telc C1 Hochschule writing topics: 16 Erörterung themes
Last updated: 11 November 2026 · Checked against the official exam documents
In the Schriftlicher Ausdruck of telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule you get two university-related topics, choose one and write an Erörterung of at least 350 words in 70 minutes. Below are 16 original practice topics in five areas, each with two opposing positions, plus a time plan and a paragraph-by-paragraph word plan.
What the topic sheet looks like
Each topic has three parts: a Situierung that places you in a context (a seminar or a student newspaper, for example), an Arbeitsanweisung that lists what to do, and two short Aussagen that look at the issue from opposite angles.
The Arbeitsanweisung typically asks you to take up the quotes, weigh advantages and drawbacks, bring in your own experience and reach a conclusion. Each of these steps is checked under Aufgabengerechtheit.
16 practice topics with both positions
The topics were written for Zertifly. Each row gives the German topic title and the two positions a pair of quotes could defend; you can build your own Aussagen from them.
| Area | Thema | Position 1 | Position 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studies & teaching | Pflichtpraktikum im Bachelorstudium | Real work experience, an easier start to a career. | Makes degrees longer; internships are often unpaid. |
| Studies & teaching | Mündliche Prüfungen statt Klausuren | Tests understanding rather than memorisation. | Grading can be subjective; nerves put some students at a disadvantage. |
| Studies & teaching | Lehrevaluation mit Konsequenzen für Lehrende | Creates pressure to improve teaching. | Rewards popular courses rather than demanding ones. |
| Studies & teaching | Teilzeitstudium als reguläres Angebot | Opens university to working people and parents. | Longer studies, higher drop-out risk, more admin. |
| Digitalisation | Learning Analytics: Lernplattformen werten Daten aus | Students who struggle are spotted early and helped. | Feels like surveillance; raises data-protection issues. |
| Digitalisation | Online-Prüfungen mit Webcam-Aufsicht | Flexible exams from anywhere. | Intrusion into privacy; technical failures. |
| Digitalisation | E-Books statt gedruckter Bibliotheksbestände | Available at any time and searchable. | Licences can expire; screen reading is tiring. |
| Research | Tierversuche in der universitären Forschung | Needed for medical progress; strictly regulated. | Ethically questionable; alternative methods exist. |
| Research | Citizen Science: Laien forschen mit | More data; brings science closer to society. | Doubtful data quality; unpaid labour. |
| Research | Publikationsdruck in der Wissenschaft | Measurable output, transparent competition. | Quantity over quality; risky research avoided. |
| Research | Zivilklausel: keine Forschung für militärische Zwecke | Universities should serve peace. | Restricts academic freedom; dual use can't be separated. |
| Higher-education policy | Losverfahren bei der Studienplatzvergabe | Fairer than grades that say little. | Effort no longer rewarded; chance decides futures. |
| Higher-education policy | Quote für Professorinnen | Role models; offsets structural disadvantage. | Only qualification should count; risk of stigma. |
| Higher-education policy | Hochschulrankings als Entscheidungshilfe | Helps orientation; drives competition. | Oversimplifies; criteria are debatable. |
| Student life | Wohnheimplatz-Garantie für Erstsemester | Easier start, equal opportunities. | Costly; older students are left out. |
| Student life | Soziales Engagement als Studienleistung | Social responsibility, hands-on learning. | Compulsion contradicts volunteering; extra workload. |
Picking one of two topics in 5 minutes
- For each topic, ask yourself: can I give two concrete examples from my own studies?
- Can I paraphrase both quotes in my own words? If one quote is unclear to you, avoid that topic.
- Do I know the key vocabulary (e.g. Datenschutz, Forschungsfreiheit, Chancengleichheit)?
- Don't choose a topic just because you hold a strong opinion; you still have to present both sides fairly.
- Once you've decided, don't switch; an abandoned plan is the biggest time-waster.
A 70-minute time plan
| Phase | Minutes | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Choose | 0–5 | Read both topic sheets and pick one using the questions above. |
| Plan | 5–15 | Underline the steps in the Arbeitsanweisung; note two arguments per quote and one example; sketch the paragraphs. |
| Write | 15–60 | Write the plan paragraph by paragraph; aim for about 380–410 words. |
| Check | 60–70 | Are all steps covered? Verb position, Konjunktiv I, articles, commas; estimate the word count from lines × words per line. |
This split is a recommendation; telc only sets the total of 70 minutes.
Paragraph plan for 350+ words
A five-paragraph structure covers the typical steps of the Arbeitsanweisung one by one and takes you naturally past 350 words.
| Paragraph | Approx. words | Content | German opener |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | 50–60 | Open with an observation, name the debate, announce your plan. | In den letzten Jahren wird zunehmend darüber diskutiert, ob … |
| Aussage 1 | 90–100 | Paraphrase the quote, assess it, give two reasons. | In der ersten Aussage wird die Auffassung vertreten, dass … |
| Aussage 2 | 90–100 | Link the opposing view, show its strengths and weaknesses. | Dem steht die Ansicht gegenüber, … sei … |
| Experience / example | 70–80 | A concrete example from your own studies. | Aus meinem eigenen Studium kenne ich … |
| Fazit | 60–70 | Weigh the arguments, state your position clearly, end with a proposal. | Wägt man die Argumente gegeneinander ab, so komme ich zu dem Schluss, dass … |
Start with one of the topics now
Pick a topic from this page and put the plan on paper; then write a full text on Zertifly with a topic pair in exam format. The feedback follows the four official criteria and shows what is missing in each.
Official sources
The exam rules and figures in this guide were checked against the official sources below.
Related guide
Try choosing a topic under exam conditions
On Zertifly, pick one of two topics, write in 70 minutes and get feedback out of 48 by the four official criteria. The first task is free.