German language level B1: what you can do and when you need it

B1 is the third of the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): you understand the main points when the topic is familiar – work, school, leisure – and you speak and write in simple but connected German. In Germany, B1 is the line for two applications: citizenship and the settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis). You prove it with a certificate such as telc Deutsch B1.

What does German level B1 mean?

The CEFR has six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. B1 is the third from the bottom; B2, C1 and C2 lie above it.

The Council of Europe’s global scale describes B1 in four sentences. Applied to life in Germany:

telc puts it more concretely: conversations about family, hobbies, work and current events, with generally correct grammar. What separates B1 from the next level is in the difference between B1 and B2; what B2 means, in German language level B2.

When do you need B1 in Germany?

In three places B1 is the explicit line:

On top of that comes the job-language course (Berufssprachkurs): without a finished integration course you need proof of at least B1 to join it. For employers, training or universities there is no general level; each decides for itself.

There are exceptions to B1 for citizenship: anyone who cannot reach it because of illness, disability or age is exempt, and children under 16 need age-appropriate German.

How do you prove B1?

Most simply with a certificate that says B1. The usual ways:

• telc Deutsch B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch), developed by telc, the Austrian ÖSD, the Swiss EDK and the Goethe-Institut. The city of Karlsruhe asks for exactly this certificate, oral and written, in its citizenship leaflet.
• Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer with the result B1, if you took it in an integration course. If it says A2, it is not enough. The two exams are compared in DTZ vs telc B1.
• Without a new exam: an earlier B1 certificate, four years at a German-speaking school, a German school-leaving or vocational qualification, or a degree taught in German – at least according to the Karlsruhe leaflet.

Ask your authority which proof it accepts before you register. What citizenship requires besides the language is on German test for citizenship.

How does telc Deutsch B1 test the level?

In two parts that count separately. The written exam takes 150 minutes: reading and language elements in 90 minutes without a break, listening about 30 minutes, an e-mail in 30 minutes. The oral is usually in pairs, about 15 minutes, after 20 minutes of preparation.

For the certificate you need 60 % in both parts: 135 of 225 points written and 45 of 75 oral. A good result in one part does not make up for the other. That matters because the authorities ask for B1 oral and written – the certificate states both only if both parts are passed. How the points split across the tasks is on telc Deutsch B1 exam.

How can you tell whether you are at B1 yet?

Best by the tasks B1 is tested with. telc offers a practice test with audio for free; take it with a clock and without a dictionary. Three places tell you the most:

• E-mail. Can you answer a message in 30 minutes and cover four given points? At B1 one short, sensible sentence per point is enough; the marks are for task completion, structure and accuracy.
• Listening. Do you get the gist of part 1 at the first hearing? Part 1 plays once, parts 2 and 3 twice.
• Speaking. Can you talk about a topic and then plan something with someone, with suggestions and reasons? These two parts carry 30 of the 75 oral points each.

If you lose a lot in one of these, that is the part to practise before you register – not German as a whole.