Failed your German B1 exam? Retake rules for telc, Goethe and ÖSD

What does a fail actually mean on your B1 result?

Start with the paper you received. The four main B1 exams report a fail in different ways, and that decides what you have to retake:

• telc Deutsch B1: instead of a certificate you get an Ergebnisbogen (result sheet) showing the points for both parts. You pass only with at least 135 of 225 points in the written exam and at least 45 of 75 in the oral exam. A strong part cannot make up for a weak one.
• Goethe-Zertifikat B1: every module you passed gets its own certificate. For a failed module, the exam centre will confirm on request that you took part, with your points.
• ÖSD Zertifikat B1 (ZB1) and ÖSD Zertifikat Deutsch Österreich B1 (ZDÖ B1): passed modules get a module certificate. A failed exam gets no certificate, only a result notice.
• Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ), the test at the end of the integration course in Germany: if you do not reach B1, you get an A2 certificate, or only a notice of your result if your German is below A2.

Do I have to retake the whole exam?

Usually not. The table shows what you take again for each exam, under the rules that apply today:

None of the four limits the number of attempts. telc writes: „Eine Prüfung kann insgesamt beliebig oft wiederholt werden“ (an exam can be repeated as often as you like). For the DTZ, § 9 of the German regulation on integration course tests says the exams „können unbegrenzt häufig wiederholt werden“ (can be repeated without limit).

telc B1: how do I retake only the written or the oral part?

telc Deutsch B1 has two parts: the written exam (Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine, Hörverstehen and Schriftlicher Ausdruck, that is reading, grammar gaps, listening and writing) and the oral exam. If you failed only one of them, you retake only that one. The rules are in § 7 of the telc exam regulations:

• Twelve months. The retake must happen within twelve months of your first exam. The date that counts is the issue date on your result sheet.
• Whole parts only. You retake the whole written or the whole oral exam. „Eine Wiederholung einzelner Subtests ist nicht gestattet“: you cannot retake just listening, for example.
• Say it when you register. You must tell the exam centre at registration that you want your passed part credited. If you forget, you can ask for it later, up to one year after the issue date, for 40 euros.
• B1 and above only. Credit for a passed part exists for B1, B2, C1 and C2 exams. It does not apply to A1, A2 or to exams that cover two levels, such as A2·B1 or B1·B2.

An example: you scored 151 in the written exam and 41 in the oral exam. The total of 192 does not help, because each part needs 60 percent on its own. You register for the oral exam only, ask for your written result to be credited, and need at least 45 of 75 points.

Goethe and ÖSD: will I get one certificate for all modules?

In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 and the ÖSD Zertifikat B1 (ZB1), reading, listening, writing and speaking are four separate modules, each passed with 60 of 100 points. The ÖSD Zertifikat Deutsch Österreich B1 (ZDÖ B1) has two modules: the written exam (pass from 135 of 225 points) and the oral exam (from 45 of 75). You only retake what is missing. What matters afterwards is which document shows your B1:

• Goethe, all at one sitting: if you pass all four modules at one venue on one exam date, you can get an overall certificate (Gesamtzeugnis) showing all four.
• Goethe, modules on different dates: each module gets its own certificate, and these can be combined. On request you can get an overall certificate with your best results if you passed all four modules within one year: at Goethe-Instituts inside the EU, at Goethe-Instituts within one country outside the EU, or at the same centre if you sit at a Goethe-Zentrum or an exam partner. The centre may charge up to 25 percent of the exam fee for it.
• ÖSD: you get an overall certificate if you pass all modules on one date, or all modules within one year at the same exam centre. Otherwise you get one certificate per module.

Whether separate module certificates are enough for your purpose is decided by the office that asks for the certificate: the embassy, the employer, the university or the authority. Ask them before you register. If you need B1 for German citizenship, read German B1 test for citizenship: which certificate counts?. The safe route: retake the missing module within one year at the same exam centre. That keeps the overall certificate open at both Goethe and ÖSD.

Did not reach B1 in the DTZ: what now?

The DTZ has no partial retake. You take the whole test again, as often as you want. Speaking decides everything: you get B1 only with B1 in speaking plus B1 in at least one other part. To see how close you were, use DTZ exam: how many points for B1.

A free retake exists in one case only. According to Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF, page dated 6 October 2026), you can under certain conditions repeat up to 300 lessons of the language course once if you attended the language course of a literacy course (Alphabetisierungskurs) in full. That approval includes one free retake of the test. In every other case, ask your course provider or the exam centre about dates and price.

How many points were you missing?

Work out how far you were from the pass line. Then you can see how many more correct answers would have been enough. Not every question is worth the same:

An example: in telc B1 you missed the written pass line by 8 points. Two more correct answers in Leseverstehen Teil 1 would have been enough; in the Sprachbausteine it would have taken six. At Goethe a single answer often decides, as Goethe B1 exam pass mark: how many points you need shows.

Writing and speaking are marked by examiners against criteria. Many candidates lose points there because part of the task is missing. In telc B1 writing, the criterion Aufgabenbewältigung (task completion) gets full marks only if all four Leitpunkte (the four content points in the task) are covered properly.

Is it worth asking for a review or an appeal?

If you were only a few points short, you can inspect your exam or have the result reviewed. The deadlines are short and differ by provider:

Two things to know. At telc a new marking can also come out lower, and then the new result counts. And both Goethe and ÖSD state that simply pointing out that you missed the pass mark is not a valid reason. An appeal is only worth it with a concrete reason. Complaints about how the exam was run, such as noise during listening, must go to the Goethe exam centre straight after the exam.

When can I sit the exam again, and what does it cost?

The telc, Goethe and ÖSD rules set no fixed waiting period. Goethe and ÖSD do allow the exam centre to set its own time limits for a retake; it tells you about them with your result. ÖSD recommends waiting at least four weeks after the exam. No provider guarantees you a particular date.

The fee is set by the exam centre, including for a single part or module, so it can differ between centres. When you register, ask for the price of the part you are retaking. The rules only name fixed amounts for extras: at telc 40 euros for a late credit request or a result review, and at the Goethe-Institut up to 25 percent of the exam fee for an overall certificate.

How to use the time until your next exam

1. Read your result. Which part is missing, and by how many points? Use the table above to turn the points into answers.
2. Write down the deadlines. Appeal within 2, 4 or 6 weeks depending on the provider, inspection, and at telc the twelve months for a partial retake.
3. Ask the office that wants the certificate: is a module certificate enough, or do you need an overall certificate?
4. Practise only the missing part, under real timing. Do at least one complete run with the official times, for example in telc Deutsch B1, the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 or the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer.
5. Register and ask for credit. At telc, say at registration which part should be credited.