telc Deutsch B1 exam (Zertifikat Deutsch)

1. 1. c) Leihen statt kaufen: Bücherei bietet mehr als Bücher — 'verleiht seit Montag nicht nur Bücher, sondern auch Werkzeug, Zelte und Nähmaschinen': the library now lends things as well as books. Headline c says this in other words. 'Leihen statt kaufen' is not in the text, but the first sentence ('muss sie nicht mehr kaufen') expresses the same idea. The right headline usually summarises the main idea instead of repeating the text's words.
2. 2. a) Später in die Schule: ein Versuch gegen müde Jugendliche — 'beginnt der Unterricht ... erst um neun Uhr statt um acht' and 'ob die Jugendlichen dann ausgeschlafener sind': in a one-year trial, lessons start an hour later. Headline a talks about 'müde Jugendliche', the opposite of 'ausgeschlafen', so it makes the same point. d ('Schule erlaubt Handys im Unterricht') is a topic distractor: school and the word 'Unterricht' appear, but the text never mentions phones.
3. 3. e) Hallenbad wird ein Jahr lang renoviert — 'schließt ... für zwölf Monate' and 'Das Dach ... muss erneuert werden' → 'ein Jahr lang renoviert'. Trap b: 'Schwimmkurse für Kinder' appears word for word, but there are not more courses; they simply move to the pool in Neudorf. A headline that repeats a phrase from the text is often the trap; it has to fit the whole text, not one detail.

In the real exam this part has 5 texts and 10 headlines (a–j); each headline is used once at most, so 5 are left over. Each correct match is worth 5 points. Put the main idea of each text into one sentence of your own first, then look at the headlines. Don't jump at a headline just because it repeats words from the text.

1. 1. a) sind — 'umziehen' is a verb of changing place, so its Perfekt uses 'sein': wir sind umgezogen. 'haben' is the most common mistake. 'werden' would make a passive or future sentence, which does not fit 'vor drei Wochen', a clear past time.
2. 2. c) die — A relative pronoun takes its gender from the noun it refers to (die Küche → feminine) and its case from its role in the relative clause: 'wir haben die Küche ausgesucht' → accusative. Feminine accusative = die. The trap is 'den', chosen by learners who remember 'accusative = den', which is only true for masculine nouns. 'der' is feminine dative/genitive.
3. 3. b) Obwohl — The verb ('war') is at the end, so this is a subordinate clause and needs a conjunction. The meaning is a contrast: the move was tiring, but everything went well → obwohl. 'Trotzdem' means something similar but is an adverb followed directly by the verb: 'Der Umzug war anstrengend. Trotzdem hat alles geklappt.' 'Weil' gives a reason, which does not fit.
4. 4. c) auf — 'sich freuen auf' means looking forward to something that has not happened yet; 'sich freuen über' means being happy about something that has happened or that you have. The visit is in May, in the future → auf. 'an' is not used with this verb. At B1, learn these verbs together with their prepositions.

In the real exam Sprachbausteine has two parts: Teil 1 has 10 grammar gaps in a text (a/b/c), Teil 2 has 10 gaps filled from a list of 15 words (a–o). Each gap is worth 1.5 points, 30 points in total. Look at the whole sentence, not just the words next to the gap: where is the verb, what gender is the noun, which case is needed?

1. 1. Falsch — 'Bei uns muss niemand vorsingen': 'niemand' turns the statement around. The distractor is that 'vorsingen' appears both in the statement and in the recording. Hearing the word is not enough; you have to catch the negation that comes with it (niemand, kein, nicht).
2. 2. Richtig — 'Am Anfang waren wir nur acht, heute kommen fast vierzig Leute.' The statement uses no numbers, but going from eight to forty means 'more'. In B1 listening the correct answer is often phrased in other words like this.
3. 3. Falsch — 'Die Proben sind kostenlos.' The trap follows right after: hearing 'Spenden' (donations), you might think members pay. But donations are only collected at concerts, for music stands, not for rehearsals.

In the real exam Teil 2 has 10 statements. Before the recording starts you have 60 seconds to read them, and you hear the conversation twice: mark what you are sure of the first time and check the rest the second time. In telc B1 all three listening parts are Richtig/Falsch; the short texts in Teil 1 are played only once. On this page you can replay the recording freely; in the full mock exams on Level Exams the audio runs on its own and cannot be paused, as in the real exam.

In the real exam the writing section has a single task: you reply to an e-mail and must cover ALL four points; if one is missing, your 'Aufgabenbewältigung' score drops. The text is scored on three criteria (task fulfilment, communicative form, grammar and spelling), each on an A/B/C/D scale; the section is worth 45 points in total. Aim for 80–120 words. The greeting and closing (Liebe Carla … Viele Grüße) count towards communicative form. Giving each point its own paragraph, as in the sample, makes sure none is skipped. On Level Exams your text is scored by AI against the official criteria for this level.

• Wann besuchen? – einen Vorschlag machen „Wie wäre es, wenn wir Tobias gleich am Samstagvormittag besuchen?“ — 'Wie wäre es, wenn …' is a polite, typical way to make a suggestion. Alternatives: 'Ich schlage vor, dass …', 'Wir könnten …'.
• Einkäufe – zustimmen und Aufgaben übernehmen „Gute Idee! Dann übernehme ich die Einkäufe am Montag und am Donnerstag.“ — Instead of just saying 'ja', agree and take on a concrete task; that moves the plan forward.
• Was mitbringen? – einen Gegenvorschlag machen „Blumen finde ich nicht so praktisch. Wollen wir ihm nicht lieber ein paar Bücher oder ein Brettspiel mitbringen?“ — Instead of a bare 'Nein', give a short reason and then your own idea with 'lieber'. Polite disagreement also earns points.
• Wie ihm die Zeit vertreiben? – nach der Meinung fragen „Was meinst du, sollen wir am Wochenende einen Spieleabend bei ihm machen?“ — Asking your partner's opinion keeps the conversation two-way. Teil 3 assesses planning together, not a monologue.
• Wer füttert seine Katze? – ablehnen mit Begründung „Am Dienstag kann ich leider nicht, da habe ich bis acht Uhr Kurs. Könntest du an dem Tag zu ihm fahren?“ — When you say no, give a reason and offer a solution straight away; 'Könntest du …?' (Konjunktiv II) makes the request softer.
• Sich einigen – zusammenfassen „Also, dann machen wir es so: Du fütterst die Katze, ich kaufe ein, und am Samstag besuchen wir ihn zusammen.“ — Summarising the plan at the end shows that you reached an agreement, which is the actual goal of the task.

In the real exam the speaking section is taken in pairs, with 20 minutes of preparation beforehand. In Teil 3 the notes on the card guide the conversation: make suggestions, react to your partner's ideas (agree, disagree, offer alternatives) and reach a joint plan at the end. Teil 3 is worth 30 of the section's 75 points; expressive ability, task fulfilment, grammatical accuracy and pronunciation are scored separately. On Level Exams an AI partner plays the other role and your answer is scored against the official criteria for this level.