Speaking exercises telc Pflege B1–B2
Preparation for the oral part B1–B2 Pflege (telc)
B1-B2 Pflege (telc) Sprechen Teil 1 (Über Erfahrungen und Meinungen sprechen)
B1-B2 Pflege (telc) Sprechen Teil 2 (Kurzvortrag)
B1-B2 Pflege (telc) Sprechen Teil 3 (Diskussion - Pausengespräch)
Choose an exercise category for Pflege (telc) B2
Oral exam — telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege
The oral part is the most important hurdle of the exam: without at least B1 in speaking, there is no certificate — regardless of how well the written parts went. Here you will find everything about the structure, assessment and typical mistakes.
General information about the procedure
The oral exam is generally conducted as a pair exam — two participants are tested together. If there is an odd number of participants, one person is tested alone, with one of the examiners taking on the role of the second participant.
The exam lasts approximately 16 minutes. Before it, there are 20 minutes of preparation time. Two licensed telc examiners are required for each exam — both assess, but only one conducts the conversation (interlocutor).
The three parts of the oral exam
You talk about your experiences and opinions on a nursing topic — often with a picture description. The examiners then ask questions about your statements.
What is expected: expressing your own opinion, drawing on experiences from everyday nursing practice, responding spontaneously to questions.
You give a short, structured presentation on a given nursing topic. The examiners then ask questions about your presentation.
What is expected: clear structure with an introduction, 2–3 main points and a conclusion. Not free narration — a proper mini-presentation.
You discuss a controversial topic from the field of care with your exam partner. Both sides should represent different viewpoints and engage with each other.
What is expected: actively arguing, asking questions, disagreeing — not simply agreeing.
How is the oral part assessed?
Both examiners assess independently according to four criteria:
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Expressiveness
How well do you express yourself? Do you use appropriate vocabulary — including medical specialist vocabulary? Can you clearly convey your communicative intention? -
Task fulfilment
Did you actually fulfil the task? In Part 3: did you really discuss or just agree? Did you address all the required points? -
Formal correctness
Grammar, sentence structure, correct use of cases and verb forms. At B2 level, subordinate clauses, passive and subjunctive are expected. -
Pronunciation and intonation
Clear, comprehensible pronunciation. Natural speech rhythm. No strong monotony. Pronunciation errors are permitted — as long as you are well understood.
Common mistakes in the oral part
Part 1 — Experiences and picture description
Answers that are too short — one sentence is not enough. The examiners expect detailed statements with justification.
The picture description remains superficial — just "I see a woman in bed" without any reference to the nursing topic or personal experience.
Only describing, not evaluating — no expression of personal opinion. At B2 level, taking a position is expected.
Part 2 — Short presentation
No clear structure: no opening, no conclusion — the presentation comes across as a stream of consciousness without structure.
Preparation time not used — no key points noted. Result: the presentation becomes hesitant and incomplete.
Speaking too quickly out of nervousness — examiners and partner do not understand everything, which lowers the pronunciation grade.
Part 3 — Discussion
Agreeing with everything — no real dialogue. The task is "discuss", not "confirm". Assessment for task fulfilment drops significantly.
The conversation breaks down — no follow-up questions, no reaction to the partner. A discussion requires impulses from both sides.
Forgetting medical specialist vocabulary under pressure — resorting to simple paraphrases instead of using technical terms.
Tips for speaking preparation
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Speak aloud every day
Practise alone: describe pictures from nursing books, explain nursing situations in German, talk about your everyday working life. Speaking inhibitions only disappear through regular speaking. -
Learn fixed phrases by heart
Learn set expressions for expressing opinions and discussions:
"Ich bin der Meinung, dass…" / "Einerseits… andererseits…" / "Ich sehe das etwas anders, weil…" / "Das stimmt zwar, aber…" -
Practise the short presentation with a fixed structure
Always the same pattern: introduction → 2–3 main points → conclusion. Practise the pattern until it comes automatically — even under stress. -
Simulate discussions
Practise with a study partner — consciously take different positions. Important: even if you actually agree, defend the opposing position. -
Get to know nursing topics
Learn the most common discussion topics: dementia, fall prevention, nursing documentation, communication with patients and relatives, night shifts, overload in the nursing profession, patient rights.
Practise speaking now
On Vorbereitung mit BO you will find exercises specifically for the oral part — with real nursing topics, example sentences and set phrases.