telc B1 Scoring and Results: What Score Do You Need to Pass?
Last updated: August 2026 · 7 min read
telc Deutsch B1 is marked out of 300 points: 225 written (75%) and 75 oral (25%). To pass you need 60% in each part separately — at least 135 points in the written exam and 45 in the oral one. Miss either threshold and you fail, because a high score in one part does not compensate for the other.
How the points are distributed
| Subtest | Items | Points | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leseverstehen | 1–20 | 75 | 25% |
| Sprachbausteine | 21–40 | 30 | 10% |
| Hörverstehen | 41–60 | 75 | 25% |
| Schriftlicher Ausdruck | 1 email | 45 | 15% |
| Written total | — | 225 | 75% |
| Mündlicher Ausdruck | Parts 1–3 | 75 | 25% |
| Overall | — | 300 | 100% |
Source: telc gGmbH, telc Deutsch B1 Übungstest 1 — "Punkte und Gewichtung".
Two thresholds, two calculations
This is where candidates most often get it wrong: the threshold is not per subtest. A weak reading result does not fail you on its own; what counts is that the four written subtests together reach 135. Points won in Sprachbausteine can absorb losses in Hörverstehen.
But that compensation stays inside the written exam. A candidate with 200 written points and 44 oral points does not pass. That is why the oral exam deserves a far more central place in preparation than most candidates give it.
The grade scale
If both thresholds are met, the two results are added and the overall grade follows this scale:
| Total points | Grade |
|---|---|
| 270–300 | sehr gut |
| 240–269.5 | gut |
| 210–239.5 | befriedigend |
| 180–209.5 | ausreichend |
| 0–179.5 | nicht bestanden |
Two things to note. First, half points exist (hence 269.5), because writing and speaking are computed from criterion scores. Second, scoring over 180 in total is not sufficient by itself: the 135 + 45 rule still applies, and no grade is calculated until both thresholds are met.
How writing and speaking become points
Schriftlicher Ausdruck is marked on three criteria: Aufgabenbewältigung (task achievement), Kommunikative Gestaltung (communicative design) and Formale Richtigkeit (formal accuracy). Each criterion scores A=5, B=3, C=1, D=0; the sum is then multiplied by three, giving a maximum of 45 points. Every text is read by two telc-licensed raters; if they disagree, the second rating prevails.
Mündlicher Ausdruck uses four criteria, with Parts 2 and 3 weighted double: up to 15 points from Part 1 and 30 each from Parts 2 and 3, giving 75. Two examiners mark independently and then agree on a joint result.
How results are produced
Marking is done centrally at telc gGmbH in Frankfurt. The answer sheet (Antwortbogen S30) is scanned and compared electronically against the stored key. Results are reported by skill; candidates who pass receive a certificate, those who do not receive an Ergebnisbogen (results sheet). How long the result takes to reach you depends on your exam centre, so ask them when you register.
If you fail: retake rules
- You may retake only the part you failed. If you failed — or did not sit — the written or the oral part, you can repeat that part within the calendar year of the exam or the following calendar year.
- The retake result is final. When you repeat a part, only the new result counts, irrevocably — even if the earlier one was better.
- The full exam may be repeated as often as you like.
That has a practical consequence: if you were borderline in the oral exam and decide to use your retake, go in genuinely prepared. Treating it as "let's just try" can irreversibly erase a result you already had.
See your score before the exam
On Zertifly the reading, Sprachbausteine and listening exercises follow the exam format, so you find out which subtest is dragging you below the threshold well before exam day.
Conclusion
There is only one formula to remember for telc B1: 135 + 45. Inside the written exam the subtests compensate for each other; between written and oral they do not. Build your preparation plan so that each threshold is secured on its own.
For the exam structure see our telc Deutsch B1 guide, and for the oral threshold our telc B1 speaking article.