Die Prüfung telc Deutsch A2: Überblick und Strategien
Format, scoring and strategies for every part · Niveau A2
telc Deutsch A2, also called Start Deutsch 2, shows that you can handle familiar everyday situations in German. This chapter explains each part, what examiners reward and where candidates lose points. Then take Modelltest A2, Satz 1 under real exam conditions.
Von A1 zu A2: Was ist neu?
The structure is the same as at A1: four subtests, 15 points each. What changes is the amount of language you handle.
- Longer texts. You read a full building directory, a newspaper article and eight ads.
- Active listening. In Hören Teil 1 you write down a time, a day, a price, a place or a phone number yourself instead of choosing a, b or c.
- A longer email. Schreiben Teil 2 asks for about 40 words, and you choose three of four points. Examiners expect connected sentences.
- Pairs instead of groups. The oral exam has two candidates, so you speak more.
- Negotiating instead of requesting. In Sprechen Teil 3 you plan something with your partner, make suggestions, say no politely and give reasons.
- More grammar in use. Perfekt, dative, modal verbs, weil and dass clauses and polite forms like Wir könnten … help you score.
- More time: 50 minutes for Lesen and Schreiben together (A1: 45).
Die Prüfung im Überblick
The written exam takes about 70 minutes: Hören first, then Lesen and Schreiben together. The oral exam takes about 15 minutes per pair, often on the same day.
| Prüfungsteil | Aufgaben | Zeit | Punkte |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hören Teil 1: Telefonnotizen | 1-5 | Hören: ca. 20 Min. | 5 |
| Hören Teil 2: Radio | 6-10 | 5 | |
| Hören Teil 3: Gespräch | 11-15 | 5 | |
| Lesen Teil 1: Wegweiser | 1-5 | Lesen und Schreiben: 50 Min. | 5 |
| Lesen Teil 2: Zeitungsartikel | 6-10 | 5 | |
| Lesen Teil 3: Anzeigen | 11-15 | 5 | |
| Schreiben Teil 1: Formular | 5 Lücken | 5 | |
| Schreiben Teil 2: E-Mail | ca. 40 Wörter | 10 | |
| Sprechen Teil 1: Sich vorstellen | 1 Aufgabe | Sprechen: ca. 15 Min. | 3 |
| Sprechen Teil 2: Alltagsgespräch | 3 Fragen, 3 Antworten | 6 | |
| Sprechen Teil 3: Etwas aushandeln | 1 Gespräch | 6 | |
| Gesamt | ca. 85 Min. | 60 |
Punkte und Bestehen
Each item in Hören and Lesen is worth 1 point, and so is each correct gap in Schreiben Teil 1. In Schreiben Teil 2 each of your three points earns 3 (clear and complete), 1,5 (partly done or hard to understand) or 0 (missing). Up to 1 more point is given for communicative form: greeting, closing, the right register (du or Sie) and connected sentences. In Sprechen you score for completing each task and interacting naturally; in Teil 2 you get roughly one point per question and one per answer.
You need 36 of 60 points (60 %) to pass. Grades: 54-60 sehr gut, 48-53,5 gut, 42-47,5 befriedigend, 36-41,5 ausreichend.
So läuft die mündliche Prüfung ab
You take the oral exam with one partner. Two examiners are in the room: one leads and explains each task, both listen and score. Each part starts with the sheet or cards you need; take a few seconds to read them.
You mainly talk to your partner, not to the examiner. You are scored individually, so your partner’s mistakes do not lower your result. If your partner gets stuck, help with a simple question (“Und du? Hast du am Samstag Zeit?”). Decide at the start whether you say du or Sie to each other, then stay with it.
Hören
Hören Teil 1: Telefonnotizen
- What you see: five short notes, each with one gap.
- What you do: listen to five phone messages (each played twice) and write the missing number, time, day, place or price.
- Strategy: predict the type of answer for each note. Write a draft the first time, check it the second time.
- Typical trap: most messages contain two or three times, prices or numbers. Speakers correct themselves (“nicht um acht, sondern um halb neun”) or mention an old number. Write the information that is valid now.
Hören Teil 2: Radio
- What you see: five questions with three options each.
- What you do: listen to five short radio texts (weather, traffic, program information, greetings, a competition), each played only once.
- Strategy: use the reading time to underline the key word in each question (Samstag, Abendkasse, jetzt).
- Typical trap: all three options are usually mentioned. A weather report covers today, tomorrow and Sunday; only one day matches the question.
Hören Teil 3: Gespräch
- What you see: five people or things (11-15) and nine places or options (a-i). One letter is used in the example.
- What you do: listen to one longer conversation (played twice) and match each item to a letter.
- Strategy: the items follow the order of the conversation. Cross out each letter you use.
- Typical trap: wrong places are mentioned too: “Der Regenschirm steht normalerweise an der Tür, aber heute …”. Words like normalerweise, gestern, aber and heute signal the change.
Lesen
Lesen Teil 1: Wegweiser
- What you see: a directory and five situations with three options, such as “Erdgeschoss, zweiter Stock, anderes Stockwerk”.
- What you do: decide where you need to go.
- Strategy: first ask which department can solve the problem, then look for it.
- Typical trap: identical words. “Sie haben ein Auto gekauft und möchten es anmelden” contains “anmelden”, but the Bürgeramt is wrong: cars are registered at the Kfz-Zulassungsstelle. Read for meaning.
Lesen Teil 2: Zeitungsartikel
- What you see: an article of about 150-220 words and five statements.
- What you do: decide whether each statement is richtig or falsch.
- Strategy: read the statements first. They follow the order of the text, so find the passage and compare carefully.
- Typical trap: small words change everything: jeden Tag or jeden zweiten Tag, alle or viele, nicht, kein, nur, schon, noch.
Lesen Teil 3: Anzeigen
- What you see: eight ads (a-h) and five situations.
- What you do: match each situation to an ad. One situation has no matching ad: write x.
- Strategy: underline every condition in the situations (time, price, age, place). The right ad meets all of them.
- Typical trap: an ad fits the topic but not one detail, for example a sofa that costs 50 € too much. That is often your x.
Schreiben
Schreiben Teil 1: Formular
- What you see: a short text about an acquaintance and a form with five gaps.
- What you do: copy the missing information into the form.
- Strategy: read the form first, then mark the matching information in the text.
- Typical trap: the text also mentions other people (his sister’s address) or information he does not want to use. Copy names and numbers exactly and write dates as 08.11.1990.
Schreiben Teil 2: E-Mail
- What you see: a situation (often an invitation from a friend) and four points.
- What you do: choose three points and write about 40 words with greeting and closing.
- Strategy: write one or two sentences per point and use at least two connectors.
- Typical trap: writing a lot about one point and forgetting another, or switching between du and Sie.
Use this skeleton for every email:
| Teil | Beispiel |
|---|---|
| Anrede | Liebe Lena, / Lieber Tom, |
| Einleitung | vielen Dank für deine Einladung! |
| Punkt 1 | Ich komme gern, aber erst um 17 Uhr. |
| Punkt 2 | Soll ich einen Salat mitbringen? |
| Punkt 3 | Kannst du mir den Weg beschreiben? |
| Schluss | Ich freue mich auf Samstag! |
| Gruß | Viele Grüße / Liebe Grüße, Ana |
These four connectors show A2 level:
| Wort | Wortstellung | Beispiel |
|---|---|---|
| weil | Verb am Ende | Ich komme später, weil ich bis 16 Uhr arbeite. |
| dass | Verb am Ende | Ich finde es toll, dass du ein Fest machst. |
| deshalb | Verb auf Position 2 | Ich habe frei, deshalb komme ich gern. |
| aber | Position 0 | Ich komme gern, aber ich kann nicht lange bleiben. |
Sprechen
Sprechen Teil 1: Sich vorstellen
- What you see: keywords: Name? Alter? Land? Wohnort? Sprachen? Beruf? Hobby?
- What you do: introduce yourself to your partner in about one minute. Then the examiner asks you two more questions.
- Strategy: prepare six to eight sentences, including one in the Perfekt (Ich bin 2024 nach Köln gekommen) and one with weil.
- Typical trap: a text learned so rigidly that the extra questions throw you. Typical ones: Wie lange lernen Sie schon Deutsch? Warum lernen Sie Deutsch?
Sprechen Teil 3: Etwas aushandeln
- What you see: you and your partner get different sheets (a calendar or ideas) for the same task.
- What you do: talk for three or four minutes, make suggestions, react, give reasons and agree on a plan.
- Strategy: start with a concrete suggestion, explain your “no” with weil or deshalb, and sum up the plan at the end.
- Typical trap: reading your calendar aloud as a monologue, or agreeing at once. Both partners should speak about equally.
| Funktion | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| vorschlagen | Wie wäre es um 15 Uhr? |
| vorschlagen | Wir könnten zusammen zum Flohmarkt gehen. |
| zustimmen | Gute Idee! Das passt mir gut. |
| ablehnen | Tut mir leid, da kann ich nicht. |
| Grund nennen | Um 12 geht es nicht, weil ich arbeiten muss. |
| Grund nennen | Ich habe Training, deshalb kann ich erst um 6. |
| Gegenvorschlag | Und was ist mit 16 Uhr? |
| zusammenfassen | Also, wir treffen uns um 15 Uhr am Eingang. |
Zeitplan: 50 Minuten Lesen und Schreiben
This plan leaves time for checking:
| Aufgabe | Minuten | Tipp |
|---|---|---|
| Lesen Teil 1 | 6 | Which office solves the problem? |
| Lesen Teil 2 | 9 | Statements first, then the text. |
| Lesen Teil 3 | 10 | Underline every condition. |
| Schreiben Teil 1 | 5 | Copy spellings exactly. |
| Schreiben Teil 2 | 15 | Plan 2, write 10, check 3. |
| Kontrolle | 5 | Every answer on the answer sheet? |
Starting with Schreiben Teil 2 (10 points) is fine if you keep to the times.
Checkliste für die letzte Woche
- Do Modelltest A2, Satz 2 in one sitting with a timer.
- Record your self-introduction. Is there a weil sentence and a Perfekt sentence?
- Write two emails of about 40 words on three points. Check greeting, closing, du or Sie.
- Practice Sprechen Teil 3 with a partner and two different calendars.
- Read prices, times and phone numbers aloud.
- Review Perfekt participles, the dative and word order with weil, dass and deshalb.
- Check your invitation letter: time, address, photo ID and what to bring.
- Sleep well and arrive 30 minutes early.