How Is telc B2 Graded?
telc B2 is graded out of 300 points: 225 in the written part, 75 in the oral. To pass, you need 60 percent in each part, that is 135 written and 45 oral. The written part sums four areas (reading, Sprachbausteine, listening, writing), which compensate for each other. You have to pass both parts separately.
By Ela Zakrzewska, telc B2 examiner for 20+ years, hundreds of exams graded.Updated 9 June 2026 · ~7 min read
Most candidates walk into the exam without knowing where the points are. They practice every part equally and then wonder why it comes down to the wire.
"How many points do I actually need to pass?" (a common question in telc B2 study groups)
The answer is simple. The conclusion almost nobody draws from it is not. Once you know how the points are distributed, you know where study time pays off and where it does not. That is the first strategic advantage you can grab before you do a single exercise. This article shows you the whole map.
- The point distribution at a glance
- The written part: 225 points, four areas
- The oral part: 75 points, three tasks
- The 60 percent rule and why the areas compensate
- What the point distribution means for your strategy
- What you can do now
The point distribution at a glance
telc B2 has two parts, graded separately:
- Written exam: maximum 225 points
- Oral exam: maximum 75 points
- Total: 300 points
To pass, you need 60 percent in each part. That is 135 points written and 45 points oral. You have to pass both individually. A strong oral part does not rescue a failed written one, and the other way round.
The written part: 225 points, four areas
The written part lasts around 2 hours 20 minutes and is made up of four areas:
| Area | Points |
| Leseverstehen (reading) | 75 |
| Sprachbausteine (grammar/vocabulary) | 30 |
| Hörverstehen (listening) | 75 |
| Schreiben (writing, a letter) | 45 |
| Written total | 225 |
Reading and Sprachbausteine are done in the same 90-minute block, but they are scored separately. Remember these numbers. In section 5 they are the key to your strategy.
The oral part: 75 points, three tasks
The oral exam is a Paarprüfung (pair exam) and lasts around 15 minutes. It has three scored parts worth 25 points each:
| Part | Points |
| Talking about an experience (presentation) | 25 |
| Discussion | 25 |
| Solving a task together | 25 |
| Oral total | 75 |
The warm up at the start is not scored. Each part is judged on four criteria: Aufgabenbewältigung (task completion), Ausdrucksfähigkeit (range of expression), formal accuracy, and pronunciation. You are graded individually, not as a pair. How that works, and what a weak partner means, is in the article on the speaking exam.
The 60 percent rule and why the areas compensate
Here is the point most people get wrong.
The 60 percent threshold applies per part, not per area. In the written part, the four areas are added into one total. That total has to reach 135 of 225. There is no separate minimum threshold for an individual area.
That means the areas compensate for each other. A weak result in Sprachbausteine can be offset by strong reading. You do not need 60 percent in every area, just 60 percent overall.
One important caveat: Schreiben is worth 45 points. If you drop to zero there through the 0-points rule, that tears a 45-point hole in your total the other three areas can barely fill. The areas compensate, but a zero is almost impossible to make up. How a zero happens in the first place is explained in the article on the 0-points rule.
What the point distribution means for your strategy
Now for the conclusion almost nobody draws. Look at the written-part numbers again.
Reading and listening together are 150 of 225 points. That is two thirds of the written part. Sprachbausteine is just 30 points, the smallest area of all.
And what do most candidates fear the most? Sprachbausteine. They spend hours on the area that carries the fewest points, and train reading and listening on the side, even though that is where the points are.
This is the examiner truth from twenty years: spend your study time according to the point map, not according to your fear.
- Reading and listening (75 each): the two biggest levers. This is where you gain the most points and offset weaknesses elsewhere.
- Writing (45): a medium lever, but high risk through the 0-points rule. Learn the strategy, not just vocabulary.
- Sprachbausteine (30): the smallest lever. Important, but not where you should pour the most fear and time.
Whoever understands this stops treating every area equally and starts working where the points are. Crack the scoring before it cracks you.
What you can do now
- Memorize the point map. 225 written, 75 oral, 60 percent in each part.
- Spend study time by points, not by fear. Reading and listening first.
- Treat writing as a risk, not a point source: strategy beats vocabulary drills, because of the 0-points rule.
- Forget the per-area minimum that does not exist. You need the total, not 60 percent everywhere.
- Go deeper: how the writing is scored, how the speaking exam runs, and what happens if you fail.
Once you know how the exam counts, you make better decisions about every study hour. That is the start of a strategy that works.
FAQ - telc B2 grading: common questions
How many points do you need to pass telc B2?
60 percent in each part: 135 of 225 points in the written part and 45 of 75 in the oral. There are 300 points in total. You have to pass both parts separately.
How are the points distributed in telc B2?
Written (225 points): Leseverstehen 75, Sprachbausteine 30, Hörverstehen 75, Schreiben 45. Oral (75 points): three parts worth 25 points each. The warm up at the start is not scored.
Do you have to pass each part of the exam?
Yes. You have to pass both the written and the oral part with at least 60 percent each. A strong part does not offset a failed other part. If you fail only one part, you can usually retake just that one.
Do the sections in the written part compensate for each other?
Yes. The four areas are added into one total, and there is no separate minimum per area. A weak result in one area can be offset by a strong one in another. A 0 in writing, however, is a 45-point hole that is almost impossible to make up.
Which part of the exam is worth the most points?
In the written part, reading and listening are worth the most at 75 points each, 150 of 225 combined. Sprachbausteine is the smallest area at 30 points. That is why it pays to spend study time according to the point distribution, not according to gut feeling.
About the Authors
Ela Zakrzewska has taught telc B2 for over twenty years, corrected hundreds of letters against the official telc criteria, and graded hundreds of exams. She was born in Lithuania and has lived and worked in Poland, Germany, Belgium, and the UK. These five countries, five languages, and the networks she has built around the world shape the Knaxx approach: exam knowledge that accounts for every native language, and a strategy that works for immigrants in Germany, because she is one.
San Pham Tu is a PhD level AI and data scientist and co-founder of Knaxx. She translates Ela's two decades of exam expertise into systems that reach hundreds of learners simultaneously, without losing the evaluation logic. She and Ela met as exam partners in a language exam. Now they are building together the exam partner they both wished they had had.
