telc B1 Study Plan: An 8-Week Programme
Last updated: August 2026 · 7 min read
A good study plan is not "a bit of German every day"; it is putting your time where the points are. The telc B1 point distribution says this by itself — and most candidates' plans do not match it.
First, the map of points
| Part | Points | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Leseverstehen | 75 | 25% |
| Hörverstehen | 75 | 25% |
| Mündlicher Ausdruck | 75 | 25% |
| Schriftlicher Ausdruck | 45 | 15% |
| Sprachbausteine | 30 | 10% |
Two conclusions follow. First: the oral exam is worth as much as reading or listening — yet it usually gets the least preparation time. Second: Sprachbausteine has the lowest value per item, so the time you give it should be capped.
And remember: passing requires 135 written and 45 oral points, with no compensation between them. Your plan has to secure both thresholds separately.
Weekly time split (about 8 hours a week)
- 2 hours speaking — practice with a partner, memorising Redemittel, recording and listening back
- 2 hours listening — true/false exercises, working with a single play
- 2 hours reading — the three-part format, timed
- 1 hour writing — one full email a week plus correction
- 1 hour grammar/vocabulary — connectors, prepositions, Konjunktiv II
The eight-week programme
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Measure. Sit the official Übungstest 1 under real timing. Label every mistake by part and by topic. This decides the rest of the plan. |
| 2 | Connectors and word order. The weil/da/damit/obwohl (verb last) versus deshalb/trotzdem (verb second) distinction, plus Sprachbausteine Part 1 drills. |
| 3 | The reading format. Each of the three parts separately: headline matching, multiple choice, situation-to-ad matching (and the "x" reflex). |
| 4 | Listening. Always practise Part 1 with a single play. Focus on negations and synonym rephrasing traps. |
| 5 | Writing. Three emails this week. Number the four Leitpunkte every time, and vary your sentence openings (not everything starting with "Ich"). |
| 6 | Speaking. Memorise the phrases for all three parts and rehearse the 20-minute preparation with real telc themes (Handy, Haustiere, Online-Einkaufen, Stadt oder Land). |
| 7 | Full mock plus weak spot. One complete practice test, then spend the remaining two days only on your lowest-scoring part. |
| 8 | Rehearsal and rules. Practise marking the answer sheet, review exam-day rules, and revise lightly. No new topics in the last two days. |
If you have less time
- 4 weeks: merge the weeks in pairs, but never skip weeks 1 and 8 — measurement and rehearsal are the two highest-return weeks in the plan.
- 2 weeks: concentrate on three things only: oral exam phrases, the four-Leitpunkt discipline in writing, and the answer-sheet and timing rules. Those three carry the most points in the shortest time.
Fill the plan with real practice
The reading, listening, Sprachbausteine and writing exercises on Zertifly follow the exam format, so you can fill your weekly targets directly with them.
Three habits that make a plan useless
- Only studying the part you enjoy. If you are already good at reading, the extra points there are limited; the real gain sits in your weakest part.
- Sitting practice tests without analysing them. Recording the score is not enough; write down why each item was wrong (word trap, attention, missing knowledge).
- Leaving speaking until last. A 75-point part with no compensation cannot be pushed into the final week.
Conclusion
Build your plan around the map of points, measure in week one, rehearse in the final week, and bring speaking in from the start. The only formula in telc B1 is 135 + 45; a good plan is one that secures those two thresholds independently of each other.
For the scoring details see our scoring article, and for the day itself our exam day article.