The German B1 Exam (telc), Explained

We checked 64 telc B1 exam centers in 11 German cities in September 2026, read what test-takers say after the exam, and PassGerman is built by German tutor Ramin A., who has taught more than 1,000 lessons. Here's the exam, part by part, with the numbers that decide whether you pass.

What is the telc German B1 exam?

The telc German B1 exam is a general German certificate at level B1 of the Common European Framework (CEFR). telc calls it "Zertifikat Deutsch / telc Deutsch B1", because one name would have been too easy. It has a written exam and an oral exam, and the written part comes on paper or on a computer.

B1 is the middle of the six CEFR levels. At B1 you handle everyday life, work and travel in simple, connected German, talk about your job and plans, and give reasons for your opinion. Not elegant yet. Just clear enough that the other person stops switching to English.

Who needs a B1 certificate in Germany?

Most people take the German B1 exam for citizenship or a permanent residence permit. The citizenship law asks for "a language exam at level B1" (§ 10 (4) StAG). The residence law defines "sufficient German" as B1 (§ 2 (11) AufenthG) and requires it for the settlement permit (§ 9 AufenthG). A rare moment of German bureaucracy being short and clear.

Employers, training programs and some universities ask for B1 too. Whatever your reason, check which certificate your authority accepts before you pay for anything. Bureaucracy rarely gives refunds for enthusiasm.

Reading: 3 parts, 75 points

The reading section has 3 parts and 20 questions, worth 75 points, a quarter of your total score. You match headlines to short texts, answer multiple-choice questions on a longer text, and match ads to people who need something. It's basically speed-dating for classified ads.

Reading shares one 90-minute block with the Sprachbausteine, with no break in between. Test-takers on Reddit single out reading part 2, the long text, as the one that eats the clock.

Sprachbausteine: the grammar gap-fill

Sprachbausteine are two gap-fill texts that test grammar and vocabulary, worth 30 points. It's only 10% of the total, which is exactly why people skip practising it. Then they meet it at minute 70 of the 90-minute block, tired, and hand those points away like free samples.

Listening: 3 parts, about 30 minutes

The listening section has 3 parts and 20 questions, worth another 75 points. You hear five short texts, one longer conversation and five more short texts, and decide whether statements are true or false. Part 1 plays only once, so it gets your full attention, not the half you save for panicking.

Writing: one email, 45 points

The writing task is a single informal or semi-formal email in 30 minutes, worth 45 points. Examiners score three criteria: task fulfilment, communicative design and formal accuracy. For full marks on the first, you need to answer all four guiding points in the task (telc Übungstest 1, page 36). Our telc B1 writing tips go through every scoring rule, with a model answer.

Skip one point, and perfect grammar won't save you. One test-taker covered all four points but not in the order given and felt the writing went badly. The fix a commenter suggested: number the four points on your scrap paper first, then write one short paragraph for each.

Speaking: 15 minutes in a pair

The oral exam takes about 15 minutes, in a pair with another candidate, after 20 minutes of preparation. You get to know each other (15 points), talk about a topic (30 points) and plan something together (30 points). Your partner is usually a stranger, and you'll still plan something together like old friends.

The pairing is the part people dread most. One Reddit user called it "the speaking partner lottery". Other test-takers in the same thread report examiners stepping in when a partner couldn't keep the conversation going.

What score do you need to pass the telc B1 exam?

You need 60% in the written exam and 60% in the oral exam: at least 135 of 225 written points and 45 of 75 oral points. The two parts are judged separately, so a brilliant written score can't rescue a weak oral one. If you pass both, the points are added up for your grade.

How close is close? One test-taker scored 133.5 written and 40 oral on a second attempt. That's 1.5 points short on paper and 5 short on speaking, and the certificate doesn't round up out of sympathy.

Paper or digital: which telc B1 exam should you take?

telc offers the B1 exam on paper or on a computer, and which one you can take depends on your center. At German Studios in Frankfurt, the digital version cost €239 against €229 on paper when we checked.

Test-takers who chose digital describe 150 minutes for the whole written part, moving freely between sections, typing the email and listening on headphones. Another says there's no scrap paper during the written part. These are personal accounts, so ask your center how its digital exam runs before you book.

What does the telc B1 exam cost?

At the 32 centers that publish a price, the full telc B1 exam cost between €150 and €235 in September 2026, with a middle value of about €198. Each center sets its own fee, so the same exam can cost €60 more within one city: in Munich we found €160 and €220. Our telc B1 exam centers overview lists every center we checked, with fees and deadlines.

What we found checking 64 exam centers

We checked 64 telc B1 exam centers in 11 cities on their own websites on 29 September 2026. Four things stood out.

Price depends more on the center than on the city. Düsseldorf had the lowest fee we found at €150, and Dortmund started at €160. Most centers sat between €190 and €220.

Deadlines range from 9 days to about a month. Some centers add a €30 late fee from 31 days before the exam. In Bremen, one center doesn't let you cancel at all in the last four weeks, which is one way to guarantee attendance.

Dates book out. Centers in Munich, Frankfurt, Hanover and Düsseldorf showed telc B1 dates marked fully booked. Book the date first, then plan your prep backwards from it.

Results take 3 to 8 weeks. Most centers quote 4 to 6. telc stopped offering express marking in 2021, according to one center in Cologne, so there's no paid fast lane, only the slow one and the very slow one.

How to pass the telc B1 exam

Practise the real format under the real clock, because many points are lost to timing and task rules, not to missing German. Four habits make the biggest difference.

1. Sit the 90-minute block in one go. Reading plus Sprachbausteine without a break is a stamina test. If you've only ever practised them separately, exam day is a bad time to discover the combined version.

2. Practise marking the answer sheet. telc scans every answer sheet electronically (Übungstest 1, page 40).

One test-taker scored 75 of 75 in speaking but 35 of 75 in reading, and commenters wondered whether the answers were marked on the sheet correctly. A scanner doesn't read intentions.

3. Answer every guiding point in the email. Task fulfilment is one third of the writing score, and it depends on covering all four points. Number them before you write a single sentence.

4. Know your weakest section before exam day. Because written and oral are passed separately, one weak area can fail the whole exam. A timed mock exam shows you where your 135 points will come from, and where they won't.

FAQ

Ready to prepare properly? Our telc B1 exam preparation page shows how PassGerman trains you for every part of the exam, from Sprachbausteine to the email that has to answer all four points.

Written by Ramin A.

German tutor and co-founder of PassGerman, with more than 1,000 lessons taught and a 5.0 rating on Preply.