If you passed one of the two parts, you do not have to sit it again. You can have it credited and retake only the other part. Three hard rules apply: twelve months from the date on your Ergebnisbogen (result sheet), you have to tell the exam centre you want the credit when you register, and the credit is always based on your most recent result.
By Ela Zakrzewska. For over 20 years she has prepared learners for telc exams and marked their exam papers against the telc criteria.
Most candidates who have failed know by now that they do not have to retake the whole exam. That is the good news, and it is true.
What almost nobody knows: the credit does not happen automatically. It is a request, it has a deadline, and it has a trap that can cost you the part you already passed.
I have seen candidates who had passed the oral part, dutifully registered to retake the written part, and found out on exam day that they now had to sit both. Because nobody asked about the credit when they registered, and they did not know they had to ask.
The rules are in the telc Prüfungsordnung (exam regulations). They are public, this section is less than two pages long, and almost nobody reads it.
Which exams the credit applies to at all
Not all of them. The Prüfungsordnung lists them explicitly:
Possible at levels B1, B2, C1 and C2. Not possible at levels A1 and A2, or for any exam scaled across two levels: A2·B1, B1·B2, B2·C1. telc Prüfungsordnung, Anhang 1: Anrechnung von Teilergebnissen (crediting of part results)
So the credit applies to telc Deutsch B2. It does not apply to telc Deutsch B1·B2.
This is not a detail. The two exams get mixed up all the time, and many candidates sit the B1·B2 without quite knowing it, because their course registered them that way. If your Ergebnisbogen says B1·B2, there is no partial retake. It is the whole exam or nothing.
Look at your Ergebnisbogen before you plan anything. It tells you which exam you actually took.
The deadline: twelve months, not "next year"
Here is the version going round online, against the version in the Prüfungsordnung.
Online you often read: in the calendar year of the exam or in the following calendar year. That is not what the Prüfungsordnung says. It says:
„In diesem Fall kann die Mündliche Prüfung oder die Schriftliche Prüfung innerhalb von zwölf Monaten nach Ablegen der ersten Prüfung (Datum der Ausstellung des Ergebnisbogens) wiederholt werden.“ (In this case, the oral exam or the written exam can be retaken within twelve months of taking the first exam (date the Ergebnisbogen was issued).) telc Prüfungsordnung § 7.3
The difference is not academic. It is dangerous, and precisely when you are examined early in the year.
An example. You sit the exam in February 2027 and fail the written part. Under the calendar-year version you would have until 31 December 2028, almost two years. Under the real rule your deadline runs out in February 2028. Anyone who relies on the wrong version loses the oral part they passed and sits the entire exam again.
The deadline runs from the date your Ergebnisbogen was issued, not from the exam day and not from the day the letter reached you. Find that date and write it down. It is the only number that counts in this whole business.
The sentence almost everyone skips
In the very same paragraph of the Prüfungsordnung is the sentence that, in practice, breaks most credits:
„Der Wunsch nach Anrechnung einer Teilprüfung muss dem Prüfungszentrum bei der Prüfungsanmeldung mitgeteilt werden.“ (The wish to have a part exam credited must be communicated to the exam centre at the time of registration.) telc Prüfungsordnung § 7.3
Not afterwards. Not on exam day. When you register.
The exam centre does not see your earlier attempt by itself. Maybe you were at a different centre back then. Maybe it was the same centre, but a different term and a different person at the desk. For registration purposes you are, at first, a new candidate.
Say it yourself, say it in writing, and get it confirmed. One e-mail in German is enough:
„Ich habe am [Datum] bei [Zentrum] die telc Deutsch B2 abgelegt und den mündlichen Teil bestanden. Ich melde mich zur Wiederholung des schriftlichen Teils an und möchte den bestandenen mündlichen Teil anrechnen lassen. Bitte bestätigen Sie mir, dass die Anrechnung vermerkt ist.“ (I took telc Deutsch B2 at [centre] on [date] and passed the oral part. I am registering to retake the written part and would like the oral part I passed to be credited. Please confirm that the credit has been recorded.)
Take your Ergebnisbogen with you. It is your proof.
The trap: the credit is based on your most recent result
This rule sits in a single subordinate clause, and it is the nastiest of them all:
„Eine Anrechnung erfolgt immer auf das zuletzt erzielte Prüfungsergebnis.“ (Credit is always based on the most recently achieved exam result.) telc Prüfungsordnung § 7.3
In plain words: your latest result counts, not your best.
That is harmless as long as you only retake the part you failed. It becomes a problem when you redo the whole exam because you think it cannot hurt. It can. If you do worse in the oral part the second time than the first, the worse score is the one that stands.
What this means for your plan: retake only the part you did not pass. Nothing more. "I'd rather just do everything again, then it's clean" is the most expensive sentence in this article.
What you cannot retake
„Eine Wiederholung einzelner Subtests ist nicht gestattet.“ (Retaking individual subtests is not permitted.) telc Prüfungsordnung § 7.3
A part is a part. If you fail the written part, you retake the complete written part: Leseverstehen (reading), Sprachbausteine (grammar and vocabulary), Hörverstehen (listening) and Schreiben (writing). Even if only the writing cost you.
That sounds unfair and is actually an opportunity. The four areas compensate for each other within the written part. If you know the writing tipped you over, you can build an extra buffer in reading and Sprachbausteine on your second attempt, where points are more predictable than in the letter. More on this: how telc B2 is graded and the logic behind the Sprachbausteine.
And one more relief from the same family of paragraphs:
„Eine Prüfung kann insgesamt beliebig oft wiederholt werden. Jedes Ergebnis bleibt gültig, auch wenn die Prüfung wiederholt wird.“ (An exam can be retaken as often as you like. Every result remains valid, even if the exam is retaken.) telc Prüfungsordnung § 7.2
There is no limit on attempts. What there is, every time, is a new exam fee.
If you forgot to ask for the credit when you registered
There is a way out, and it costs money. The Prüfungsordnung lists it in its fee table:
Nachträgliche Anrechnung einer Teilprüfung (crediting a part exam after the fact): deadline 1 year after the certificate or Ergebnisbogen was issued, fee 40 € telc Prüfungsordnung, Anhang 2: Fristen und Entgelte (deadlines and fees)
Forty euros and an application are better than retaking the whole exam. But it is a way out, not a plan. The plan is that one sentence when you register.
Before you even book a new date
Two rights you have that almost nobody uses. Both have their own deadlines, and both run from the date your certificate or Ergebnisbogen was issued.
Einsichtnahme (inspecting your answer sheets), three months. You can apply to telc gGmbH to look at your own answer sheets in person. You apply via telc.net. A few restrictions you should know: only you yourself may go in, copies or transcripts are not allowed, and there is no advice session. You see what you wrote. Nothing more, but that is often exactly the diagnosis you are missing.
Ergebnisüberprüfung (result review), six weeks, 40 €. You can have your result reviewed for a fee. Once only, in writing, via the form on telc.net. And now the part you need to know beforehand: if your exam actually is re-marked, the new result is final and cannot be withdrawn. It can also turn out worse. According to the Prüfungsordnung, you get the 40 € back if your result is revised, that is, actually changed. In that case you send the original of your Ergebnisbogen or certificate to telc gGmbH and receive a new result notice.
An Einspruch (appeal) against how the exam was run is something else: it is only possible if the exam rules were broken, and it has to be justified. The Prüfungsordnung is unambiguous here: „Das bloße Nichterreichen einer bestimmten Punktzahl gilt nicht als Begründung.“ (Simply not reaching a certain score does not count as a justification.) The deadline is six weeks, as for the result review.
A note on timing: telc archives the exam materials that determine your result for only four months after the results are announced. If you take your time, at some point there is nothing left to look at.
Your steps, in the right order
- Get out your Ergebnisbogen. Which exam does it really say, B2 or B1·B2? Which part is missing? What is the date of issue?
- Put twelve months from that date in your calendar, with a reminder two months before.
- Make a diagnosis before you book. If the Ergebnisbogen is not enough: apply for Einsichtnahme, three-month deadline.
- Find a date that is clearly inside the twelve months. Each exam centre sets its own dates and prices, and they vary a lot. How to find them: telc B2 exam centres.
- Request the credit in writing when you register and get it confirmed.
- Prepare only the missing part, aimed at the gap. Not your whole German.
Crack the credit before it slips through your fingers.
What Knaxx does differently here
The credit is admin, not German. Still, it decides whether your second attempt costs you one part or two. Rules like this are exactly why Knaxx starts from the exam and not from the language: the most expensive mistakes in this exam are almost never grammar mistakes.
If you want to close your gap precisely instead of learning everything again: Knaxx is in beta right now. Get beta access at app.knaxxdeutsch.de/signup.
And if you have only just received the letter and do not yet know what you failed on, start here: telc B2 failed, what to do now.
FAQ: credit and partial retakes in telc B2
Can I retake only the written or only the oral part of telc B2?
Yes. The telc Prüfungsordnung allows, for all exams at B1, B2, C1 and C2 level, retaking one part and having the part you already passed credited. This is not possible at A1 and A2, or for exams spanning two levels such as A2·B1, B1·B2 and B2·C1.
How long do I have for the retake?
Twelve months from the date your Ergebnisbogen was issued. Not the calendar year, and not the following one either: the Prüfungsordnung explicitly says twelve months after taking the first exam, counted from the date the Ergebnisbogen was issued.
Do I have to apply for the credit?
Yes, and specifically when you register for the retake. The Prüfungsordnung requires you to tell the exam centre that you want the credit when you register for the exam. Ideally in writing, with your Ergebnisbogen as proof, and get the credit confirmed.
What happens if I retake the whole exam and do worse this time?
Then the worse result counts. According to the Prüfungsordnung, the credit is always based on the most recently achieved exam result, not the best one. That is why you should retake only the part you did not pass.
Can I retake only the writing?
No. Retaking individual subtests is not permitted. If you fail the written part, you sit the complete written part again: Leseverstehen, Sprachbausteine, Hörverstehen and Schreiben.
How often can I retake telc B2?
As often as you like. The Prüfungsordnung sets no limit, and every result remains valid. But each attempt means paying exam fees again, and the amount is set by the exam centre.
I forgot to ask for the credit when I registered. Is it gone?
Not straight away. There is the option of crediting a part exam after the fact, with a deadline of one year after the certificate or Ergebnisbogen was issued and a fee of 40 euros.
About the authors
Ela Zakrzewska has taught telc B2 for over twenty years and corrected hundreds of letters against the official telc criteria. She was born in Lithuania and has lived and worked in Poland, Germany, Belgium and the UK. Those five countries, five languages and the networks she has built worldwide shape the Knaxx approach: exam knowledge that accounts for every first language, and a strategy that works for immigrants in Germany because she is one.
Tu-San Pham holds a PhD in AI and data science and is co-founder of Knaxx. She translates Ela's two decades of exam expertise into systems that reach hundreds of learners at once without losing the marking logic. She and Ela met as exam partners in a language exam. Now they are building the exam partner they both wish they'd had.
