Nail the B1 TELC German speaking exam with these 3 free cheat sheets

October 22, 2026

The speaking part of any language exam is often the one that learners most dread. And since it’s very often for immigration purposes that foreigners take the B1 exam in Germany, it only adds to the pressure.

But fear not! With the right preparation, you’ll feel like a pro.

Here’s what to expect:

You’ll get 20 minutes of prep time before speaking.
The exam is done in pairs, with another learner.
You’ll go through three tasks together, discussing prompts like a natural conversation.

The speaking section is worth 25% of your total score – and you need at least 60% in both the written and oral sections to pass. So yes, speaking matters a lot.

Ready to boost your confidence and sound like a pro?

Let’s get into it.

Scoring

The final score you will receive on your certificate is out of 75. You will be able to see what you scored for each part.

Note that whilst the final result candidates receive suggests that each section is weighted equally, the internal assessment criteria used by the examiners actually weighs the parts differently, with part 1 being less significant than parts 2 and 3.

More info on this in the Mark Scheme section.

Exam section	Total score
Teil 1: Einander kennenlernen	25 points
Teil 2: Über ein Thema sprechen	25 points
Teil 3: Gemeinsam etwas planen	25 points

Teil 1: Einander kennenlernen

Part 1 is the same in every exam, meaning that you can fully prepare for it. You will be expected to have a “getting to know you” conversation with your fellow Prüflinger. In your 20 minute preparation time, you will receive a sheet with a list of potential subjects you can discuss. Examples include:

Name
Age
Nationality
How they spend their weekends

Family
Where they live
Where / why they’ve learnt German
Hobbies

What they do (professionally / studies)
Which languages they speaker

Although subjects will be listed on the sheet, the examiner(s) might ask an additional question, as might the other Prüflinger.

Download my word mat PDF to craft the perfect introduction routine.

My top tips:

Practise this part with anyone you can: this is the easiest part of the speaking exam. Got a German partner? Do a “meeting as strangers” to practise this; live in Germany? Go to a language exchange and try out this conversation with as many people as you can.
Don’t feel you have to stick to the notes: the prompts on the sheet you’re given are just to get you going; plan to ask a couple of follow up questions or come up with them on the spot if you can, to show the examiner you can be spontaneous.

Teil 2: Über ein Thema sprechen

For part 2, in your preparation time, you must read a text that is one person’s perspective on a particular topic e.g. holidays, work, hobbies, food, shopping etc.

The objective is to talk about a topic, and not to prove you’ve understood every single thing in the text.

The examiner will ask one of you to start. You must first summarise the topic (something as simple as “My text is written by Claus, a 33 year old man. He likes to spend his holidays in Germany, because there are lots of great options in different regions.” Then you discuss it, adding your experience and opinion, and ask about your partner’s perspective on the topic.

Download my free word mat PDF to master this section.

My top tips:

Start simply: always start by saying that “My text is about [name], [age] year old, [job] by trade” = In meinem Text geht es um [Name], [Alter] Jahre alt, von Beruf [Beruf].
Learn some phrases to ask for clarification: there’s a chance you’re paired with someone with much lower German, or with a very strong accent that you struggle to understand. See the section called Deinen Partner um Klärung bitten on the third page of my exam bundle.

Teil 3: Gemeinsam etwas planen

For part 3, you need to plan something with your exam partner, usually some kind of outing for a particular group, e.g.:

Plan a three-day trip for a group of young people in your home town
Organise a party for a particular group of people
Arrange a cultural exchange between students from your country and German students.

Download my planning word mat PDF to help you get planning.

My top tips:

Cover who, where, what, why, when: your plans need to be specific. If it’s a three-day thing you have to plan, go through what you’ll do on each day.
Assign tasks between you and your partner: decide who will call the venue, who will organise the transport or buy the tickets etc.
Ask your partner what they think of your suggestions, and ask them for theirs: show you can take turns naturally, ask for opinions and assign tasks.

Mark scheme

The oral examination is assessed based on four key criteria:

Criterion 1: Ability to express oneself
Criterion 2: Task completion
Criterion 3: Formal accuracy
Criterion 4: Pronunciation and intonation

You can find the full mark scheme within the Übungstest available on the TELC website.

Improve your pronunciation

The Goethe Institut Pronunciation Trainer is a comprehensive resource that provides clear explanations of how to make a sound, and exercises to practise them.

It’s available on a browser, not as an app, but you can create an account to keep track of your progress.

You speak into your microphone so that it picks up your pronunciation and assesses its accuracy.

Downloadable word mat

Want to print for your exam preparation?

Download my free speaking exam word mat PDF, which includes everything you need for each part of the exam.

Master the B1 TELC speaking exam with my word mat bundle

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Final thoughts

The B1 speaking exam isn’t about perfect grammar or sounding like a native – it’s about showing that you can express simple ideas clearly, share personal experiences and hold a smooth, cooperative conversation at a B1 level.

Use my three cheat sheets to boost your confidence and fluency. Learn them, practise them, make them yours. And when the exam comes?

Treat it like a real conversation – not a performance.

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