How the speaking exam works
The B1 oral exam lasts around 15 minutes of speaking, taken in pairs. You are paired with another candidate and two examiners watch. The format is fixed: three parts — Kontaktaufnahme (getting to know your partner), Gespräch über ein Thema (discussing a topic), and Gemeinsam etwas planen (planning something together). Because it is predictable, rehearsal pays off enormously.
Part by part
Each part has a clear goal. Knowing what the examiner wants to hear lets you deliver it.
- Getting to know your partner: ask and answer questions naturally.
- Talking about a topic: give your opinion and back it up with reasons.
- Planning together: negotiate, suggest, agree and compromise with your partner.
Phrases that buy you fluency
Memorised functional phrases let you start sentences confidently while your brain catches up. They make you sound fluent even when you are thinking.
- Meiner Meinung nach … (In my opinion …)
- Ich finde, dass … / Ich bin der Ansicht, dass … (I think that …)
- Was hältst du von …? (What do you think of …?)
- Sollen wir vielleicht …? (Shall we perhaps …?)
- Das ist eine gute Idee, aber … (That's a good idea, but …)
Keep the conversation going
The biggest scoring lever in the planning part is interaction: you must react to your partner, not deliver a monologue. Ask their opinion, agree or disagree politely, and suggest alternatives. Examiners reward genuine dialogue.
Handle nerves and silence
If you blank, use a filler phrase (Moment, lassen Sie mich überlegen …) instead of freezing in silence. Self-correcting calmly is fine and even shows control. Speaking steadily at a natural pace beats rushing.
Pronunciation and intonation
You are not expected to sound native, but clear pronunciation and natural sentence melody make you easier to understand and lift your score. Practising aloud — not just in your head — is essential.
Practise with AI
Create a free Sprichst account and start practising with an AI tutor that gives instant feedback in seconds. The tutor plays your exam partner, runs each speaking part as a roleplay, and gives feedback on fluency, range and accuracy — so the real exam feels like one more rehearsal.
Try a free TELC mock test
Inside Sprichst you can sit full telc Deutsch B1 mock tests covering Lesen, Hören, Schreiben and Sprechen, with automatic scoring and AI evaluation of your writing and speaking. The speaking tasks are AI-evaluated, so you practise the exact parts and get a readiness score before you face real examiners.
TELC readiness check
Before you book your telc Deutsch B1 exam, find out whether you are actually ready. A readiness check is simply a full, timed mock test that produces a single score across reading, listening, writing and speaking — the same four skills the real exam measures. If your readiness score is comfortably above the pass mark on two separate tests, you are ready to book with confidence.
Sprichst turns each mock attempt into a readiness score and breaks it down by section, so you can see at a glance whether your speaking (sprechen) work is paying off or whether another skill is holding you back. Re-check every couple of weeks to track your progress toward 60% overall (roughly 180 of 300 points) and you must pass the written and oral parts together.
Unlock all TELC mock tests with Pro
The free plan lets you try your first full telc Deutsch B1 mock test so you can experience the format and get an honest starting score. To pass reliably, though, most candidates need several timed attempts — and that is what Sprichst Pro unlocks.
With Pro you get unlimited access to every TELC B1 and B2 mock test, unlimited AI tutor conversations and writing corrections, and the full spaced-repetition vocabulary trainer. It is the most affordable way to prepare for telc Deutsch B1 without paying for a classroom course, and you can practise on your own schedule.