DTZ new rules 2026: no B1 with a blank Schreiben from 1 November?

What is changing: today's rule and the planned rule side by side

The DTZ remains a scaled exam with three separate part results: Hören/Lesen (45 points), Schreiben (20 points) and Sprechen (100 points). According to the report, the only thing set to change is how these three results add up to an overall B1.

Everything in the right-hand column comes from the dpa report on the draft. Until an amendment to the IntTestV is published, the current wording of § 10 IntTestV is what counts.

Why: the pattern the ministry describes

According to dpa, the Federal Ministry of the Interior under minister Alexander Dobrindt points to a rise in cheating attempts. Exam tasks and their solutions were often bought illegally on the internet.

The pattern: the bought answers were filled in on the Hören/Lesen answer sheet, while the Schreiben part was frequently left blank or almost blank. Together with Sprechen, that was enough for an overall B1 under today's rule – Schreiben played no role in it.

Today's rule has a sensible background: g.a.s.t. explains that speaking is the key skill, so Sprechen must always reach the certified level, while one of the two written parts may be weaker. The plan is to put a floor under exactly this freedom in the third part.

Which official B1 combinations would stop counting

The DTZ handbook lists five combinations of part results that lead to an overall B1 today. Two of them would disappear under the planned rule – exactly the two in which one written part is below A2.

* Under today's A2 rule (Sprechen at least A2 and one other part at least A2) these results would be A2. The report does not say whether the A2 rule changes as well.

What it means in points

• Hören/Lesen: at least 20 of 45 points. With 45 items worth one point each, you can get at most 25 wrong. If Hören/Lesen is to be your B1 part, you still need 33 points.
• Schreiben: at least 7 of 20 points. If Schreiben is to be your B1 part, you still need 15 points.
• Sprechen: as before, at least 75 of 100 points for B1.
• A blank Schreibbogen scores 0 points. Under the planned rule no overall B1 would then be possible – not even with 45 of 45 in Hören/Lesen and 100 in Sprechen.
• For scale: Schreiben is marked on four criteria worth 0–5 points each. Someone who gets “A2 erfüllt” in all four criteria has 8 points – just above the new floor.
• You can easily drop below 7 points by misreading the task (0 points for the criterion Inhalt) or by covering only one Leitpunkt (at most 2 points for Inhalt).

These sums are for orientation only. Raters judge by criteria, not by counting words or sentences. Our DTZ scoring guide explains the full marking scheme.

Who is affected – and who is not

For most honest candidates, little changes. Someone who is genuinely at B1 and works seriously on all three parts normally reaches at least A2 in every part anyway. Headlines such as “B1 exam gets harder” exaggerate for this group.

The real risk is one very weak part: a blank or almost blank Schreibbogen, a misunderstood task, only one Leitpunkt covered – or very few correct answers in Hören/Lesen (19 or fewer).

For comparison, last year's figures, which BAMF gave according to dpa:

The statistics do not show how many B1 results relied on a part below A2. So they cannot tell us how many people the change would actually affect.

What is still open

• The official text: as of 20 October 2026 there was neither a publication in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) nor an announcement by BAMF. BAMF's DTZ page (dated 19.10.2026) still shows today's rule.
• Transition rules: nothing has been reported on how exams taken before 1 November but graded afterwards will be treated.
• The A2 rule: it is not known whether the conditions for an overall A2 change as well.
• The final wording: a draft can still change before it is published.

Until then, ask your Prüfstelle (test centre) or Kursträger (course provider) which rule will be used to grade your exam date.

Cheating and its consequences

Bought “solutions” are not a shortcut – they are exactly the behaviour the planned change targets. The IntTestV already sets out the consequences:

• Anyone who cheats or tries to, uses or passes on unauthorised aids, or disrupts the exam is excluded from it (§ 8 IntTestV).
• If cheating only comes to light after the exam, BAMF or the test institute excludes the candidate retroactively (§ 8(2) IntTestV).
• Only your ID, a ballpoint pen (plus a spare), the exam papers and a drink are allowed on the desk. Dictionaries, mobile phones and other electronic devices are not allowed in the exam room.
• A valid official photo ID lies visibly on your desk during the written exam (§ 6 IntTestV).
• You can retake the DTZ as often as you like – but always the whole exam, written and oral; part results are not carried over.

What you can do now

• Take Schreiben seriously: practise semi-formal letters and e-mails with four Leitpunkte and cover all four, ideally in the order the task gives them.
• Never hand in a blank sheet: even a short text with a greeting, all four Leitpunkte and a closing earns points; a blank sheet earns 0.
• Time plan: Lesen (45 minutes) and Schreiben (30 minutes) follow each other directly, but each part has its own time. Minutes left over from Lesen cannot be used for Schreiben, and you may not leaf ahead.
• A fixed plan helps for the 30 minutes of Schreiben, for example: about 3 minutes to choose task A or B and mark the Leitpunkte, about 22 minutes to write, about 5 minutes to check (greeting, closing, all Leitpunkte, verbs).
• Only the Schreibbogen counts: notes in the task booklet are not marked. Tick the task you chose; you have the front and back of the sheet for your text, but no extra sheets.
• Secure Hören/Lesen: transfer every answer to the answer sheet – only the answer sheet is marked.
• Check which rule applies to your date: ask your course provider or test centre, especially if your exam is shortly before 1 November.

You will find practice letters with model answers in our DTZ Schreiben examples guide, and the detailed marking scheme in our DTZ scoring guide.

Official sources

The exam rules and figures in this guide were checked against the official sources below.

• dpa-Meldung: Strengere Regeln bei Deutschtests für Zuwanderer (Oktober 2026)
• Integrationskurstestverordnung (IntTestV), §§ 6–11
• g.a.s.t.: Der DTZ auf einen Blick – Aufbau, Bewertung und Punktzahlen
• BAMF: Abschlussprüfung mit Zertifikat – DTZ und Test „Leben in Deutschland“
• BAMF / Goethe-Institut: Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer – Prüfungsziele, Testbeschreibung (PDF)
• g.a.s.t.: Häufig gestellte Fragen zum DTZ

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