The B2 TELC certificate demonstrates your advanced command of the German language. It confirms your communicative skills in everyday situations.

Note that the general B1 TELC exam is enough for permanent residency and citizenship applications.

Here’s everything you need to know about the B2 general TELC exam:

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Topics

There are 16 topics in the B2 curriculum:

If you need to level up your vocabulary, try Deutsch intensive Wortschatz B2. Don’t be put off by the B1 Selbsttest at the beginning. I was rubbish at it, so skipped it, and had no issues with the rest of the book.

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Scoring

The exam has five sections, which are scored as follows:

Speaking (Mündliche Prüfung)	75
Reading (Leseverstehen)	75
Grammar (Sprachbausteine)	30
Listening (Hörverstehen)	75
Writing (Schriftliche Ausdruck)	45
Total	300

To pass the TELC B2 German exam, you must achieve a sufficient score in both the written and oral sections.

The scoring is divided as follows:

• Written exam (includes reading, listening, grammar, and writing): 225 points total
• Oral exam (speaking): 75 points total

To pass, you must score at least 60% in each section:

• 135 points out of 225 in the written exam
• 45 points out of 75 in the oral exam

This means that the oral (speaking) exam carries significant weight. It accounts for 25% of the entire exam, and you cannot compensate for a weak speaking score by doing well in the written portion (or vice versa).

The evaluation is based on the following criteria:

• Correctness of answers in the reading, listening and grammar tasks
• Content, linguistic correctness and task fulfillment in the written part
• Pronunciation, fluency, accuracy and task fulfillment in the oral part

If you fail either the speaking or written exam, but pass the other, you can just retake the part you failed. Note that it’s just about whether you’ve achieved at least 60%. So if you totally bomb the listening part, but your grammar, reading and writing tasks are scored high, and they reach 60%, then you’ll still pass.

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Explanation of the 5 parts

Speaking (Mündliche Prüfung) – 15 minutes

You will be given 20 minutes to prepare for the speaking exam, in silence and with no learning aids.

The speaking exam is taken in pairs; this means you’ll be in the room with a fellow learner, and you’ll discuss all material together. The test will start with the examiner inviting you both to introduce yourselves. This part is ungraded; it’s designed to warm you up.

Teil 1

Part 1 is the same in every exam: give a 2.5-minute presentation on any of the below topics:

• A book you’ve read
• A film you’ve seen
• A trip you took
• A musical performance or sporting event you’ve attended
• An important person in your life
• A memorable experience you’ve had

After you finish your presentation, your speaking partner will ask you some questions about your topic. They’ll have come up with these during your presentation, so you can’t prepare for them.

You’ll then switch turns to give your partner the opportunity to present their topic.

Teil 2

Part 2 is the hardest part of the speaking exam in my view. During the preparation time you will read a text and make notes on it. In the exam you’ll discuss it with your partner. The objective is the discussion, and not proving you’ve understood every single thing in the text.

Note that you are not allowed to write on the text in your preparation time. You will be given one copy for preparation, which will be taken away when the 20 minutes is up, and will be given a new copy when you enter the exam room. As such, make notes on the blank paper given.

Teil 3

Part 3 is straightforward: you and your partner will work together to plan something. It could be anything from a cultural exchange for teenagers to a group holiday for senior citizens.

The examiners want to see that you can approach a task in an organised, logical way, divide responsibilities, and collaborate effectively. That means suggesting ideas, responding to your partner’s input, and taking turns naturally – just like in a real planning conversation.

Read my Ace the B2 TELC German speaking exam with these 3 free cheat sheets post for step-by-step guidance on the speaking exam.

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Reading (Leseverstehen) – 90 minutes combined with grammar (Sprachbausteine)

Teil 1

Part 1 of the reading exam consists of five texts and ten headings. You must simply read the texts, and select which heading goes with which text.

The texts often cover similar subjects, so it’s key you look at the detail; this activity is full of traps!

Teil 2

For part 2, you need to read one text, and answer five multiple choice questions on it. This one’s the easiest reading task in my view.

Teil 3

Part 3 is the most challenging. You must read twelve informative texts (they could be TV programme listings, job or holiday adverts, or book blurbs etc) and ten “situations.” These are generally statements about what people are looking for. E.g. “An acquaintance would like to learn how to dance the Waltz.”

The hard thing about this part is that not all of the texts have accompanying situations/statements, and sometimes one or more of the statements don’t apply to any text. If you think a statement has no accompanying text, mark it with an X.

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Grammar (Sprachbausteine) – 90 minutes combined with reading (Leseverstehen)

Teil 1

Part 1 is a relatively simple gap fill activity. You must read a text and fill in the 10 missing words or expressions. Each question is multiple choice.

Teil 2

Part 2 is incredibly challenging for the average B2 learner. Don’t expect to do well on this if you’re middling B2. It’s included to identify the really top learners, those who are closer to the C1 mark.

As long as you perform well in the other parts of the exam, totally bombing in this part won’t massively impact your overall mark.

It’s a gap fill; there are 10 gaps and 15 words to choose from.

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Listening (Hörverstehen) – 20 minutes

What makes the B2 listening exam challenging is that you hear each recording only once.

Teil 1

Part 1 comprises five unrelated sentences, which you must determine are either true or false, after hearing five distinct news items on them. You will get 30 seconds to read the sentences.

The number of each sentence is not stated in the recording, meaning you need to concentrate a lot to make sure you’re following the information at the right pace. They often stick a random and unrelated announcement in this part to throw you off. So if you hear something that sounds completely unrelated to any of the statements, you’re probably right. Just wait.

Teil 2

Part 2 is much easier than part 1, as you get to listen to one longer piece – a radio interview, and decide whether ten sentences are true or false. You get 60 seconds to read the sentences.

Teil 3

In part 3 you’ll hear five announcements, and will have five accompanying sentences to read. You must decide whether each statement corresponding to each announcement is true or false.

Note that no time is given for reading for part 3; the sentences are generally quite short, which makes it a little easier to read as you listen.

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Writing (Schriftliche Ausdruck) – 30 minutes

You can choose from two options in the writing exam: write a letter or email of complaint, or request information.

I recommend preparing most fully for the letter of complaint. Why? A lot of the same vocabulary can be recycled, whereas the vocabulary in the request for information can vary a lot.

I also advocate for doing some prep for the request for information, however, in the event you struggle to understand the vocabulary in the letter of complaint question.

Read my Master the B2 TELC German writing exam with these 2 free cheat sheets post for step-by-step guidance on the writing exam.

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Final thoughts

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