How long do I get for the reading part?

There is no separate reading time. telc publishes the combined block, and this page prints that with its source rather than inventing a reading-only figure.

Is telc B1 accepted like Goethe B1?

Both certify B1 and both are widely accepted, but acceptance is decided by the body asking for the certificate — a university, an employer or an immigration authority. Ask them, not a comparison table.

Which parts does reading practice actually move?

The three Leseverstehen parts, and indirectly your pace through the whole block. It does not move Sprachbausteine, which is a grammar task in disguise.

telc Deutsch B1 reading

A non-profit alternative to Goethe across A1–C2, widely accepted for residence permits, professional recognition and university entrance.

Official exam page

The structural fact that decides how you prepare for telc B1 is that reading is not separately timed. Leseverstehen and Sprachbausteine share one block, and you decide how to divide it. Nobody hands you a bell halfway through.

The reading section

Reading time: not published
Scored reading items: 20Source
Texts or passages: not published
Approximate words: not published

CEFR level: B1–B1Source
Published annual volume: not published — no annual figure exists from the awarding body
Awarding body: telc gGmbH

Question types the awarding body publishes

Zuordnung (matching)
Multiple choice

Source

What that means in practice

Reading is not separately timed: Leseverstehen and Sprachbausteine share one 90-minute block and you allocate the time yourself. Three reading parts, 20 items (5 matching, 5 multiple choice, 10 matching), worth 75 of 300 points — 25% of the exam.

Last verified 2026-08-29 Every figure on this page was checked against the awarding body on that date. Exam formats change; check the official page before you book.

How well reading practice fits this exam

A full reading section

Reading is a complete, separately scored section with real passages. Training it moves a number that appears on your result.

LingoRead trains reading. It does not prepare a speaking or writing paper, it does not mark free-text answers, and it does not issue or predict an official result.

Practise reading for this exam

Start with this exam already selected. You get a passage at your level every day, with audio, tap-to-translate and comprehension questions.

Start free for 7 days

$0 due today · Cancel anytime

One block, two very different tasks

Sprachbausteine is grammar and lexis in gap form; Leseverstehen is matching and multiple choice on texts. They reward opposite instincts — one wants you to slow down and inspect a sentence, the other wants you to move. Candidates who do not decide in advance how to split the block tend to overspend on the grammar gaps and then rush the reading, which is the expensive way round because reading carries the larger share of the points.

The reading half itself is three parts built from matching and multiple choice, and its share of the total exam mark is published by telc and printed on this page with its source. There is no official per-part timing, so any schedule you find online is somebody’s recommendation, not a rule.

Preparing when the clock is yours

Self-paced blocks reward automaticity. The less you have to stop and decode an ordinary B1 sentence, the more of the block is left for the parts that genuinely need thought. That automaticity is built by reading a little German every day rather than by cramming — it is the one thing that cannot be acquired the week before.

LingoRead writes a fresh German passage every day at the level you are actually reading at, reads it aloud, translates any word you tap, and asks comprehension questions on it. That is the automaticity half. The Sprachbausteine half is grammar drilling and we do not do it.

Honest scope

LingoRead trains reading comprehension. It does not drill Sprachbausteine, mark the writing task, or prepare Hörverstehen and the oral exam. telc B1 is also accepted for different purposes in different countries — confirm the requirement with whoever is asking for the certificate.

Questions people ask

Free tools that help

Our four free tools are English-only for now, so there is no matching tool for this exam. They are still worth a look if you also read in English.

See the free tools

Other levels of telc

A1 (Start Deutsch 1)
A2 (Start Deutsch 2)
B2
C1
C1 Hochschule
C2

No dedicated page — the research did not show enough search demand for it.