telc B1 Sample Questions: Real Items from the Official Übungstest

Last updated: August 2026 · 8 min read

The single most valuable resource for telc B1 preparation is telc gGmbH's own telc Deutsch B1 Übungstest 1: a full practice exam in the real format, with audio and the official answer key. This article takes real items from that booklet and works through them — seeing why one option is right and another is a trap teaches more than ten pages of tactics.

Leseverstehen Part 1: five texts, ten headlines

The instruction reads: "Lesen Sie die Überschriften a–j und die Texte 1–5. Finden Sie für jeden Text die passende Überschrift." There are ten headlines but only five are used — five are distractors.

The first text in Übungstest 1 summarises a study by the B.A.T. Freizeitforschungsinstitut Hamburg describing the typical computer enthusiast: "Er ist männlich, jung und hat einen höheren Schulabschluss." Two headlines look close:

• c — Der Computer: Liebstes Hobby von Deutschlands Frauen
• i — Umfrage: Wer verwendet den Computer am häufigsten?

The correct answer is i. Option c is tempting at word level (Computer, Hobby), but the text says the typical user is männlich; the claim about "Frauen" is the opposite of what is written. In Part 1, match the headline to the main idea, not to a shared word. The official answers here: 1 i, 2 d, 3 b, 4 f, 5 h.

Leseverstehen Part 3: the part with an "x" answer

Here you get ten situations (11–20) and twelve small ads (a–l). The crucial line in the rubric: "Wenn Sie zu einer Situation keine Anzeige finden, markieren Sie ein x." Some situations have no matching ad at all, and x is the correct answer.

Three of the situations in Übungstest 1 read:

• 13 — In den Sommerferien möchten Sie gerne in die USA fliegen. Sie brauchen dort auch eine Unterkunft.
• 14 — Reisebüros bieten billigere Flüge an, wenn man in letzter Minute bucht. Sie suchen so einen Flug.
• 15 — Ihre Tochter, die studiert, möchte in die USA fliegen. Sie suchen einen billigen Flug für sie.

All three mention "USA" and "Flug"; the difference is in the detail. Item 13 needs flight plus accommodation, item 15 needs a student fare, item 14 needs a last-minute deal. Per the official key 13 → d and 15 → e, but 14 → x: no ad offers last-minute flights. In this test items 14 and 19 are x — two out of ten. You score those points by marking x, not by leaving the item blank.

Sprachbausteine Part 1: ten gaps, ten grammar topics

The text is a personal letter to a friend called Karin: "Liebe Karin, nach meinem Praktikum in Frankreich bin ich jetzt wieder zu Hause. Wie du ja weißt, …" The three options offered at each gap show exactly which topic is being tested:

Item 30 is the most instructive example in the whole subtest: all three options are grammatically flawless. What decides it is the register of the text. The letter opens "Liebe Karin … wie du ja weißt", so it uses du; that rules out Ihnen and uns, leaving a (dir). Always read the tone and form of address before you start filling gaps.

The official key for 21–30: a, c, a, a, a, b, a, b, b, a. Note that six of the ten answers are "a". Repeated letters are perfectly normal — never change an answer you were sure about just because "I have marked too many a's".

Hörverstehen Part 1: five statements, one listening

The topic is "Gleichberechtigung im Haushalt" — five short interviews about sharing housework. The texts are played only once, after 30 seconds to read the statements. The statements and their official answers:

Item 42 is a textbook trap. The speaker says "kochen tu immer ich", then adds "Dafür wäscht meine Frau eben ab" and "Wäsche waschen mach ich nicht so gerne". The words waschen and Wäsche from the statement are audible in the recording — but his wife does both. What matters is not word overlap but who does what.

Item 45 is decided by tone: the speaker opens with "mein Mann, der ist ziemlich faul". The statement is falsified without a single negation particle.

Schriftlicher Ausdruck: the real task

In Übungstest 1 the writing task is to answer an email from a friend called Marianne. She is coming to visit and asks when the best time to come is, whether summers are very hot, and what else she should know. The rubric sets four obligatory points:

• welche Ausflüge Sie mit Marianne machen wollen
• was die beste Jahreszeit für die Reise ist
• welche Kleidung sie mitnehmen soll
• wie sie sich am besten auf die Reise vorbereiten kann

The rubric also asks you to plan "eine passende Reihenfolge der Punkte, einen passenden Betreff, eine passende Anrede, Einleitung und einen passenden Schluss" before writing. So listing the four points is not enough: salutation, opening and closing are marked under Kommunikative Gestaltung. The official criteria are explicit on one point, though: because the task is an email, the classic letter features (sender, recipient, date, subject line) are not required. And note: Marianne writes to you with du, so your reply must use du.

The official answer key

Source: telc gGmbH, telc Deutsch B1 Übungstest 1 — "Lösungsschlüssel".

How to use the practice test

• Do not look at the key first. Sit the test under real timing: 90 minutes for Leseverstehen + Sprachbausteine, about 30 minutes for Hörverstehen, 30 minutes for writing.
• Use the answer sheet too. The Antwortbogen S30 is included in the booklet; without practising the marking and transfer, your sense of timing will be unrealistic.
• Label your mistakes by topic. "Four wrong in Sprachbausteine" tells you nothing; "three wrong on relative pronouns" decides your next study session.

Conclusion

The official Übungstest is the backbone of telc B1 preparation: format, difficulty and scoring match the real exam exactly. But one practice test is one measurement — the actual improvement comes from working repeatedly on the error types it reveals.

For scoring and pass rules see our telc B1 scoring article; for subtest-by-subtest tactics see Sprachbausteine and Hörverstehen.