telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege explained: the nursing German exam, the point bands, and why speaking decides whether you get B2
telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege is telc's German exam for nurses and care workers. It is one exam at two levels: depending on your results, you get a certificate at B1 or B2, or none. The texts and tasks come from nursing work: handovers, patient conversations, and a care report to write.
Everything below is from telc's page for the exam and from its official Übungstest 1 (mock exam 1) with the section "Punkte und Teilergebnisse", which sets out how the results are calculated, read on 3 November 2026. Which level a nursing authority or employer asks for is their decision, so check with them.
The exam
Written exam: listening, 4 parts, 25 minutes; reading, 4 parts, plus language elements, 2 parts, 60 minutes together; writing, 1 task, 30 minutes: a report of the kind nurses write at work.
Oral exam: speaking, 3 parts, about 16 minutes, in pairs, after 20 minutes of preparation. You talk about experiences and opinions, discuss a controversial topic and give a short presentation.
The exam is offered digitally, hybrid or on paper, and cannot be taken in parts.
The three results and their bands
telc works out three results, and each one is placed at B2, B1 or below B1:
Listening, reading and language elements together: 59 items, one point each. 43–59 is B2, 27–42 is B1, 0–26 is below B1.
Writing: 20 points from four criteria (content, communicative design, correctness, vocabulary), 5 points each. 15–20 is B2, 7–14 is B1, 0–6 is below B1.
Speaking: 100 points. Half is for the tasks (part 3 alone is worth 20) and half for pronunciation and intonation (15), fluency (10), correctness (10) and vocabulary (15). 75–100 is B2, 35–74.5 is B1, 0–34.5 is below B1.
Speaking decides the level
telc's rule is that speaking sets the ceiling: you need B2 in speaking for a B2 certificate, and B1 in speaking for any certificate at all. Below B1 in speaking means no certificate, whatever your written scores.
B2 certificate: B2 in speaking plus B2 in at least one of the two written results (the 59-item test or writing). The other one can be B1.
B1 certificate: B1 or B2 in speaking plus B1 in at least one of the two written results. The other one may even be below B1, as long as it reaches a floor: at least 19 of 59 in the listening-reading-language test, or at least 4 of 20 in writing.
Our reading: a nurse with B2 writing and B2 reading still leaves with B1 if speaking lands at 74.5. And speaking is the one part where pronunciation alone is worth 15 points, as much as vocabulary. For a B2 candidate, speaking practice with someone who corrects pronunciation is the highest-value preparation there is.
Retakes
You can retake the exam as often as you like, but only as a whole. Results from earlier sittings cannot be carried over, so a strong written result does not save you from sitting it again.
telc publishes its mock exam with audio free of charge on its website, with the scoring rules, sample answers and the criteria raters use.
For other German exams, see telc B1 or Goethe B1, the Goethe-Zertifikat and, for university, the DSH.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Expecting strong reading and writing to lift you to B2.
Reaching 75 of 100 in speaking.
telc's rule: a B2 certificate requires B2 in speaking, plus B2 in one of the written results.
Ignoring pronunciation because grammar feels more important.
Practising pronunciation and intonation with correction.
Pronunciation and intonation are worth 15 of the 100 speaking points, as much as vocabulary.
Planning to resit only the part you failed.
Preparing to retake the whole exam.
The exam can only be retaken as a whole; earlier part results are not carried over.
Questions
What score do you need for B2 in telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege?
B2 in speaking (75 of 100) plus B2 in either the listening-reading-language test (43 of 59) or writing (15 of 20).
What happens if my speaking is below B1?
You get no certificate, whatever your written results.
Can I retake only one part?
No. The exam can be retaken as often as you like, but only as a whole, and earlier part results do not count.
How long is the exam?
Written: 25 minutes listening, 60 minutes reading and language elements, 30 minutes writing. Speaking: about 16 minutes in pairs after 20 minutes of preparation.
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