How does the telc A2·B1 exam actually work?
One paper, two possible certificates. B1 needs all three of: 168 of 240 overall, at least 42 of 60 in 3 of the 4 skills, and at least 24 in every single skill. Written 125 minutes, oral about 15. Verified 2026-08-07.
What is on the paper
| Subtest | What it is | Items | Points | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesen | Teil 1 Kleinanzeigen matching · Teil 2 short text · Teil 3 e-mail gist matching · Teil 4 longer text | 18 | 54 in-block | 45 |
| Sprachbausteine — Lesen und Schreiben | Teil 1 gap-fill (scores toward Schreiben) · Teil 2 understand an e-mail (scores toward Lesen) · Teil 3 answer it | 12 + 1 | 26 | 35 |
| Hören — Hören und Schreiben | Four listening parts, then a note-taking task from answering-machine messages | 20 + 5 | 65 | 35 |
| Schreiben | One short message answering a question | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| Sprechen | Paired. Sich vorstellen · Anschlussfragen · Gemeinsam etwas planen · Meinung begründen | 4 parts | 60 | ca. 15 |
Written total 125 minutes, each subtest separately timed. 240 points, split evenly — 60 to each of Lesen, Hören, Schreiben and Sprechen.
What catches people out
Every one of these comes from the exam board’s own documents, and every one of them is something candidates usually discover on the day.
The section a task sits in is not the skill it scores
Sprachbausteine and the Hören-und-Schreiben note both count toward SCHREIBEN, not toward the block they appear in. Since every skill has a hard floor, a trainer that buckets them by section header gives you a confidently wrong prediction — and so does your own mental arithmetic.
The floors are what people fail on, not the total
200 of 240 is 83 %, comfortably over the 168-point B1 line — and it is not B1 if one skill scored 20, because every skill must clear 24. If you are strong in three skills and weak in one, the weak one is the entire problem.
There is no preparation time for the oral
telc Deutsch B1 gives you 20 minutes in a separate room. This exam gives you none — only about a minute to gather your thoughts before the opinion task. Candidates who prepared for the wrong exam arrive expecting a preparation room that does not exist.
You cannot re-sit one half
Because it is scaled over two levels, this exam is excluded from telc's part-crediting scheme. Fail it and you re-sit all of it. If a part-retake matters to you, take telc Deutsch B1 instead.
Agreeing on a plan is not required
In Gemeinsam etwas planen, telc states outright that the pair need not reach a single agreed plan. What is marked is that you propose, react and negotiate — so disagreeing well scores better than conceding quickly to fill the silence.
Start practising
Practice by section
Work one part at a time, with an explanation on every item.
Full mock exam
A complete paper, timed, scored by the exam's real rules.
Writing trainer
The task, the four Leitpunkte, ready phrases and a model answer.
Speaking trainer
Every part, with your partner's sheet and the phrases that fit.
Booking, money and re-sits
Anyone can book it
No course enrolment needed, at any telc-registered centre worldwide. This is the exam for people who want a dual-level certificate but have no Integrationskurs entitlement — which since 2023 rules out the DTZ entirely.
What it costs
Set by the centre, not by telc. Prices seen on centres' own pages in August 2026 ran from about €155 for a Volkshochschule participant to around €209 elsewhere. Ask your centre; telc publishes no figure.
Results
Test centres typically quote four to six weeks. telc itself gives that range for its exams generally.
Last updated: 2026-08-07