telc B1 Hörverstehen: 3 Parts, Richtig/Falsch and Tactics

Last updated: August 2026 · 7 min read

Hörverstehen is the third subtest of the written telc Deutsch B1 exam. It takes about 30 minutes and contains three parts with a total of 20 items (41–60). Its defining feature: in telc B1 every listening item is a Richtig/Falsch (true/false) statement — there are no multiple-choice questions. The subtest is worth 75 points, which is 25% of the exam's 300 points.

Structure at a glance

Source: telc gGmbH, telc Deutsch B1 Übungstest 1 — "Punkte und Gewichtung" table.

Part 1: Five short texts – played only once

You hear five independent short texts and decide whether statements 41–45 are true or false. The critical point: these texts are played only once. You get 30 seconds to read the statements before the audio starts — use every second of it.

The goal is Globalverstehen: catch the overall message rather than individual words. Ask yourself "what is this speaker getting at?". On the answer sheet you mark PLUS (+) for true and MINUS (–) for false.

Part 2: One long conversation – played twice

You hear a single Gespräch (an interview or an extended dialogue) and judge 10 statements (46–55). The recording is played twice and you get one minute to read the statements first. With 10 items this is the densest part of the module.

What is tested is Detailverstehen: each statement usually targets one specific detail. The statements follow the order of the conversation, so if you miss one, move on and come back during the second playing.

Part 3: Five short announcements – each played twice

Again five short texts (answering-machine messages, announcements, radio notices) and 5 statements (56–60). The difference: each text is played twice.

The goal is selektives Verstehen: extracting one specific piece of information — a street name, a time, a cinema, a phone number. Underline the proper nouns, numbers and times in the statements beforehand and listen for exactly those.

Scoring

All three parts are worth 25 points each — the item counts differ, the weights do not. An item in Part 1 or 3 is therefore worth 5 points, while an item in the 10-item Part 2 is worth 2.5. In practice: Part 1, the one played only once, is the most expensive part per item, and every mistake there costs twice as much.

Listening has no separate pass mark; the threshold applies to the written exam as a whole: at least 135 of 225 points (60%). See our telc B1 scoring and results article for the details.

Listening tactics

1. Never leave a true/false item blank. There is no extra penalty for a wrong answer, so always mark something.
2. Watch the negations. Words like nicht, kein, nur, immer, nie in a statement can flip the answer on their own.
3. Expect synonym traps. The recording rarely repeats the statement's wording; it paraphrases it. Hearing the same word is not proof of "richtig".
4. Prioritise Part 1 in practice. A single playing needs the most training, so give it extra time in preparation.
5. Transfer answers immediately. telc gives no separate transfer time; answer sheet S30 is collected as soon as listening ends.

Conclusion

Because there is only one item type, telc B1 listening is easy to learn but subtle to master. Knowing how often each part is played, watching for negations and drilling Part 1 separately are the three habits that raise your score fastest.

For the whole exam, see our telc Deutsch B1 guide.