 4 Leitpunkte, with Betreff, Anrede, Einleitung, Schluss	1 task	45	30 min

Subtest

Part

Task

Items

Points

Time

Leseverstehen
75 pts (25%)

Teil 1

Match 10 headlines (a–j) to 5 texts

1–5

90 min
shared across
Lesen + Sprachbausteine —
you manage the split

Teil 2

Long text + 5 × multiple choice (a/b/c)

6–10

Teil 3

Match 10 situations to 12 ads (a–l), x = no match

11–20

Sprachbausteine
30 pts (10%)

Teil 1

Letter with 10 gaps — grammar, 3-option MC

21–30

Teil 2

Text with 10 gaps — vocab, pick from 15 words, each once

31–40

Hörverstehen
75 pts (25%)

Teil 1

5 short texts — richtig/falsch heard ONCE

41–45

~30 min
(audio-paced)

Teil 2

One interview — 10 × richtig/falsch heard twice

46–55

Teil 3

5 announcements/messages — richtig/falsch heard twice

56–60

Schriftlicher Ausdruck
45 pts (15%)

—

Reply to an e-mail, addressing all 4 Leitpunkte, with Betreff, Anrede, Einleitung, Schluss

1 task

30 min

Highest-leverage fact: Lesen + Hören = 150 of 225 written points, and every single item is matching, MC, or richtig/falsch — no production needed. At 60%, you can pass the written exam on receptive skills + a formulaic e-mail.

Schriftlicher Ausdruck — how it's marked

Criterion	What gets an A	Scoring
I — Aufgabenbewältigung	All 4 Leitpunkte addressed (one short sentence each is enough; combining two points in one sentence is fine)	Each criterion: A=5, B=3, C=1, D=0 → sum × 3 = max 45
II — Kommunikative Gestaltung	E-mail features present, stable register, connectors used, sentences do NOT mostly start with "Ich/Wir"
III — Formale Richtigkeit	Comprehensibility first: ending/gender slips weigh less than broken agreement/syntax. A/B ≈ B1, C ≈ A2, D ≈ A1

Criterion

What gets an A

Scoring

I — Aufgabenbewältigung

All 4 Leitpunkte addressed (one short sentence each is enough; combining two points in one sentence is fine)

Each criterion: A=5, B=3, C=1, D=0 → sum × 3 = max 45

II — Kommunikative Gestaltung

E-mail features present, stable register, connectors used, sentences do NOT mostly start with "Ich/Wir"

III — Formale Richtigkeit

Comprehensibility first: ending/gender slips weigh less than broken agreement/syntax. A/B ≈ B1, C ≈ A2, D ≈ A1

Instant-fail traps: writing about the wrong topic ("Thema verfehlt") → D in all three criteria (0 points). Right topic but wrong situation/register ("Situierung verfehlt") → D in criterion I only. No official word count exists — cover the 4 points well rather than chasing length.

Oral exam — ~15 min in pairs, 20 min prep (75 pts)

Part	What happens	Time	Points
Teil 1 — Einander kennenlernen	You and your partner get acquainted using cue words (Name, Herkunft, Wohnen, Familie, Deutsch lernen, Beruf, Sprachen). Examiners may add one topic.	~3 min	15
Teil 2 — Über ein Thema sprechen	Each of you has a different sheet with a contrasting opinion. Report it to your partner, then discuss with your own views.	~6 min	30
Teil 3 — Gemeinsam etwas planen	Plan something together from bullet prompts (e.g. a party: Wann? Wo? Essen? Wer bezahlt?). Make and react to proposals.	~6 min	30

Part

What happens

Time

Points

Teil 1 — Einander kennenlernen

You and your partner get acquainted using cue words (Name, Herkunft, Wohnen, Familie, Deutsch lernen, Beruf, Sprachen). Examiners may add one topic.

~3 min

Teil 2 — Über ein Thema sprechen

Each of you has a different sheet with a contrasting opinion. Report it to your partner, then discuss with your own views.

~6 min

Teil 3 — Gemeinsam etwas planen

Plan something together from bullet prompts (e.g. a party: Wann? Wo? Essen? Wer bezahlt?). Make and react to proposals.

~6 min

20 minutes' prep with notes allowed (provided sheets; you may bring notes in but not read aloud). Two examiners; both rate independently. Asking your partner to repeat or helping them out is rewarded, not penalized. Criteria per part: Ausdruck, Aufgabenbewältigung, formale Richtigkeit, Aussprache.

Grades (only if both parts passed)

Points	Grade
270–300	sehr gut
240–269.5	gut
210–239.5	befriedigend
180–209.5	ausreichend
0–179.5	nicht bestanden

Points

Grade

270–300

sehr gut

240–269.5

gut

210–239.5

befriedigend

180–209.5

ausreichend

0–179.5

nicht bestanden

Source: official telc Übungstest 1, pp. 5, 17–21, 29–41 — shop.telc.net (PDF), local copy at materials/telc_deutsch_b1_zd_uebungstest_1.pdf. Format current as of June 2026 (2019 revised edition; no content changes announced for 2026 — only digital-delivery/admin changes). Questions? Ask your teaching agent in the terminal.