EPD sample exam: every section of the exam from June 2026
Since June 2026 the written EPD has 4 sections, including listening comprehension for the first time. This page shows each section through a real task from our practice paper Übungsprüfung Neues Format 1, built on the VWU model, with its time, points and the minimum you have to reach.
The official VWU model for the new format is published on www.vwu-info.at. Our practice papers are free to take online.
See the sample examsEPD structure from June 2026: 4 sections, 75 points
The written exam lasts 180 minutes. Each section has its own time, its own points and its own minimum. You pass only if you reach at least 45 of 75 points overall and stay at or above the minimum in every section.
Dictionaries and electronic aids are not allowed in the written exam, and your notes are collected at the end.
| Part | Time | Points | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Leseverstehen (reading) | 50 min | 20 | 10 |
| B · Hörverstehen (listening) | 35 min | 15 | 5 |
| C · Strukturen und Wortschatz (grammar and vocabulary) | 35 min | 15 | 7 |
| D · Textproduktion (writing) | 60 min | 25 | 12 |
| Total | 180 min | 75 | 45 |
Section A: Leseverstehen (reading), 50 minutes, 20 points
You read 2 or 3 texts and answer tasks on them. The VWU model lists a whole range of possible task types, and a real paper picks some of them to add up to 20 points. They include gap fills with a word box, a parallel text to complete, true or false with the proving sentence, single choice, short answers, matching questions or sentence parts, and finding paraphrases in the text.
In our practice paper Übungsprüfung Neues Format 1 this section opens with a gap fill with a word box. The instruction reads: „Fügen Sie aus dem Wortkasten die passenden Wörter in den Text ein. Verwenden Sie jedes Wort nur einmal. Es gibt mehr Wörter als Lücken.“
„Dass dieser ___(1) an Schlaf weitreichende Konsequenzen für die Gesundheit haben kann …“ The word box includes: Bedürfnis, Folgen, Mangel, Risiko, Unterschied, Zusammenhang.
- Read the whole sentence, not just the words next to the gap.
- After „dieser“ a masculine singular noun is missing, one that combines with „an Schlaf“.
- Bedürfnis and Risiko are neuter, Folgen is plural, and Unterschied and Zusammenhang do not combine with „an Schlaf“. That leaves „der Mangel an etwas“, a lack of something.
Answer: Mangel: „Dass dieser Mangel an Schlaf weitreichende Konsequenzen für die Gesundheit haben kann …“
Section B: Hörverstehen (listening), 35 minutes, 15 points
You hear 2 recordings, each played 2 times. Before each one you have 90 seconds to read the task, and after the second play 60 seconds to check your answers. The tasks are single choice, short answers of at most 5 words, or notes where you write exactly 1 word per gap.
In the real exam the recordings are radio features from Ö1. Our practice papers use our own recordings built on that pattern. Task 3 of Übungsprüfung Neues Format 1 starts like this: „Zuerst haben Sie 90 Sekunden Zeit, um die Aufgabe zu lesen. Dann hören Sie den Text zweimal.“
Dr. Huber beschreibt die aktuelle Homeoffice-Situation in Österreich als... a) eine Rückkehr zum Zustand vor der Pandemie. b) eine vollständige Umstellung auf remote Arbeit. c) eine Entwicklung in zwei gegensätzliche Richtungen.
- Use the reading time to mark how the three statements differ.
- On the first play, listen for the point where the situation as a whole is assessed.
- On the second play, check that your choice was really said, not just one word of it.
Answer: c) eine Entwicklung in zwei gegensätzliche Richtungen.
Section C: Strukturen und Wortschatz (grammar and vocabulary), 35 minutes, 15 points
This section has exactly two tasks. In the first you rewrite underlined nominal structures as verbal structures without changing the meaning: 3 sentences worth 2 points each. In the second you continue 3 sentence openings so that they are correct in content and language. The instruction states openly how this is marked: „Sie erhalten für einfache Sätze 2 Punkte, für komplexere Sätze 3 Punkte.“
With simple, correct sentences you can therefore reach at most 6 of 9 points in the second task. The example in our practice paper shows the difference: „Obwohl es stark regnete, ging sie trotzdem spazieren. (2 Punkte)“ versus „Obwohl es stark regnete, ging sie trotzdem spazieren, weil sie frische Luft brauchte und den ganzen Tag drinnen gewesen war. (3 Punkte)“
„Durch den Einsatz neuer Technologien konnten viele Arbeitsschritte automatisiert werden.“ Sentence frame: „Viele Arbeitsschritte konnten automatisiert werden, weil ___.“
- The underlined nominal structure is „Durch den Einsatz neuer Technologien“.
- The frame gives „weil“, so you need a subordinate clause with the conjugated verb at the end.
- The noun „Einsatz“ becomes the verb „einsetzen“, here in the passive: „eingesetzt wurden“.
Answer: „Viele Arbeitsschritte konnten automatisiert werden, weil neue Technologien eingesetzt wurden.“ Also correct: „weil man neue Technologien eingesetzt hat“.
Section D: Textproduktion (writing), 60 minutes, 25 points
You write an argumentative text of 230 to 250 words and choose one of two tasks for it: a text excerpt or a graphic. Both tasks ask for the same three steps: restate the main point briefly in your own words, take a position and justify your opinion, then make proposals and justify them.
The text is marked on Inhalt (content, 5 points), Aufbau (structure, 6 points), Wortschatz (vocabulary, 6 points) and Sprachrichtigkeit (accuracy, 8 points). The graphic task says explicitly: „(Achtung: Eine detaillierte Beschreibung der Grafik ist nicht gefragt!)“ The graphic is a starting point for an argument, not something to describe.
In our practice paper Übungsprüfung Neues Format 1 the first writing task, on the four-day working week, reads:
- (1) Geben Sie kurz die zentrale Aussage des Textausschnitts in eigenen Worten wieder.
- (2) Nehmen Sie zu der Aussage Stellung. Begründen Sie Ihre Meinung mit sachlichen Argumenten.
- (3) Schlagen Sie ein Arbeitszeitmodell vor, das sowohl die Bedürfnisse der Beschäftigten als auch die der Unternehmen berücksichtigt. Begründen Sie Ihren Vorschlag.
Take the sample exams online for free
On VWUPass you can take our practice papers and the earlier model papers online for free. Übungsprüfung Neues Format 1 and 2 follow the structure from June 2026 with all 4 sections. The older model papers have no listening section yet and a different points split, but they are still useful for extra practice in reading, structures and writing.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an EPD sample exam as a PDF?
Yes: the official VWU model for the exam from June 2026 is available as a PDF on www.vwu-info.at, linked there as "Modell Ergänzungsprüfung Deutsch". The VWUPass practice papers are taken directly online in your browser.
How many points do I need to pass the EPD?
At least 45 of 75 points overall, plus the minimum in every section: Leseverstehen 10 of 20, Hörverstehen 5 of 15, Strukturen und Wortschatz 7 of 15, Textproduktion 12 of 25. Both conditions apply at once, so a strong section does not make up for one below its minimum.
Is the model exam identical to the real exam?
No, the model shows the structure, not the tasks of your exam. Sections, times, points and minima apply as the model states them. In reading, though, the model lists more task types than fit into one paper: a real paper picks some of them to add up to 20 points.
Can I also practise with older EPD papers?
Yes, for reading, structures and writing. The older model papers have no listening section yet and a different points split, though. For points and minima from June 2026, go by the new-format practice papers.