B1 Speaking: Exam Topics and Practice

Goethe-Zertifikat B1 — Modul Sprechen

• Around 15 minutes as a pair exam, with 15 minutes of preparation beforehand, which you do on your own.
• Three parts: planning something together with your partner; giving a short presentation on an everyday topic; then responding to your partner's presentation and answering questions about your own.
• Sprechen is a separate module — 100 points, 60 to pass, and it can be taken or repeated on its own.
• Source: goethe.de, Goethe-Zertifikat B1 exam description and model set.

telc Deutsch B1 — Mündliche Prüfung

• Around 15 minutes, usually with two candidates, after 20 minutes of preparation.
• Three parts: getting to know each other, talking about a topic and giving your opinion, and planning something together.
• Conducted by two licensed examiners, who assess independently. You need 60% in the oral exam; it is not offset against your written result.
• Source: telc.net, telc Deutsch B1 Übungstest.

DTZ — Sprechen

• Around 16 minutes, normally as a pair exam, with three tasks: introducing yourself, reporting on an experience, and planning something together.
• There is no preparation time. Two examiners are present: one conducts the conversation, the other focuses on assessment.
• Speaking carries particular weight in the DTZ: to be certified at B1 overall, you must reach B1 in speaking and in at least one written part.
• Source: gast.de, «Der DTZ auf einen Blick».

Not perfection. They assess whether you complete the task, whether you can be understood, how you handle vocabulary and structures, and — in the interactive parts — whether you react to your partner. Asking a question back, agreeing, disagreeing politely, or proposing an alternative all count in your favor. Reciting a memorized monologue while ignoring your partner does not.

• Introducing yourself and answering simple follow-up questions.
• A short presentation on an everyday topic, with your own experience, the situation in your home country, advantages and disadvantages, and your opinion.
• A planning dialogue: organizing a trip, a party, a visit, help for a friend.
• Reacting to your partner: giving feedback and asking one question.

Learn phrases, not scripts

Build a small set of reliable frames for suggesting («Wollen wir …?», «Wie wäre es, wenn …»), agreeing («Das finde ich gut, weil …»), objecting politely («Das sehe ich anders, denn …») and structuring a presentation. Phrases transfer to any topic; memorized texts do not.

Speak out loud, on the clock

Three minutes of speaking against a timer, every day, is worth more than an hour of silent reading. Record yourself once a week and listen back.

Practise with a partner

Both the Goethe and telc formats are pair exams. If you only ever practice alone, the interactive parts will be the ones that cost you points.

Rehearse in your exact format

Fifteen minutes with preparation time (Goethe, telc) and sixteen minutes without it (DTZ) require different reflexes. Practice the one you have registered for.

• Describe a place you like going to and explain why.
• Talk about a problem you had in everyday life and how you solved it.
• Plan a weekend trip together with your partner.
• Give your opinion on a current topic such as digital media, food or working hours.

Use the topic sets and dialogue tasks above with the phrases they contain. Start with the part of your format that feels least comfortable — for most candidates that is the planning dialogue, not the presentation.