telc C1 Hochschule study plan: 8 weeks to exam day
Last updated: 11 November 2026 · Checked against the official exam documents
In telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule you need 99 of 166 points in the written exam and 29 of 48 in the oral exam. This plan builds eight weeks around those two lines: a diagnosis first, then Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine and Hörverstehen in the exam format, then the Erörterung and the oral exam, and two full simulations in the last two weeks. Each week names the Zertifly list to open.
The 8-week plan
The plan follows the written exam's point structure: Leseverstehen and Hörverstehen start early because their 2-point items carry the most weight, and the Erörterung and oral exam appear every week from week 4. The week-1 diagnosis tells you which part gets extra sets later on.
| Week | Focus | Tasks | Zertifly list |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Format + diagnosis | Do one set each of Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine and Hörverstehen under exam timing; log your points against 166; try one Erörterung in 70 minutes | Leseverstehen · Sprachbausteine · Hörverstehen · Schriftlicher Ausdruck |
| 2 | Leseverstehen Teil 1–2 + connectors | Teil 1: place sentences a–h using context clues (~15 min); Teil 2: match questions to paragraphs (~15 min); 2 Sprachbausteine sets | Leseverstehen Teil 1–2 · Sprachbausteine |
| 3 | Hörverstehen Teil 1–2, single listening | Read the items first, hear each text once; Sprachbausteine focus: Konjunktiv I and Partizipialattribute | Hörverstehen Teil 1–2 · Sprachbausteine |
| 4 | Erörterung + Präsentation | 2 Erörterungen (at least 350 words); Teil 1A: 2 topics with 20 min preparation + 3–4 min talk | Schriftlicher Ausdruck · Mündlicher Ausdruck Teil 1 |
| 5 | Leseverstehen Teil 3 + Hörverstehen Teil 3 | Long text ~30 min + Makroaufgabe ~5 min; keyword notes during the Vortrag; checkpoint 1 | Leseverstehen Teil 3 · Hörverstehen Teil 3 |
| 6 | Teil 1B + Diskussion | Summarise a partner's talk and ask a follow-up question; 6-min discussion on a Teil 2 quote; one more Erörterung | Mündlicher Ausdruck Teil 1–2 · Schriftlicher Ausdruck |
| 7 | Full simulation 1 | Written exam in order: 90 min Lesen + Sprachbausteine, 20 min break, Hören, 70 min Schreiben; oral the next day; sort your errors by type | Simulation (Pro) |
| 8 | Weak spots + simulation 2 | Extra sets for the two parts that lost most points; second full simulation mid-week; light review in the last two days | Simulation (Pro) · weakest Teil |
1 hour or 2 hours a day?
Eight weeks are 56 days: about 56 study hours at 1 hour a day, about 112 at 2 hours. If your week-1 written total is close to 99, the 1-hour schedule may be enough; if it is clearly below, take the 2-hour schedule.
| Block | 1 hour a day | 2 hours a day |
|---|---|---|
| Reading/listening (weekdays) | 25 min: one Leseverstehen or Hörverstehen Teil | 45 min: one Leseverstehen and one Hörverstehen Teil |
| Sprachbausteine | 15 min: half a set + error log | 20 min: a full set (22 gaps) |
| Output (Schreiben/Sprechen) | 10 min: Redemittel, a short spoken summary | 40 min: part of an Erörterung or one oral Teil |
| Review | 10 min: mistakes and vocabulary | 15 min: mistakes, vocabulary, notes |
| Weekend | 1 Erörterung (70 min) or one oral Teil | Mini simulation: 90 min Lesen + Sprachbausteine, or Hören + Schreiben |
Checkpoints: how close are you to 99/166 and 29/48?
The written exam is judged as one total, not part by part. Interim targets still help: at 60 % in Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine and Hörverstehen (29 + 14 + 29 = 72 of 118) you need at least 27 points in Schriftlicher Ausdruck, for example B, B, B, C = 28. Keep your targets slightly higher, because scores move on exam day.
| When | Written target | Oral target | If you are below |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of week 1 (diagnosis) | Record your starting score out of 166 | Record one Teil 1A talk and get a /48 estimate | Note the gap per part; the plan continues as is |
| End of week 5 (checkpoint 1) | Leseverstehen + Sprachbausteine + Hörverstehen: at least 72/118 | – | Add 2 extra sets of your weakest part in week 6 |
| Week 7 (simulation 1) | At least 99/166, ideally a few points above | At least 29/48 | Give week 8 entirely to your weakest part |
| Week 8 (simulation 2) | Above simulation 1 and above 99 | Above 29, Teil 1B and Teil 2 complete | No new topics; work on your most frequent error types |
What Sprachbausteine tests: three original items
Sprachbausteine is a popular-science news text with 22 gaps and four options a–d each. It tests separable-verb particles, prepositions, connectors, word order in noun phrases, fixed expressions, Konjunktiv I in reported speech, participial attributes and nominal style. The items below show the type.
Sprachbausteine · Original exercise 1
Wählen Sie das passende Wort für die Lücke.
Welche Form passt in die Lücke?
Sprachbausteine · Original exercise 2
Wählen Sie das passende Wort für die Lücke.
Welche Präposition passt?
Sprachbausteine · Original exercise 3
Wählen Sie das passende Wort für die Lücke.
Welches Partizip passt?
Zertifly created these original tasks from the official task formats; they are not past exam questions.
Fitting Schreiben and the oral exam into the plan
In Schriftlicher Ausdruck you choose one of two topics and write a university-related Erörterung based on two opposing statements (Aussagen): at least 350 words in 70 minutes. In the oral exam there are 20 minutes of preparation for Teil 1A only; then come a 3–4-minute presentation, the partner's summary and follow-up questions in Teil 1B, and a 6-minute discussion of a quote in Teil 2.
- After each Erörterung, check the four criteria one by one: Aufgabengerechtheit, Korrektheit, Repertoire, Kommunikative Gestaltung.
- Do not use memorised texts: an off-topic text gets D in all four criteria.
- Train Teil 1B separately: two notes while listening, then one summary sentence and one follow-up question.
- In Teil 2, cover all four points: how you understand the quote, how far you agree, reasons and examples, and a reaction to your partner.
Using Zertifly alongside the plan
When you choose C1 and telc on the dashboard, the telc C1 study route opens; you can combine the weeks of this plan with its steps. There are 15 sets each for Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine and Hörverstehen, 15 Erörterung topics for Schriftlicher Ausdruck, and an AI partner for Teil 1 and Teil 2 of Mündlicher Ausdruck. Free accounts include a small number of AI evaluations.
For the full simulations in weeks 7 and 8, use each list's Simulation tab. It is a Pro feature: with a free account you see what it contains and an upgrade option.
Official sources
The exam rules and figures in this guide were checked against the official sources below.
Related guide
Start your plan today
Choose the telc C1 study route on the dashboard and run the week-1 diagnosis with Zertifly's Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine and Hörverstehen lists.