German Levels (A1 to C2)

 

What does A1, A2 etc. mean..?

‚A1 to C2‘ are the levels of the Common European Framework (CEFR) – the levels are A1.1, A1.2, A2.1, A2.2, B1.1 etc. upto C2.2. This not only applies to German, but it is the standardised level reference used for European languages in general. A1 is beginner level, and the system goes upto C2, which is in theory mother tongue level – however, not even all native speakers would be able to pass a C2 exam!

How long does each level take? Is the test a compulsory part of the courses?

Every intensive German courses has an average of 160 sessions per level; however, the length of time required depends greatly on the individual student. A student with a background in learning languages and who speaks a Germanic language as their mother tongue will most likely require significantly less time than a student with no prior experience with learning foreign languages who speaks, for example, a romance language as their first language. The classes are consequently flexible- you can move up and down as required and there is no set time after which you will be asked to take an exam, it is completely upto the capabilities and needs of each individual student.

How are these tested?

TELC GmbH is the German government‘s partner for testing the CEFR, so you will hear a lot about TELC tests; however, they are not the only test you can take. For example, for university you can take the TestDaF (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache – test for German as a foreign language) or the BSH – Deutsch Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang. These are not through the TELC organisation, but are still accepted ways of testing C1 level German. In addition, you do not have to take every level exam, you can simply take whichever level exam you like at any point. For example, you may take a B1 exam, skip the B2 one and then eventually take a C1 exam.

You must, however, take these at a registered testing center and sign up well in advance, approximately a month beforehand - these are not simply exams you can take in a classroom. There are specific dates available to take the exams - and these, along with their prices, can be found on our website. For more details, ask at our office or drop us an email!

How do I know what level I‘m at to enter the right course?

Before you take a course with us, we provide a free of charge placement test so you can be put in an appropriate level group; however, if you are simply curious at home, there are also a number of not-so-reliable but far cheaper tests you can take alone online and TELC actually provides a self-assessment grid which, although not perfect, could be of use as a rough guide. You can find it here.

 

What exactly does each level entail?

Here is a concise break down of how all of the levels work:

A1: complete beginner.

What will I learn?

By the time you finish A1, you will be able to use daily expressions and to understand and create simple sentences in fixed situations – for example, you won't be discussing environmental policy just yet, but you will be able to order food in a restaurant like a pro and to say where you are from and who you are friends with etc. Think of phrases like ‚My address is …. , the postcode is …., I work at … and my hobbies are …'. With regards to grammar, you will cover the basics of a broad range of topics, such as how to conjugate regular and commonly used irregular verbs, the simple past tense and basic word order, in order to allow you to start forming your own sentences away from set phrases.

The A1 exam: how long do I need & what is it like?

The TELC German A1 exam is typically for students who have had around 75 hours of teaching (according to Deutsche Welle), although this is dependant on the student, and the exam has both a written and an oral section. The former lasts 65 minutes and the latter generally follows directly afterwards, in a group with 3 other participants. This lasts roughly 10 minutes.

Who is A1 for?

Anyone with no or very little prior knowledge of German. A1 is open to everyone, as of course, even if your goal is fluency, you have to start somewhere, but completion of an A1 level alone should suffice if you‘re going to spend a limited time in Germany and want to understand the basics so you‘re not totally lost, but have no long term plans here, or if you‘re just looking for an introduction to the language out of pure curiosity in your free time but don‘t want to get too invested in it. The A1 course is pretty rewarding because when you start with 0 knowledge of the German langauge, you can feel yourself improving with every class! Have a look at a speaking exam example here:

A2: basic conversation.

What will I learn?

By the end of A2, you should be able to understand a wider variety of sentences and heavily used expressions for a wider range of topics than at A1: think of topics like family, work, holidays, shopping etc. In general routine situations you should be able to get by and to both understand and be able to communicate the most essential information, although your understanding will be more extensive than your ability to produce the language. To some extent you should be able to describe your surroundings and those around you. Grammar topics include forming relative clauses, learning how to form the passive and the prefekt and präteritum cases.

The A2 exam: what do I need to do?

The A2 exam isn‘t too dissimilar from the A1 exam, with both a spoken and written section. The written exam lasts 70 minutes and is followed by a speaking section of roughly 10 minutes. You can an example of an A2 exam on the TELC website here  and have a look at an example speaking exam here:

Who needs A2?

People enter A2 either following an A1 class or, following a free placement test with us, having for example previously learnt German for a couple of years at school a long time ago, or having had enough previous exposure to the language to know the basics.

There are lots of varied reasons for taking an A2 course, but a lot of students who take classes upto A2/B1 level are those who will stay in Germany afterwards, but will study or work predominantly in English, and will not have time to continue language courses once the semester/work contract begins and so turn to Sprachenatelier as an intensive kick-start in the foundation of the language before learning it independantly alongside work.

B1: starting to communicate freely and about a wider range of topics.

What will I learn?

By the end of B1 you should understand most of what is going on in conversations, as long as standard German is being used and common topics which you have learnt such as work, school, free time etc are being discussed. You can tackle most situations which may arrise when in a German speaking environment. You can not only understand topics, but should also be able to express your own opinion on the topics and to able to express your view on them. You can report on experiences and events, dreams, hopes and goals for the future and to plan, justify and explain your arguments. This may sound daunting, but don‘t worry: you can still make plenty of minor mistakes, the key thing is just to be able to make yourself understood. Grammar topics include use of prepositions, seperable and reflexive verbs and particles.

The B1 exam: what do I need to do?

The B1 exam consists of a written section including listening, vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension exercises. In total this lasts 150 minutes. There is also a speaking section, which may be done on another day, which lasts 15 minutes and is generally done with another participant. Have a look at a practice speaking exam here:

Who needs B1?

As mentioned in A2, B1 may be a suitable level to look to achieve at Sprachenatelier if you want to be able to communicate and understand your surroundings, but won‘t be working or studying in the German language. B1 should also suffice for most service jobs such as in restaurants and cafes.In general though, the B1 class is primarily a gateway to B2/C1 and the exam may be used to assess your level for yourself.

Achieving B1 level opens up one more significant thing to you: if you‘re looking for German citizenship, you need proof of a B1 level!

B2: you are conversationally fluent on familiar topics.

What will I learn?

At B2 level, you can understand the main content of complicated texts about both concrete and abstract topics. You understand not only general, but also more specific topic related conversations and can take part. You can express yourself freely enough to have a conversation with native speakers without this being too draining for either side. You should be able to express your viewpoint clearly on a wide range of topics, to express your views on a current topic and to offer both positives and negatives to various possibilites. Grammar topics include the plusquamperfekt tense, the verb „werden“ (to become), demonstrative and prepositional pronouns etc.

The B2 exam: what do I need to do?

The TELC B2 exam lasts 2hours and 20 minutes: 90 minutes of reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, followed by 20 minutes of listening and then a 30 minute writing task. There is also an oral exam which lasts 15 minutes and is also taken with another participant. Find a speaking exam example here:

Who needs B2?

B2 should be your goal if you want to work in a full time skilled job in Germany, even if it will be primarily in English with only German elements to it, for example - as mentioned above, B1 may suffice for work such as cafe staff or in restaurants, but for most other jobs, you‘ll want to have at least a B2, sometimes even C1, level. There are not too many formal reasons to optain a B2 certificate and it is not accepted to study in Germany in German , but general reasons for taking a B1/2 class include:

•  You have been in Germany for quite a long time, have learnt informally and independently, so do not consider yourself a beginner, and want a solid class to formalise your abilities and improve your grammar.

• You grew up speaking German, for example, to one parent and never learnt formally, so you know how to speak, but need to perfect your writing and formal grammar and to broach a wider range of topics to acquire vocabulary you may not have picked up at home.

• You studied German at school, University or a prior language school for a while and want to revise, consolidate or develop your knowledge at Sprachenatelier Berlin. Maybe you just want to be able to put German on your CV as an extra skill!

C1: conversationally fluent, able to discuss and express viewpoint on almost all topics with confidence, mistakes are rare.

What will I learn?

If you are at a C1 level, you should have a high profficiency of German not just in everyday life, but in an academic or professional setting. You can understand longer texts on a wider range of topics and also understand more implicit elements of the texts without having to look up words. You can understand almost all of the language used in general society, in the workplace and in an educational and can employ it yourself. You can do this in a way which is clear and well structured. Grammar involves, for example, a comprehensive understanding of the passive, Konjunktiv I and nominilisation, for example; however, by C1 you will have covered most grammar topics and grammar no longer tends to be taught in a formal way, but instead, your grammar will be improved through reading, listening to and producing more complicated speech and texts.

Who needs C1?

If you want to study in Germany, this is the level you will need, but it isn‘t as straight forward as ‚C1‘ - there are various exams which are used to prove your level and Sprachenatelier offers intensive preperation classes, lasting roughly a month, for the following exams:



TestDaF – Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache


DSH – Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang


telc Deutsch C1 - Hochschule

Passing these tests will be recognized by all German universities as proof of your language level. Certain jobs also require proof of a C1 level of German, particularly if you will be required to produce texts yourself in German. There are very few which will require C2, so C1 tends to me a popular goal for students with long term plans to stay in Germany.

The C1 exam: what will I need to do?

The (TELC) exam consists of a written and an oral section and lasts 3 hours 35 minutes. You will be expected to do complex comprehension tasks, to write an extensive well-structured text on a particular topic. The oral section may be on the same day as the written section or on another day. Here is an example of speaking exam for a TELC C1 Hochschule exam:

C2: pretty much mother tongue level. In fact, a lot of native speakers, especially without prior practice for the exam, wouldn't pass. So basically, super German level!

What will I learn? 

By the time you start C2 classes, you should no longer need to be taught grammar rules or strict vocabulary lists, as you should have covered this earlier. Of course, you will still find the odd word or piece of grammar which you need to pick up, but the classes are structured more as a discussion and detailled analysis of texts etc. than going through worksheets and general topics as in earlier classes.

Who needs C2?
Not many people! Even a lot of people studying in German at university will never be asked to take a C2 exam. There are, however, a few jobs which will ask for it, if only to filter through candidates. If you want to work as a translator or interpreter, you'll generally need C2 level in all of the languages you want to translate into, so German is no exception.  One thing is clear though: only the most motivated of students take C2! It really is the difference between 'good German' and 'native speaker level', which is quite a jump, and progress is not as fast to see as it is in the first levels. Whereas for A2, for example, you may feel you have succesfully learnt all of the grammar and vocab assigned to that level, C2 is more a matter of mastering the entire language!


The C2 exam - what do you need to do?

If you take a TELC C2 exam, you will have 80 minutes of reading comprehension to tackle, followed by 60 minutes of listening exercises, a 20 minute break and then 90 minutes of writing. The 15 minute oral exam is an individual exam rather than in a group with other students as in prior oral exams, and you will receive preparation time beforehand of 20 minutes.