DTZ B1 Exam Structure 2026: Task-by-Task Complete Guide

Most “DTZ structure” posts copy Goethe B1 by accident: four equal modules, each passed on its own. The DTZ works differently: Hören and Lesen are scored together, Schreiben and Sprechen are scored separately, and the overall level depends on Sprechen plus one written result.

Below: what each Teil actually asks, where Sprachbausteine sits (inside Lesen, not a fifth equal module), how paired speaking works, and the traps that drop a B1 result to A2. For registration, the 8-week plan, and what to do if you land A2, stay on the overview.

What the DTZ is — and why so many sit it via an Integrationskurs

The Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer is the standardised language exam that closes many BAMF-funded Integrationskurse in Germany. Goethe-Institut and telc developed it under a BAMF mandate; since 1 January 2023 g.a.s.t. administers it for BAMF. You do not have to be on a course to sit it — licensed centres also run standalone dates — but the typical path is: language module → DTZ as the Sprachprüfung.

The design that matters for citizenship files: it is dual-level. One sitting can print A2 or B1 on the certificate, depending on the total. There is usually no blank “fail” slip in the Goethe sense — but A2 is not enough for Einbürgerung or a standard Niederlassungserlaubnis. Germany’s naturalisation clock is 5 years as standard (the 3-year fast track from the 2024 reform was abolished on 30 October 2025). Do not import Portugal’s longer residency clock into a German file.

Civic knowledge is a separate track from the language paper. An Integrationskurs usually includes an Orientierungskurs and the Leben in Deutschland (LiD) test. DTZ proves German; LiD / the civic path proves orientation knowledge. Do not treat them as one exam. Course structure and the Abschlussprüfung: BAMF and the prep workflow.

What it costs (soft bands — centres set the fee)

Fees vary by Träger and city. Treat every euro figure as a planning band, not a price list.

• Integrationskurs sitting: the DTZ is often included in the course package (you may still pay a lesson-unit contribution to BAMF). Confirm the letter from your provider — do not assume a second invoice.
• Standalone / private date: centres quote their own amount. Prep2Go’s certificate guide uses a soft DTZ band around €150–180; some overviews cite closer to €100 at particular providers. Read the live fee on the centre page before you budget.

Certificate choice (DTZ vs Goethe vs telc) and typical € bands: which language certificate for German naturalisation.

Exam overview — timings and point weights

Two parts, normally on the same day. Written paper 100 minutes (Hören → Lesen → Schreiben). Oral about 16 minutes, usually paired, after the written paper.

DTZ: three scored results — Hören + Lesen (45 points, with a gap-fill letter inside Lesen), Schreiben (20) and Sprechen (100).

Lesen — ~45 minutes, ~25 points (Sprachbausteine lives here)

Reading is one scored part, not two exams. You work through several everyday texts, then a gap-fill that Prep2Go (and most course teachers) call Sprachbausteine. That gap-fill is still Lesen — it does not get its own 25-point lane. Drill plan and letter skeletons: Sprachbausteine & Schreiben templates.

Texts stay inside integration life: Behörden, housing ads, work, health, school, mobility. Closed formats only — you mark an answer sheet; you do not write a free paragraph in Lesen.

Teil 1 — directories, menus, timetables

Short lookup texts: a Rathaus Wegweiser, a website menu, a Speisekarte, a Fahrplan. Multiple choice. The skill is selective reading — find the opening time, the right Amt, the platform — not a literary summary.

• Trap: the option that repeats a word from the text but answers a different question. Read the question stem first, then scan.

Teil 2 — Kleinanzeigen (matching)

Situations matched to ads: a flat, a job, a used bike, a Kita place. One situation often has no match (mark X). Abbreviations are the real test: 3 ZKDB, NK, WM, TZ, Vollzeit.

• Trap: matching on one shared noun (Wohnung, Job) and ignoring a deal-breaker (no pets, nights only, too far from the U-Bahn).

Teil 3 — short press and formal notices

Kurznachrichten, a Behördenbrief, a school or employer notice. Mix of true/false and multiple choice. You need the main point and one precise detail (deadline, who must act, what happens if you don’t).

Teil 4 — brochures and instructions

A Ratgeber, product leaflet, or safety note. Often true/false. Follow the instruction, not the vibe — “nur nach Rücksprache mit dem Arzt” is not the same as “you may always”.

Teil 5 — Sprachbausteine (gap-fill inside Lesen)

A short formal letter or notice with numbered gaps. For each gap you pick the word that fits grammar and meaning: articles and case after a preposition, connectors that send the verb to the end, verb+preposition chunks (warten auf, bitten um), a relative pronoun.

This is not a fifth equal module and it is not a separate 25-point grammar exam. It sits inside the Lesen total. Fastest method: read the whole letter once for sense, decide what the gap must mean, then look at the options. Options-first overthinking is how people pick a grammatically possible but context-wrong word.

Hören — ~25 minutes, 20 points

Hochdeutsch at natural speed: voicemail, station or workplace announcements, two-speaker dialogues about housing, health, or the Bürgeramt. Questions are on the paper before the audio. Clips play once or twice depending on the Teil — read the instruction line; do not assume every track repeats. Ear-training habits: DTZ Hören tips.

Teil 1 — short everyday clips

Standalone voicemails and PA spots. One or two questions each. You need the main message (who should call back? what changed?) and one detail (platform, room, time). Miss the first sentence and both items can go.

Teil 2 — dialogues

Two speakers negotiate something practical: a viewing, a reschedule, insurance. Questions ask who agrees, who refuses, what they decide. Track speakers from “Guten Tag, hier ist …” — wrong attribution is a full miss.

Teil 3 — longer monologues and Durchsagen

A longer single-speaker text: information broadcast, public-service message. Mix of gist (“what is the speaker advising?”) and detail (date, exception). Keyword-hunting without following the argument is the usual miss.

• Read the question stem in the pause — not all four options. Predict the type of answer (time, place, reason), then listen for that.
• Never leave a blank. Unanswered items score zero; a reasoned guess still has a chance.
• Train de-DE / Hochdeutsch. Classroom-slow audio and transcript-open study do not transfer to exam speed.

Schreiben — ~30 minutes, ~20 points

One letter or email, about 80–100 words. The prompt names the recipient (neighbour, company, Amt) and lists required content points — typically four. Missing a bullet costs more than a handful of grammar slips. This part is scored on its own: 20 points, B1 from 15.

Openings and closes that match Sie / du

• Formal: Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, / Sehr geehrte Frau Müller, — close Mit freundlichen Grüßen
• Semi-formal neighbour: Liebe Frau Müller, — close Viele Grüße
• Reason line: ich schreibe Ihnen, weil … / ich möchte mich über … informieren.
• Request: Könnten Sie mir bitte …? / Ich bitte Sie freundlich, …

Reusable skeletons and a four-week drill: Sprachbausteine & Schreiben templates. Aim near 90 words so you cover the bullets without a novel.

Sprechen — ~16 minutes, 100 points, paired

You sit with another candidate and two examiners. Three parts run back to back. For an overall B1 you must reach B1 here (75/100) — no written score can make up for it. People who only drill letters put their B1 at risk.

Part 1 — Sich vorstellen

Short questions: name, origin, how long in Germany, work or course, family, free time. Answer in 2–4 sentences. One-word replies waste grammar you already have.

Stronger: „Ich komme aus der Ukraine und wohne seit zwei Jahren in München. Ich arbeite in einem Restaurant, aber ich möchte später in meinem Beruf arbeiten. In der Freizeit lerne ich Deutsch und treffe Freunde.“

Part 2 — topic monologue

A card with a topic and a few bullets. Speak for about two minutes: cover the points, add one opinion or example. Typical themes: shopping, transport, neighbourhood, health, working in Germany.

Connectors that sound like B1 organisation: Zunächst … Außerdem … Ein wichtiger Punkt ist … Ich persönlich finde, dass …

Part 3 — Gemeinsam etwas planen

You and your partner plan something: a party, a day trip, a gift. Examiners watch interaction — propose, react, disagree politely, agree. A memorised monologue that ignores the partner scores worse than messy but real turn-taking.

• Suggest: Wie wäre es, wenn wir …? / Ich schlage vor, dass …
• Agree: Das ist eine gute Idee. / Ja, einverstanden.
• Disagree: Ich bin nicht sicher, ob das gut ist, weil … / Vielleicht wäre es besser, wenn …
• Ask: Was denkst du? / Wie findest du das?
• Close: Also, wir haben entschieden, dass … / Gut, dann machen wir das so.

How the 100-point total becomes A2 or B1

The DTZ does not add everything into one total. Hören and Lesen are scored together; Schreiben and Sprechen are scored separately. Official bands (g.a.s.t.):

• Hören + Lesen: B1 from 33/45, A2 from 20/45
• Schreiben: B1 from 15/20, A2 from 7/20
• Sprechen: B1 from 75/100, A2 from 35/100

Example from the overview: 12/25 Hören, 20/25 Lesen, 16/20 Schreiben, 25/30 Sprechen. Total = 73 → B1. The weak listening paper did not kill the sitting.

This is the official rule, not a nuance: speaking must always reach the level you want certified, while one of the two written results can sit a level below. For the worked example and the A2-outcome options, use the overview — What Happens if You Get A2.

If you get A2 — retakes are not a Goethe module shop

Landing 33–59 is an A2 certificate, not a blank fail — and it is not B1 proof for Einbürgerung. You need another sitting for B1. Retake rules vary by centre and by path. Do not plan on “resit only Schreiben” as a universal DTZ right — that modular retake is a Goethe B1 habit. Integration-course participants may have a Wiederholungsprüfung path through their Träger; private candidates usually rebook a full date. Details: What Happens if You Get A2.

DTZ vs Goethe-Zertifikat B1 vs telc Deutsch B1

All three are commonly accepted for Einbürgerung at B1. Pick by path, not by brand. Full decision tree: Germany naturalisation language certificate 2026.

Euro amounts are centre-set bands, not a tariff. If you only need Einbürgerung and you are already in an Integrationskurs, sitting the DTZ at the end is usually the practical paper. If you need a diploma that HR abroad already recognises, read the certificate guide before you pay twice.

Common traps on the DTZ paper

1. Treating paired speaking as two monologues. Part 3 is scored as interaction. Ask, react, finish a plan.
2. Skipping a Schreiben bullet. Four task points beat a prettier letter that answers three.
3. Sie / du mix-ups. An Amt letter with du looks careless. A neighbour prompt with Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren looks copied.
4. Verb-final after weil / dass / obwohl. Sprachbausteine and Schreiben both punish “… weil ich habe keine Zeit.”
5. Spelling that hides the word. ss/ß, umlauts, and capital nouns. Examiners can read through small slips; they cannot award a word they cannot recognise.
6. Studying Goethe module math. You are not passing four modules. You need B1 in Sprechen plus B1 in Hören + Lesen or Schreiben.

Frequently asked questions

What score do I need for DTZ B1? B1 in Sprechen (75/100) plus B1 in either Hören + Lesen (33/45) or Schreiben (15/20).

Is DTZ speaking paired? Yes. You are examined with another candidate: introduction, a short topic talk, then joint planning — about 16 minutes, normally after the written paper on the same day.

Can a weak section fail the whole DTZ? Yes, if it is Sprechen: an A2 oral means an A2 certificate. A weak Hören + Lesen score can be offset if Schreiben reaches B1, and the other way round — see the overview for the worked example.

Where is Sprachbausteine? Inside Lesen (the gap-fill Teil of the reading paper), not a fifth equal-weight module. It shares the ~25 Lesen points.

Can I retake only one DTZ module? Do not count on it. Centre and course rules vary. Goethe B1 is the exam people remember for modular resits. On the DTZ, an A2 result means you still need another sitting for B1 proof — start from the overview section “What Happens if You Get A2.”

Is the DTZ the same as the Einbürgerungstest? No. DTZ is the language exam. Civic knowledge (Orientierungskurs / Leben in Deutschland, and the naturalisation civic test where it applies) is a separate requirement. Completing an Integrationskurs typically involves both the language exam and the civic path — confirm with BAMF and your Träger.

How long is the DTZ? Written 100 minutes (Hören ~25, Lesen 45, Schreiben 30). Oral about 16 minutes, paired, normally after the written paper.

Is Einbürgerung a 10-year residency path? No. Standard naturalisation residency in Germany is 5 years (the 3-year fast track was abolished on 30 October 2025). B1 German is the language floor. Portugal’s longer clock is a different country — do not mix the two files.

Blue Card → settlement → 5-year citizenship: Germany Blue Card to citizenship 2026. EU comparison: Europe language requirements 2026.

Next step

If the Teile are clear but you are unsure you would reach B1 in Sprechen and one written part, run a readiness check and use the DTZ B1 hub for skill practice. Keep scoring questions on the DTZ overview so this page stays the task map.

Related: DTZ overview (scoring & A2 outcome) · How to pass DTZ B1 · Which certificate? · Hören tactics · Sprachbausteine & Schreiben.

Official orientation: BAMF Integrationskurse · BAMF Abschlussprüfung · Goethe-Zertifikat B1 · telc German exams. Session rules and fees change — verify with your centre before you book.

Last updated September 2026. Point bands and the B1 rule follow the official g.a.s.t. DTZ description (Sprechen B1 + Hören/Lesen or Schreiben B1). Always confirm the live sitting with your Träger or licensed centre.