telc vs Goethe B1: which German B1 exam should you take?

What is the difference between telc and Goethe B1?

Both exams certify German at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), and the Goethe-Institut helped develop both. The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 was written with Austria's ÖSD and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland; telc Deutsch B1 (formerly called Zertifikat Deutsch) with telc, the ÖSD and the Swiss conference of education ministers. What differs is how you pass, what you can retake and how the parts are built.

How do you pass? Make-up points or every module on its own

In the Goethe-Zertifikat B1, every module needs at least 60 of 100 points. Strong reading does not help weak listening. Reading and listening have 30 questions each; your correct answers are multiplied by 3.33 and rounded. 18 correct answers give exactly 60 points, 17 give only 57, and the module is failed.

In telc Deutsch B1, the four written sections are added up: reading 75, Sprachbausteine 30, listening 75 and writing 45 points. You need 135 points in total, so a stronger section can make up for a weaker one. Speaking counts separately: you need 45 of 75 points there, and a good written result cannot rescue weak speaking.

Two examples show what this means in practice. The percentages are assumed so that the two exams can be compared; speaking is passed in both cases.

How long are the telc and Goethe B1 exams?

Goethe's rules recommend the order reading, listening, writing, with a break of at least 15 minutes between modules; speaking usually comes afterwards. In reading and listening, plan about 5 minutes inside the exam time to copy your answers onto the answer sheet. In telc's procedure, listening and writing follow straight after reading and Sprachbausteine, and no break is mentioned. telc's rules for centres schedule the speaking exam between the day of the written exam and seven calendar days after it.

Listening: which recordings are played twice?

In telc, only Teil 1 (part 1, 5 questions) is played once; Teil 2 (10 questions) and Teil 3 (5 questions) are played twice. That is 15 of 20 questions and 50 of the 75 listening points. In Goethe, Teil 1 (10 questions) and Teil 4 (8 questions) are played twice, Teil 2 and Teil 3 only once: 18 of 30 questions, exactly the number you need to pass the module.

Writing and speaking: what is different?

• Goethe writing: three texts in 60 minutes: an email to a friend (about 80 words), an opinion post (about 80 words) and a semi-formal email (about 40 words). You need to switch quickly between text types.
• telc writing: one email in 30 minutes that answers all four given points (Leitpunkte). The task prints no word count. It is marked on task completion, communicative design and accuracy, 45 points at most.
• Goethe speaking: you plan something with your partner, then give a short presentation on your own with five set slides (about 3 to 4 minutes), and finally give feedback on your partner's talk and ask a question.
• telc speaking: three conversations in pairs: getting to know each other (about 3 minutes), discussing a topic with two opposing opinions (about 6 minutes) and planning something together (about 6 minutes). There is no presentation.

What happens if you fail a part?

Goethe: you can retake single modules or the whole exam as often as you like; the exam centre may set periods for resits. You get a certificate for each module you pass, and later certificates can be combined with earlier ones. You get an overall certificate for all four modules if you pass them at one venue on one date, or on request with your best results within one year: across all Goethe-Instituts inside the EU, within one country outside the EU, and at the same centre for Goethe-Zentren and exam partners. The centre may charge up to 25 percent of the exam fee for it.

telc: you can retake the whole exam as often as you like. If you failed only the written or only the speaking part, you retake that part within 12 months of the date on your results sheet, and the part you passed is carried over. You cannot retake a single section such as listening. The full rules, including ÖSD and the DTZ, are in Failed your German B1 exam? Retake rules for telc, Goethe and ÖSD.

Which exam should you take?

What do the exams cost, and when do results arrive?

Neither provider has one fixed price: the exam centre sets the fee, at Goethe under its local fee schedule, at telc as the centre's own final price. So compare the centres near you. In both cases your result comes through the centre. telc marks centrally, and the centre must pass results on within two weeks of receiving them; the rules give no overall time. At Goethe, an early result for one person is not possible.

If you doubt your result, the deadlines differ. At Goethe you appeal within two weeks, in writing, to the centre, with reasons; simply pointing to too few points is not enough. At telc you request a review of your result within six weeks for 40 euros; the new result can also be lower.

Neither certificate has an expiry date: telc states no period of validity, and the Goethe exam guidelines name none. Whether an older certificate is good enough is decided by whoever asks for it. A Goethe certificate can be checked at goethe.de/verify; a telc certificate is only valid with the signature and stamp of the exam centre. Buying a certificate without sitting the exam is fraud: forged Goethe certificates are invalid, and telc can find cheating even later.

How to prepare for the format you choose

Practise the format you pick, under real timing: Goethe-Zertifikat B1 practice exam or telc Deutsch B1 practice exam. How Goethe marks writing and speaking in detail is explained in Goethe B1 exam pass mark: how many points you need.