Rilke
Rilke
What the exam contains, part by part — number of tasks, timing and, for listening, how often each recording is played. The figures come from the institutes' sample papers.
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RilkeOn every device:
| Part | Task type | Tasks | Text (words) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teil 1 | Matching | 5 | approx. 300 |
| Teil 2 | Multiple choice a/b/c | 5 | approx. 350 |
| Teil 3 | Matching | 10 | approx. 180 |
| Teil 4 | Language elements (grammar) | 10 | approx. 150 |
| Teil 5 | Language elements (vocabulary) | 10 | approx. 150 |
| Part | Task type | Tasks | Plays | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teil 1 | True/false | 5 | 1× | 30 s |
| Teil 2 | True/false | 10 | 2× | 60 s |
| Teil 3 | True/false | 5 | 2× | — |
| Part | Task type | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Teil 1 | Getting to know each other | approx. 3 min |
| Teil 2 | Talking about a topic | approx. 6 min |
| Teil 3 | Planning something together | approx. 6 min |
One task in 30 minutes: you reply to an email — personal or semi-formal — and write something on each of four guiding points. There is no fixed word count. It is marked against three criteria: Aufgabenbewältigung (task completion), Kommunikative Gestaltung (communicative design) and Formale Richtigkeit (formal accuracy), each rated A to D. For an A in task completion, all four points must be covered properly. Every text is read by two licensed raters. An example, a model answer and what the raters look for: Writing at telc B1.
The written exam takes 150 minutes in one go: 90 minutes for reading and the Sprachbausteine, about 30 minutes of listening, 30 minutes of writing. The oral exam is taken in pairs, lasts about 15 minutes and starts after 20 minutes of preparation.
| Section | Points | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Leseverstehen (reading) | 75 | 25 % |
| Sprachbausteine (language elements) | 30 | 10 % |
| Hörverstehen (listening) | 75 | 25 % |
| Schriftlicher Ausdruck (writing) | 45 | 15 % |
| Written exam | 225 | 75 % |
| Oral exam | 75 | 25 % |
You pass if you reach at least 60 per cent in the written exam and in the oral exam — that is, 135 of 225 and 45 of 75 points. A strong written result does not make up for a weak oral one, nor the other way round.
Level B1 is often required for residence and work — in Germany, for example, for naturalisation. Which certificates are accepted as proof is decided by the office that asks for it. Check with them before you register. If you attend an integration course, by contrast, you usually take the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer — that is a separate exam.
It is fixed for each part: Teil 1: 1× (reading time 30 s); Teil 2: 2× (reading time 60 s); Teil 3: 2×. No recording is played more often than that.
90 minutes for 5 parts with 40 tasks in total.
The speaking exam is taken in pairs or groups. In Rilke the app plays your partner, so you can practise the dialogue parts on your own as well.
Goethe A1 · Goethe A2 · Goethe B1 · Goethe B2 · Goethe C1 · telc A1 · telc A2 · telc B1 · telc B2 · telc C1 · ÖSD A1 · ÖSD A2 · ÖSD B1 · ÖSD B2 · ÖSD C1 · DTZ A2–B1 · TestDaF
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GOETHE · TELC · ÖSD · DTZ · TESTDAF
Rilke is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Goethe-Institut, telc, ÖSD, g.a.s.t., the TestDaF-Institut or the BAMF. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.