Failed the telc B1 exam? What applies when only one part is missing

telc Deutsch B1, the German exam, is failed if you stay below 60 % in either the written or the oral exam. You then get a result sheet instead of a certificate, and at B1 and B2 you do not have to redo everything: within twelve months you retake only the part that was missing, and the passed one is credited. That is § 7 of telc’s exam rules.

When is the exam failed?

When one of the two parts is below 60 %: under 135 of 225 points written or under 45 of 75 oral. The two halves are counted separately. An example: 140 points written and 40 oral add up to 180, “ausreichend” in the grade table. The exam is still failed, because 40 is below 45.

In cases like this the partial retake helps: you keep the half you passed. How many points each part carries is on the telc Deutsch B1 exam page.

Do you have to redo everything?

At B1 and B2, no. After a fail, the exam rules let you retake only the oral or only the written exam and have the other part credited. The rules:

• Deadline: twelve months from the date the result sheet was issued.
• When to say so: when you register for the new exam, to the exam centre. The centre then sends telc a copy of your result sheet and your participant number.
• Cost at telc: asking for the credit afterwards costs 40 €. The exam fee is set by your centre.
• Whole parts only: «Eine Wiederholung einzelner Subtests ist nicht gestattet», single sections may not be retaken. If you failed the written exam, you redo reading, language elements, listening and the e-mail, not just listening.
• Always the latest result: credit applies to the most recent result.

Credit is not possible at A1, A2, or for exams scaled over two levels: A2·B1, B1·B2 and B2·C1. So it does not apply to telc Deutsch B1·B2 Beruf, but it does to telc Deutsch B1 and telc Deutsch B2.

For the second attempt it pays to look at where the points are. In the written exam the 225 points split like this: reading 75, language elements 30, listening 75, writing 45. Reading and listening together carry two thirds of the written exam. In the B1 oral, parts 2 and 3 count twice as much as part 1; how marks turn into points there is in the speaking exam: how the oral is marked.

How often can you retake the exam?

As often as you like. «Eine Prüfung kann insgesamt beliebig oft wiederholt werden. Jedes Ergebnis bleibt gültig, auch wenn die Prüfung wiederholt wird»: every result stays valid when you retake. A later attempt does not cancel an earlier certificate, and the exam rules name no waiting period between attempts.

Is a review of the result worth it?

Only with a concrete reason. A review costs 40 € and is possible only within six weeks of issue. After re-marking the new result applies, even if it is lower; if it changes, the 40 € are refunded. An objection, in turn, is about how the exam was run, and narrowly missed points explicitly do not count as a reason.

Often more useful is an inspection: within three months you can ask telc to see your answer sheets in person. No copies, but you see where the points went. Right after the exam you will not find out: the centre may not tell you anything about your performance, and only telc sets the result.

How do you plan the second attempt?

Backwards. The result comes after 4 to 6 weeks, and centres have registration deadlines: at VHS Rhein-Sieg registration closes 29 days before the exam. If you wait for the result, then, at least 4 to 6 weeks plus the registration deadline lie between the first exam day and the second attempt, about two months or more at that centre. The twelve months for the partial retake leave time to practise the weak part on purpose. How centres set dates is on the dates and registration page; when and how the result arrives is in telc results: when do they come?.

If you fall ill before the second date, a doctor’s certificate helps: telc can then waive the fee for the centre. What you get back yourself is up to your centre; at VHS Rhein-Sieg, with proof of illness, the cancellation fee is 29 € plus 5 € admin.