Goethe vs ÖSD vs telc: how the German exams differ at B1, B2 and C1

The Goethe-Institut, ÖSD and telc all award German certificates at B1, B2 and C1, but they are different exams. Goethe and ÖSD hold theirs at exam centres around the world, so you do not have to be in Germany or Austria to sit them. Whether a certificate is good enough for your purpose is decided by whoever asks for it, not by the exam, so ask them first. If they take all three, the choice comes down to what you can retake on its own after a fail, what the tasks look like, and when the next date is.^1–7

Goethe and ÖSD at B1: the same exam

At B1 there is no difference between Goethe and ÖSD. ÖSD, the University of Fribourg and the Goethe-Institut developed the exam together; it is called the Goethe-Zertifikat B1 at Goethe centres and the ÖSD Zertifikat B1 at ÖSD centres. Dictionaries and phones are not allowed in it. Its pattern is set out in the article on the Goethe-Zertifikat B1.^4·7·8

telc Deutsch B1 is a separate exam: the written part takes 150 minutes, speaking is in pairs after 20 minutes of preparation, and you pass with 135 points written and 45 oral.⁹

From B2 up they are three separate exams. The Goethe-Zertifikat B2, the ÖSD B2 exam and telc Deutsch B2 test the same level with different tasks and scoring.^2·10·11

Retaking Goethe, ÖSD and telc

The difference that matters most in practice is what counts on its own when one part goes wrong.

At ÖSD C1 you fail the written block if either of the two writing tasks scores under 7 of 15, even with more than 42 points in total.^12·13

With Goethe you can retake any module as often as you like and combine certificates from different dates. ÖSD sets no limit either. It issues a full certificate when all modules are passed on one date, or within a year at the same exam centre, and recommends waiting at least four weeks before you sit again.^4·6

A telc exam is in principle taken as a whole. After a fail you may retake only the written or only the oral part and have the other credited, within twelve months of the date the result sheet (Ergebnisbogen) of the first exam was issued, provided you say so when you register. Single subtests cannot be retaken.⁵

How the B2 exams differ

The written modules of the Goethe-Zertifikat B2 take about 180 minutes: Lesen 65, Hören about 40 and Schreiben 75. You write a forum post of about 150 words and a message of about 100.¹⁴

The written block of the ÖSD Zertifikat B2 runs about 210 minutes: 90 each for reading and writing, about 30 for listening. Monolingual and bilingual dictionaries are allowed. You write two texts and choose between two topics for the second. Speaking is taken in pairs or alone.¹⁰

The written part of telc Deutsch B2 takes 140 minutes and includes Sprachbausteine, short grammar and vocabulary tasks. You write one letter in 30 minutes, at least 150 words. Speaking is in pairs after 20 minutes of preparation, and you pass with 135 points written and 45 oral.¹¹

How the C1 exams differ

ÖSD C1 speaking is always taken alone, after 20 minutes of preparation, and only monolingual dictionaries are allowed in the written block. telc Deutsch C1 has one long piece of writing: an argumentative text of about 350 words in 70 minutes. The Goethe-Zertifikat C1 has about 180 minutes of written modules and 20 minutes of preparation for speaking.^3·12·15

If you need C1 for university, ask the admissions office which exam it accepts. The University of Vienna's Language Centre notes that some Austrian universities accept the ÖSD Zertifikat C1 for admission.¹⁶

Neither ÖSD nor telc prints an expiry date on the certificate. Whether an older one is still good enough is up to the body that asks for it.^4·5

Exam fees and dates: set by your exam centre

None of the three has a worldwide price list or calendar: the exam centre where you sit sets the dates, the registration deadline and the fee. The rules of all three organisations leave this to the centres. So the first step, wherever you live, is to find the nearest Goethe, ÖSD or telc centre and look at its own page. The figures below are examples from single centres, not prices you will pay elsewhere.^4–6

Outside Europe: the Goethe-Institut in Kolkata, India, listed these fees for external candidates in its 2025 brochure, with lower prices for its own course participants: B1 18,800 rupees for all four modules or 4,700 per module, B2 21,200 or 5,300, C1 24,000 or 6,000.¹⁷

In Germany: the vhs exam office for Baden-Württemberg charges 175 euros for telc Deutsch B2 to its own course participants and 205 euros to external candidates.¹⁸

In Vienna, for 2026: the University of Vienna's Language Centre charges 60 euros per module for ÖSD B1, 165 euros for the ÖSD B2 written block and 65 for the oral, and 175 and 85 for ÖSD C1. It holds exams four times a year, in November, March, May or June, and August, with extra dates when there is demand. DeutschAkademie in Vienna charges from 209 euros for telc B1, B2 and C1 and from 189 for a single part, with several dates a month.^16·19

Which German exam is easier: Goethe, ÖSD or telc?

None of the three organisations calls its exam easier, and all of them certify the same level. An exam only becomes easier for a particular person, and what decides it is the pass rule: whether a strong skill is allowed to make up for a weak one.

At Goethe each module is passed on its own, so a very good reading score does not make up for weak writing. At telc the written part is passed when the combined score of reading, Sprachbausteine, listening and writing is high enough. Good reading and listening scores can carry a weaker letter there. ÖSD sits in between at B2 and C1: the written block is added up, but every subtest has its own minimum, and at C1 so does each of the two writing tasks.^{1–3·10–12}

If the body you are applying to accepts all three, this list helps you choose:

1. Your writing is weak and your reading and listening are strong: telc's written total is the most forgiving of a weaker text, and at B2 you write one letter there instead of two texts as at Goethe and ÖSD.^10·11·14
2. One skill is clearly weaker and you expect to retake it: Goethe at all three levels and ÖSD at B1 score each of four modules separately, so you retake only that one.
3. Grammar and vocabulary are your strength: telc B2 tests them in tasks of their own, the Sprachbausteine.¹¹
4. You like working with a dictionary: ÖSD B2 allows one in the written block.
5. You would rather speak alone than with a partner: ÖSD C1 speaking is always taken alone, while telc speaking is normally in pairs.^11·12
6. You need a date soon: compare the next dates at the centres near you. In Vienna, for example, DeutschAkademie runs telc several times a month and the University's Language Centre runs ÖSD four times a year.
7. You are taking telc: when you register for a retake, say straight away that you want the passed part credited.

Our German certificate practice is still in preparation. You can join the waiting list on the German certificates page, and Goethe B2 has its own Goethe B2 preparation waiting list.

Источники

· 19 проверены 08.11.2026

1. 1Goethe-Zertifikat B1: Durchführungsbestimmungen, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
2. 2Goethe-Zertifikat B2: Durchführungsbestimmungen, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
3. 3Goethe-Zertifikat C1: Durchführungsbestimmungen, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
4. 4ÖSD-Prüfungsordnung, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch · от 01.08.2026
5. 5telc Prüfungsregularien, telc gGmbH · от 15.04.2025
6. 6Prüfungsordnung, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
7. 7ÖSD Zertifikat B1, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch
8. 8Goethe-Zertifikat B1: Modellsatz Erwachsene, Goethe-Institut und ÖSD
9. 9telc Deutsch B1: Übungstest 1, telc gGmbH
10. 10ÖSD Zertifikat B2: Durchführungsbestimmungen, ÖSD
11. 11telc Deutsch B2: Übungstest 1, telc gGmbH
12. 12ÖSD Zertifikat C1: Durchführungsbestimmungen, ÖSD
13. 13ÖSD Zertifikat C1: Gesamtbogen, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch
14. 14Goethe-Zertifikat B2: Modellsatz Erwachsene, Goethe-Institut
15. 15telc Deutsch C1: Übungstest 1, telc gGmbH
16. 16ÖSD-Prüfungen, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien
17. 17Courses and examinations 2025, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Kolkata
18. 18telc Deutsch B2, vhs Prüfungszentrale Sprachen Baden-Württemberg
19. 19telc Prüfungen in Wien, DeutschAkademie