Failed the B1 German exam? What to retake at Goethe, ÖSD, telc and ÖIF, and by when

A failed German exam can be retaken, and at Goethe, ÖSD and telc not necessarily in full. Start with your result sheet and find the part that stayed below its pass mark: that decides whether you retake one module, the written part or the whole exam. None of Goethe, ÖSD, telc or ÖIF limits the number of attempts. Goethe and ÖSD do not require a course to sit their exams; you can prepare on your own with the official practice tests and the worked examples below.^1·2

Your Goethe, ÖSD, telc or ÖIF result after a fail

Everything about the retake starts from the document with your result, and each exam issues a different one. Goethe records results in points; after a fail the centre explains the retake conditions and, on request, confirms your attendance with the points you scored. For a failed exam ÖSD issues no certificate, only a result notice (Ergebnismitteilung) without a QR code.^1·2

telc sends a result sheet, the Ergebnisbogen, instead of a certificate. Keep it, because its date starts the clock for a partial retake. The ÖIF Integrationsprüfung is graded only «Bestanden» or «Nicht bestanden», and the result arrives by e-mail within 15 working days.^3·4

Which part of a German exam you retake

Goethe B1, B2 and C1 have four independent modules, each passed at 60 of 100 points. A failed module is retaken on its own, and the new certificate combines with the ones you already hold. ÖSD B1 and ÖSD C2 also have four modules that can be taken singly or in any combination; the other ÖSD exams usually have two modules, written (Lesen, Hören, Schreiben) and oral.^1·2·5

telc has no modules. After a fail at B1, B2 or C1 you retake either the written or the oral part and the other is credited; a single subtest, such as just the letter, cannot be retaken. The ÖIF exam allows no partial retake at all: the language tasks and the values questions are sat again together.^3·4·6

A weak piece of writing costs one module at Goethe and ÖSD B1, the whole written part including reading and listening at ÖSD B2 and telc, and the whole exam at ÖIF.

Goethe A2 allows a partial retake only in exceptional cases, within a year, at the same centre and with no right to demand it. telc gives no credit for parts at A2. The pass marks of every part and module are listed in the article on the points you need to pass.^3·7

Worked examples of failed Goethe, ÖSD, telc and ÖIF exams

The result sheets below are ours: the scores are invented, the rules are real.

Result, telc Deutsch B1: Leseverstehen 50, Sprachbausteine 18, Hörverstehen 45, Schriftlicher Ausdruck 15, so the written part has 128 of 225 against a pass mark of 135. The oral part scored 60 of 75 against 45 and passed. You retake the whole written part, all four sections. The Ergebnisbogen is dated 20 November 2026, so the deadline is 20 November 2027, and you ask for the oral part to be credited when you register. If the new written part scores 150, adding the credited 60 gives 210 of 300, which is befriedigend.^3·8

Result, Goethe-Zertifikat B1: Lesen 70, Hören 63, Schreiben 55, Sprechen 76. Three modules are passed and certified at once; Schreiben, below 60, is retaken alone and later combined with the others.^1·5

Result, ÖSD Zertifikat B2: Lesen 17 of 20, Hören 13 of 20, Schreiben 14 of 30, total 44 of 70. The total clears 42, but Schreiben misses its own minimum of 15, so the written module fails. The oral module passed with 21 of 30 against 18. The whole written module is retaken, good reading score included. You get one combined certificate if you pass it within a year at the same centre; otherwise you keep two module certificates.^2·9·10

Result, ÖIF Integrationsprüfung B1: Sprechen at B1, Hören/Lesen and Schreiben at A2, values questions sufficient. The certificate needs B1 in Sprechen and in one of the other two modules, so the exam is failed. From 1 February 2027 the third module must also reach at least A2. Everything is sat again, Sprechen and the values questions included.^4·6·11

Retake deadlines and attempts at Goethe, ÖSD, telc and ÖIF

Failing a second or third time changes nothing. All four exams may be retaken any number of times, and the telc and ÖIF rules set no minimum wait before the next attempt either.^1–4

The Goethe rules set no wait of their own, but the centre may fix a period before a retake date, tells you about it with the result and will not admit you until it has passed. ÖSD recommends waiting at least four weeks after the exam date, and its centres may also set periods.^1·2

At B1 to C1, only telc has a deadline for a partial retake: twelve months from the date on the Ergebnisbogen. At Goethe and ÖSD time matters if you want one combined certificate. Goethe issues it on request with the best module results within a year, while at Goethe-Zentren and partners all modules must be passed within a year at the same centre. How long a certificate you already hold is accepted is up to whoever asks for it; see the article on how long German certificates are valid.¹

Registering to retake a German exam

Goethe dates and registration deadlines are set by the exam centre and published on its website or registration form. For ÖSD you register at the centre, and the dates of all centres are in the search on osd.at. Your chosen telc centre gives you its next dates; telc's centre search helps you find one. All ÖIF exam dates in Austria are on Sprachportal, and for registration and price you ask the institute.^{1·2·12–14}

When you register for ÖSD, say that it is a retake. Otherwise earlier results are not credited. For telc, too, you ask for the part to be credited at registration; the centre needs a copy of the Ergebnisbogen and your candidate number.^2·3

Inspecting and appealing a German exam result

You can see your marked papers and challenge the marking, but the windows are short and run from the result.

Pointing to the missing points is not enough: Goethe, ÖSD and ÖIF say so explicitly. After a telc review the new result is final and can be lower than the old one. If the mark changes, ÖSD and telc refund the fee.^2·3

Preparing to retake the failed part

Practise the part you are retaking and score it the way your exam scores it. A failed Goethe B1 Schreiben is covered in the article on Goethe B1 Schreiben, the oral in the article on Goethe B1 Sprechen. In telc the letter has no pass mark of its own, so missing points can also come from reading and listening; how much the letter weighs is shown in the article on telc B1 Schreiben.

The ÖSD B2 written module passes only with the minimum in every subtest, so start with your weakest one. The exam is described in the article on the ÖSD Zertifikat B2. For the ÖIF B1 exam, pick whichever of Hören/Lesen and Schreiben is closer to B1 and train it together with Sprechen. From 1 February 2027 the third module must not fall below A2 either.¹¹

Источники

· 14 проверены 08.11.2026

1. 1Prüfungsordnung, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
2. 2ÖSD-Prüfungsordnung, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch · от 01.08.2026
3. 3telc Prüfungsregularien, telc gGmbH · от 15.04.2025
4. 4Prüfungsordnung für Sprach- und Integrationsprüfungen A2 und B1, Österreichischer Integrationsfonds
5. 5Goethe-Zertifikat B1: Durchführungsbestimmungen, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
6. 6Integrationsgesetz, geltende Fassung, RIS
7. 7Goethe-Zertifikat A2: Durchführungsbestimmungen, Goethe-Institut
8. 8telc Deutsch B1: Übungstest 1, telc gGmbH
9. 9ÖSD Zertifikat B2: Durchführungsbestimmungen, ÖSD
10. 10ÖSD Zertifikat B2: Gesamtbogen, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch
11. 11Deutsch-Test für Österreich A2/B1: Modelltest, Österreichischer Integrationsfonds
12. 12Prüfungstermine, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch
13. 13telc Prüfungszentrum finden, telc gGmbH
14. 14Prüfungstermine, Sprachportal des Österreichischen Integrationsfonds