telc C1 Hochschule Hören Teil 3: Note-Taking Guide
Last updated: 11 November 2026 · Checked against the official exam documents
In Teil 3 of the telc C1 Hochschule Hörverstehen you hear a lecture once and complete ten lines on a handout with short notes. It is worth 20 of the 48 Hören points, and it is the Teil where good technique pays off most. This guide explains how the handout works, which abbreviations help, what a correct note looks like, and lets you try three original gaps.
How Teil 3 works
You get a handout (Handzettel) showing the slides of the presentation: slide titles, some complete lines and ten lines with an empty space, numbered 65 to 74. Line 0 is a solved example. While the lecture runs, you write the missing information in keyword form (stichwortartig) into the spaces. The lecture is played only once, and the gaps follow its order.
Each gap is worth two points. Scoring works with keyword groups: the scorer checks whether the key information is in your note. Some lines ask for more than one piece of information — for example two of three points the speaker lists.
| Line on the handout | What is missing |
|---|---|
| Ursprüngliches Ziel des Projekts: …… | An aim: verb + object (what did they want to do?) |
| Anteil der Meldungen, die korrigiert werden mussten: …… | A number with its unit |
| Größte Schwierigkeit heute: …… | A short statement: what is the problem? |
| Vorteile für Teilnehmende: …… / …… | Two separate pieces of information |
Read the handout before the audio
- Read the slide titles first: they are the skeleton of the lecture and tell you where you are.
- For every gap line, predict the type of answer: a number, a name, a reason, a consequence, a comparison?
- Watch for cue words: „Anteil“, „Zahl“, „seit“ (number/time), „weil“, „Grund“ (reason), „Folge“ (consequence), „aber“ (contrast).
- Check the grammar of the line: if it ends with „Ziel:“ or „…, aber“, your note has to complete it.
- Notice gaps that sit close together: two gaps on the same slide can come in quick succession.
Abbreviations and symbols for fast notes
With only one hearing, abbreviations save seconds. Use common German abbreviations freely. Private symbols help you keep track while listening, but the note in the gap has to be understandable to someone else.
| Abbreviation → full form | Meaning | In the gap |
|---|---|---|
| z. B. → zum Beispiel | for example | Widely understood |
| bzw. → beziehungsweise | or / respectively | Widely understood |
| ca. → circa, ungefähr | approximately | Widely understood |
| d. h. → das heißt | that is | Widely understood |
| u. a. → unter anderem | among other things | Widely understood |
| Mio. / Mrd. → Million / Milliarde | million / billion | Widely understood |
| % → Prozent | per cent | Widely understood |
| Jh. → Jahrhundert | century | Widely understood |
| Prof. → Professor, Professorin | professor | Widely understood |
| ↑ / ↓ → steigt / sinkt | rises / falls | Can be ambiguous — prefer words in the gap |
| → → führt zu, daraus folgt | leads to, it follows that | Can be ambiguous — prefer words in the gap |
| ≠ → im Gegensatz zu, nicht gleich | unlike, not equal | Can be ambiguous — prefer words in the gap |
| + / – → Vorteil / Nachteil | advantage / disadvantage | Can be ambiguous — prefer words in the gap |
| Wiss. → Wissenschaft, wissenschaftlich | science, scientific | Can be ambiguous — prefer words in the gap |
Settle on your set of symbols before the exam — the exam is not the place to invent new ones.
What counts as a correct note
- The key information that answers the line — usually a noun group or short phrase: „Vogelarten erfassen“, „knapp 4 %“.
- Keywords are enough; full sentences cost time and earn nothing extra.
- Write numbers as you understood them, with their unit: „4 %“, „20–22 Grad“, „1/5“.
- One clear answer per gap. Don't list several candidates hoping one is right — the note has to say one thing.
- Spelling should be clear: the scorer must recognise the word without doubt. Write legibly and spell the German word as correctly as you can.
- Distractors are mentioned on purpose: a number for another group, an idea the speaker rejects, a later development.
| Note („Größte Schwierigkeit heute“) | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Freiwillige hören nach wenigen Wochen auf | Counts | Who + what: the key information is complete |
| Freiwillige springen schnell ab | Counts | Same content in other words |
| Datenqualität | Does not count | Explicitly ruled out: „nicht bei der Datenqualität“ |
| Technik / App | Does not count | Ruled out: „die App läuft inzwischen stabil“ |
| Freiwillige | Does not count | Incomplete: says who, not what the problem is |
Try it: three gaps from an original lecture
All three lines come from the same lecture about a citizen-science project („Stadtnatur zählt“). Play each part once, type your note and check it. The check accepts many common phrasings; in the exam, any note with the same key information counts.
Hören Teil 3 · Original exercise 1
Sie hören einen Ausschnitt aus einem Vortrag. Ergänzen Sie die Zeile auf dem Handzettel stichwortartig. Sie hören den Text nur einmal.
Ursprüngliches Ziel des Projekts: ……
Hören Teil 3 · Original exercise 2
Sie hören einen weiteren Ausschnitt aus demselben Vortrag. Ergänzen Sie die Zeile stichwortartig. Sie hören den Text nur einmal.
Anteil der Meldungen, die korrigiert werden mussten: ……
Hören Teil 3 · Original exercise 3
Sie hören den letzten Ausschnitt aus demselben Vortrag. Ergänzen Sie die Zeile stichwortartig. Sie hören den Text nur einmal.
Größte Schwierigkeit heute: ……
Zertifly created these original tasks from the official task formats; they are not past exam questions.
A training routine for note-taking
- Five minutes a day: listen to a short German podcast or lecture clip, write only 5–8 keywords and compare them with the transcript.
- At least once a week: one Teil 3 exercise on Zertifly, audio once, then compare your notes with the answers line by line.
- Keep a list of your mistakes: missed numbers, distractors, incomplete notes. Most mistakes repeat.
- Before the exam: the simulation tab (Pro) runs the whole Hören module including Teil 3 under exam conditions; your telc C1 study route on the dashboard schedules it.
Official sources
The exam rules and figures in this guide were checked against the official sources below.
Related guide
Train note-taking with real lectures
Each of Zertifly's 15 telc C1 Hören sets includes a Teil 3 lecture with a handout. Start with the free first set and play the audio only once.