The German B1 exam — frequently asked questions

What is tested in the B1 exam?

All four skills are tested — listening, reading, writing and speaking. How they are grouped depends on the format. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 consists of four independent modules that can be taken singly or together. telc Deutsch B1 has a written part (reading, Sprachbausteine — grammar and vocabulary in context — listening and writing) and an oral part, which together form one exam. The content is everyday life in both formats: housing, work, health, shopping, free time and dealing with public offices — the situations in which you actually need German.

• Listening: announcements, conversations and short radio items — usually played twice, sometimes only once.
• Reading: adverts, e-mails, newspaper texts and opinions, with tasks on both detail and gist.
• Writing: a personal or semi-formal e-mail or letter; at telc also the Sprachbausteine.
• Speaking: a paired exam — plan something together, present a topic, then talk about it.

Source: Goethe-Institut · telc

What do you need to be able to do at B1?

In the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), B1 is the first level of “independent” language use. The Framework describes it like this: you understand the main points when clear standard language is used about familiar matters from work, school or leisure; you can deal with most situations that arise while travelling; you can produce simple connected text on familiar topics and describe experiences, events, plans and goals, giving brief reasons. In exam terms that means an everyday vocabulary, a reliable past tense and subordinate clauses, and being able to write an e-mail and speak freely for a couple of minutes — not flawlessly, but understandably.

Source: Goethe-Institut — Goethe-Zertifikat B1

How does the telc B1 exam run?

The written part comes first, as a group: reading and Sprachbausteine, then listening, then writing. The oral exam follows — usually after a break, normally in pairs in front of two examiners, with preparation time and the task sheet beforehand. telc states around 150 minutes for the written part and around 15 minutes for the oral exam, with about 20 minutes of preparation. The binding times are in telc’s current information for candidates and at the exam centre that registers you — please confirm there.

Source: telc — telc Deutsch B1

How long does the B1 speaking exam take?

About a quarter of an hour in both formats, and in both it is normally a paired exam. The Goethe-Institut gives a regular examination time of 15 minutes for the pair plus 15 minutes of preparation, which you do on your own. At telc the oral exam likewise runs around 15 minutes, with about 20 minutes of preparation. If you are exceptionally examined alone, the time is correspondingly shorter. The institute’s and your exam centre’s own figures are the binding ones.

Source: Goethe-Institut · telc

Which topics come up in the B1 speaking exam?

Everyday topics, not specialist ones — the point is to show that you can talk about your own life and give reasons for an opinion. In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 the speaking module has three parts: plan something together, present a topic, then talk about your own and your partner’s presentation. At telc it is making contact, a conversation about a topic, and a task the two of you solve together. When you practise, pick topics you have your own examples for — those are the ones that carry you through the conversation.

• Housing and moving
• Work, training and job applications
• Health and going to the doctor
• Free time, sport and holidays
• Shopping, money and contracts
• Phones, the internet and the media
• The environment and transport
• Food, festivals and traditions
• Learning and languages
• Family and friendship

Source: Goethe-Institut — speaking sample paper

Is the telc B1 exam hard?

It is doable, but it does not forgive gaps in the basics. B1 does not ask for elevated language — it asks for everyday German to be reliable and for you to work under time pressure. In practice most people do not fail on vocabulary but on three things: the Sprachbausteine, because grammar is tested there without contextual help; the writing, because every prompt point has to be covered and the form kept; and the pace, because some listening texts are played only once. Working through the exam a few times in its real format removes exactly those three disadvantages.

How many points do you need to pass telc B1?

At telc you need at least 60 % in the written part and 60 % in the oral part — they are marked separately, so an excellent written paper does not rescue a weak oral exam. According to telc that is 135 of 225 points in the written part and 45 of 75 points in the oral part. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 uses the same 60 % threshold but per module: 60 of 100 points in reading, listening, writing and speaking, each module passed on its own. The binding marking rules are in each institute’s exam regulations — please read them there.

Source: telc · Goethe-Institut

How much does the B1 exam cost?

The price is not set by “the exam” but by the exam centre: Goethe-Instituts, licensed telc partners, adult-education centres and language schools all charge differently, and the fee also varies by country and by whether you book the whole exam or — for the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 — a single module. That is why no figure is given here: fees change, and a stale number is worse than none. The binding price is the one the exam centre quotes you when you register. If you are attending an integration course, the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer is normally settled through the BAMF — clarify that with your course provider.

Source: Goethe-Institut · telc · BAMF — integration course final exam

Can you take the B1 exam without a course?

Yes. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 and telc Deutsch B1 are open to external candidates: you do not have to have attended a course, you register directly with an exam centre and sit the exam. The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer is a special case — it is the final exam of the integration course; whether and on what terms you can take it as a self-payer is decided by the course provider and the BAMF. Either way, ask the exam centre which documents and deadlines apply to external registrations.

Source: Goethe-Institut · telc · BAMF

Can I take the B1 exam online?

You can practise online; you cannot sit the exam from home. According to the institutes, the recognised B1 exams are taken under supervision at a licensed exam centre; some centres now examine digitally on a computer, but on site and invigilated. Whether your centre uses paper or screens is a question for that centre. Offers promising a “B1 certificate online, no exam” or “within 24 hours” do not produce a valid proof of language — see “Is it legal to buy a B1 certificate?” below for what is actually at stake.

Source: Goethe-Institut · telc

How do I get a B1 certificate?

There is exactly one route: sit the exam at a licensed exam centre and pass it. The steps are the same everywhere — choose the format, find a centre, register in time, take the exam, and after marking the institute issues the certificate. How long issuing takes is a question for the exam centre; allow for it if you need the certificate for an application with a deadline.

• Choose the format: Goethe-Zertifikat B1, telc Deutsch B1, or — inside an integration course — the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer.
• Find an exam centre and check the registration deadline (often several weeks before the date).
• Register and pay the fee; have your ID document ready.
• Sit the exam and pass — 60 % per module (Goethe) or 60 % in each of the written and oral parts (telc).
• Receive the certificate from the institute or exam centre and keep it safe; authorities usually want the original or a certified copy.

Source: Goethe-Institut · telc

Which B1 do you need for German citizenship?

The Nationality Act requires “sufficient knowledge of German” in § 10(1) sentence 1 no. 6 StAG, and § 10(4) sentence 1 StAG says what that means: the requirement is met “if the foreign national satisfies the requirements of a language examination at level B 1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages”. The law does not name a certificate; in practice the B1 exams of the established providers are accepted — Goethe-Zertifikat B1, telc Deutsch B1, ÖSD Zertifikat B1 — as is the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer with a B1 result. A higher certificate (B2, C1, C2) covers it all the more. Which proof is accepted in your case is decided by the naturalisation authority — ask there before you commit to a format.

Source: § 10 StAG (gesetze-im-internet.de) · BAMF — naturalisation

Can you be naturalised without B1?

In exceptional cases yes, and the exceptions are in the statute itself — they are legal grounds you have to prove, not goodwill. Since the 2024 reform, § 10(4a) StAG allows a hardship rule: the requirement may be reduced to being able to communicate orally in German in everyday life “without notable problems”, if you show that acquiring B1 is impossible or permanently and substantially harder for you despite serious and sustained efforts. Under § 10(6) StAG the language requirement is waived entirely where you cannot meet it because of physical, mental or psychological illness or disability, or because of age. And § 10(4) sentence 3 StAG lets oral communication suffice for the recruited “guest worker” generation and former contract workers. Whether any of this applies to you is for the naturalisation authority to decide; this is not legal advice.

Source: § 10 StAG (gesetze-im-internet.de)

What is the difference between B1 and the DTZ?

B1 is a level; the DTZ is an exam — the two words do not describe the same kind of thing. The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer is a scaled exam with two possible results: depending on your score it certifies A2 or B1. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 and telc Deutsch B1 are pure B1 exams — passed or not passed. For residence and citizenship what counts is therefore not the name of the exam but the level printed on your certificate: a DTZ with a B1 result is proof of B1, a DTZ with an A2 result is not. Which proofs the authority accepts is a question for the authority.

Source: BAMF — integration course final exam · telc Deutsch A2·B1

What is the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer?

The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ) is the language exam at the end of the integration course; together with the “Leben in Deutschland” test it forms the final examination. It has a written part with listening, reading and a short letter, plus an oral exam. The BAMF gives 100 minutes for the written part and around 15 minutes for the oral part. The overall result certifies A2 or B1. The BAMF’s current information and your course provider are the binding sources.

Source: BAMF — integration course final exam

What happens if you fail B1?

Nothing final — the B1 exams can be retaken. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 is particularly forgiving here, because the four modules are marked separately: you retake only the module you missed and keep the ones you passed. telc Deutsch B1 is retaken as a whole, written and oral parts together. For the DTZ inside an integration course, the BAMF provides for a one-off repetition of course hours and the exam under certain conditions. When the next date is, what the retake costs and whether a waiting period applies is set by the exam centre or the BAMF — ask there. Practically, it pays to work out soberly which part let you down and drill that, rather than starting everything again from scratch.

Source: Goethe-Institut · telc · BAMF

Is it legal to buy a B1 certificate?

No. A bought or forged language certificate is not a shortcut, it is a criminal offence — for the buyer, not only the seller. Producing or using a falsified document to deceive in legal dealings is forgery of documents under § 267 of the German Criminal Code (StGB); the statute provides for imprisonment of up to five years or a fine, and more in particularly serious cases. Anyone who pays for or sells such a forgery must additionally expect a fraud charge under § 263 StGB. And it does come out: exam centres, the Goethe-Institut and telc can verify whether a certificate is genuine, and immigration and naturalisation authorities ask them when in doubt. Alongside the criminal proceedings come immigration consequences, up to withdrawal of a residence title already granted or of a naturalisation already made, because it was obtained by deception. The only route to a valid B1 certificate is the exam at a licensed exam centre. This is not legal advice — if proceedings already concern you, speak to a lawyer.

Source: § 267 StGB (gesetze-im-internet.de)