Esame orale di tedesco B1 (telc, ÖIF, Goethe): cosa chiede ogni parte e come esercitarsi ad alta voce

This page is for anyone with a German oral exam coming up: telc Deutsch B1, the ÖIF Integrationsprüfung in Austria (A2 or B1), or the Goethe-Zertifikat B1. For each one it explains what the speaking part asks you to do, using the exam bodies' own model tests and rules (linked in the sources), and then how to rehearse each part out loud.

Dia is a practice partner, not an official exam provider. It isn't affiliated with telc, the ÖIF or the Goethe-Institut, and it does not grade exams or predict your result. The formats below are taken from official material as of November 2026. Check the current details with your exam center, and do at least one official model test under real conditions before the day.

The oral exams at a glance

	telc Deutsch B1	ÖIF Integrationsprüfung A2	ÖIF Integrationsprüfung B1	Goethe-Zertifikat B1
Format	Pair exam	Individual exam	Pair exam	Pair exam
Length	About 15 minutes	About 10 minutes per person	About 16 minutes	15 minutes for two candidates
Parts	Getting to know each other; talking about a topic; planning something together	Talking about yourself; a situation with a short dialogue; your own experience	Talking about yourself; talking about experiences; planning something together	Planning something together; presenting a topic; feedback and questions

telc Deutsch B1: getting to know each other, a topic, a plan

telc runs two exams at this level, so check which one you booked. This section covers telc Deutsch B1, also called Zertifikat Deutsch. The newer telc Deutsch A2·B1 works differently and is described at the end of the section.

Before the exam you get all the task sheets and 20 minutes to prepare. You may make notes on stamped sheets and take them in, but you shouldn't read from them. Dictionaries and phones aren't allowed. The exam itself is about 15 minutes with a partner, run by two licensed examiners, and it has three parts.

1. Einander kennenlernen (getting to know each other, about 3 minutes). You talk about yourself and ask your partner questions. The task sheet gives prompts such as name, where you come from, how you live, family, where you learned German, what you do, and which languages you speak. The examiner may add a topic like your weekend or your hobbies.
2. Über ein Thema sprechen (talking about a topic, about 6 minutes). You and your partner get different sheets, each with an opinion on the same topic. In the telc practice test, one person loves group travel and the other always travels alone. You tell each other what your text says, then discuss it, giving your own opinion and experiences.
3. Gemeinsam etwas planen (planning something together, about 6 minutes). You organize something together, for example a farewell party: when, where, food, drinks, who pays for what. You make suggestions, react to your partner's, and agree who does which task.

telc's notes for examiners say that asking follow-up questions and helping each other out count in your favor. The exam wants a real conversation between the two candidates, with the examiner speaking as little as possible.

If you booked telc Deutsch A2·B1, the oral part is still about 15 minutes in pairs, but there is no preparation time. You introduce yourself and answer the examiner's follow-up questions, plan something with your partner (about 5 minutes), and then give reasons for your opinion on a question with two sides (about 5 minutes). The practice test's example is "water or lemonade?". You don't have to agree on a plan, and you don't have to convince your partner.

How to practice telc B1 with Dia

• For Teil 1, tell Dia you're preparing for telc B1 and ask it to be your exam partner. Introduce yourself using the prompts, then ask Dia at least three questions back. The task sheet asks you to ask questions as well as answer them, so practice both.
• For Teil 2, give Dia a topic and the opinion from "your" sheet, and ask it to argue the opposite view. Report your text in your own words ("In meinem Text steht, dass ..."), then discuss. Add one personal experience every time.
• For Teil 3, ask Dia to plan a party, a trip or a course outing with you. Take turns making suggestions, and practice reacting instead of only proposing.
• Set a phone timer to 3 and 6 minutes, so you learn how much you can say in each part.

ÖIF Integrationsprüfung A2 and B1 (Austria)

The ÖIF Integrationsprüfung tests German (listening, reading, writing and speaking) together with Werte- und Orientierungswissen, questions on the basic values of Austria's legal and social order. Under the ÖIF exam rules, both the language and the values content have to be passed in the same sitting. At B1, speaking is the one module you can't make up elsewhere: you need B1 in speaking plus B1 in one of the other modules (listening and reading, or writing), as well as enough points on the values questions.

A2 speaking is an individual exam of about 10 minutes. The three parts build on each other:

1. You introduce yourself using keywords. For some of them you also ask the examiner questions.
2. You choose one of three topic areas and describe the everyday situation it shows. Then you act out a short dialogue in that situation with the examiner, asking at least two questions. The practice test uses a post office, with prompts like Wie viel? Wann? Kann ich ...?
3. You talk about your own experiences with the same situation.

B1 speaking is a pair exam of about 16 minutes (with an odd number of candidates, one person takes it alone):

1. Über sich sprechen: You talk about yourself using prompts such as name, place of birth, where you live, work, family and languages, then react to the examiner's follow-up questions.
2. Über Erfahrungen sprechen: You get a picture or a short text describing a situation. You say what the situation is and talk about your own experiences with it, then answer follow-up questions. In the ÖIF practice test the picture shows a conversation at a hospital bed.
3. Gemeinsam etwas planen: You plan something with your partner. In the practice test, your 83-year-old neighbor has the flu, has to stay in bed and is alone all day: you plan what to do, when, for how long, and whether to organize other help.

How to practice the ÖIF exam with Dia

• Choose Austrian German in Dia if you're taking the exam in Austria. Austrian German has its own everyday words, such as Jänner for January and Erdäpfel for potatoes, and practicing in that variety means you hear the German spoken around you.
• For the A2 dialogue, ask Dia to play the person behind the counter (post office, doctor's reception, landlord) and make yourself ask at least two questions before the conversation ends.
• For B1 Teil 2, describe a situation to Dia in German, such as a parents' evening, a visit to the doctor or moving to a new apartment, and ask it to question you about your own experiences.
• For B1 Teil 3, ask Dia to plan help for a neighbor, a house party or a cleaning rota with you.
• For the values part, the ÖIF publishes its question catalogues on the Sprachportal. That part is a written test, so study it there.

Goethe-Zertifikat B1: plan, present, give feedback

The Goethe-Zertifikat B1 is modular, so you can take Sprechen on its own or together with the other modules. Each module is scored out of 100, and you pass with 60. Speaking is a pair exam of 15 minutes for two candidates. Before it you get 15 minutes to prepare alone. You may make notes, but in the exam you should speak freely, and dictionaries and phones aren't allowed.

1. Gemeinsam etwas planen (about 3 minutes). You and your partner plan something together. In the Goethe practice set you've won a one-week language course in Cologne for two people, and you plan the trip: when, how to get there, where to stay, what to bring.
2. Ein Thema präsentieren (about 3 minutes). You choose one of two topics and present it following five slides: introduce the topic and the structure of your talk, describe your own situation or an experience, describe the situation in your home country with examples, give advantages and disadvantages and your opinion, and close by thanking your listeners.
3. Über ein Thema sprechen (about 2 minutes). After your presentation you respond to feedback and questions from your partner and the examiner. After your partner's presentation, you give feedback (what you liked, what was new to you) and ask one question.

How to practice Goethe B1 with Dia

• Teil 2 is the part you can rehearse most. Pick a topic (life without a car, big wedding or small party, working from home), write the five slide headings on paper, and talk for three minutes. Then ask Dia to react the way your partner would, with a short piece of feedback and one question, and answer it. That covers Teil 3 as well.
• Swap roles: ask Dia to give a short presentation, then practice your feedback and your question.
• For Teil 1, ask Dia to plan a trip, a celebration or a visit with you, using four points like the ones on the task sheet.

Phrases that come up in every planning task

All three exams include a planning task, so these phrases pay off three times:

• Making a suggestion: Ich schlage vor, dass wir ... / Wie wäre es, wenn wir ...? / Was hältst du davon, wenn ...?
• Agreeing: Gute Idee, das machen wir so. / Einverstanden.
• Disagreeing politely: Das finde ich nicht so gut, weil ... / Ich habe eine andere Idee: ...
• Dividing tasks: Wer kümmert sich um ...? / Ich kann ... übernehmen.
• Giving your opinion: Meiner Meinung nach ... / Ich finde, dass ...

Say them out loud until they come without thinking, then use them in a planning conversation with Dia.

A four-week routine

1. Week 1: the parts about yourself. Introduce yourself to Dia every day, answer its follow-up questions and ask questions back.
2. Week 2: opinions and experiences (telc Teil 2, ÖIF Teil 2, Goethe Teil 2 and 3).
3. Week 3: planning tasks, using the phrases above until they're automatic.
4. Week 4: full runs with a timer, plus one official model test with a classmate or teacher, since the real exam has a human partner.

Dia corrects your mistakes inline with a one-line explanation in your own language and keeps the conversation going, which is close to exam conditions: nobody stops you mid-sentence there either. It also remembers your goals and the words you've practiced across sessions, so tell it which exam you're taking and when. If you understand far more German than you can say, our post on why you understand but can't speak explains the gap and how to close it. Start practicing German with Dia.