You can write a letter in perfect German, with a polished greeting, correct commas and an elegant Konjunktiv, and still receive 0 out of 45 points. That is not an examiner myth. It is stated verbatim in the official telc grading criteria:
"If Criterion I and/or Criterion III is rated 'D', the entire letter is scored 0 points."
Let's unpack what Criteria I and III are, when a "D" happens, and why the rule sounds scarier than it is.
How the letter is graded
In the Schriftlicher Ausdruck section of the telc B1 exam you have 30 minutes to write a semi-formal letter or email of about 150 words. The task gives you a situation and four Leitpunkte (content points) you must address. Two examiners rate the letter on three criteria:
| Criterion | What is assessed | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I: Leitpunkte | How many of the 4 content points you address adequately | all 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 or 0 |
| II: Communicative design | Structure, sentence linking, tone, greeting/date/sign-off | fully appropriate | mostly appropriate | barely acceptable | insufficient |
| III: Formal accuracy | Syntax, morphology, spelling | no or isolated errors | errors that don't impair understanding | errors that seriously impair understanding | so many errors the text is barely comprehensible |
Each rating carries points: A = 5, B = 3, C = 1, D = 0, plus up to 2 bonus points (more below). telc multiplies the sum by 3: a maximum of 45 points, 15 percent of the whole exam.
The zero rule: two paths to zero
The rule has exactly two triggers. Criterion II is explicitly not one of them: a badly structured letter alone never causes a zero.
Path 1: you address at most one Leitpunkt (Criterion I = D)
The more common and crueler path, because it catches people whose German is good. Typical causes:
- Misreading the task. You write fluently about the wrong thing, a complaint instead of an inquiry.
- Answering the situation, not the Leitpunkte. The situation text is context. Only what you write about the four listed points counts.
- Bad time allocation. Ten beautiful sentences on point one, then time runs out. One point addressed = D = zero for everything.
Path 2: too many errors (Criterion III = D)
The zero here requires the text to be "barely comprehensible". Anyone who has completed a B1 course and can write full sentences is normally far away from that. This path mostly hits candidates sitting the exam well below level.
The math nobody explains
The zero rule sounds like you must not miss a single Leitpunkt. That is wrong, and this is the calculation worth knowing:
- 4 points addressed: A, 5 raw points (times 3 = 15)
- 3 points: B, 3 raw points. Costs you 6 exam points. Not a disaster.
- 2 points: C, 1 raw point. Now it is tight, and bonus points are off the table.
- 1 or 0 points: D. Zero. For the entire letter, however good it is.
The cliff sits between two Leitpunkte and one. Which yields the most important tactical rule for exam day: four points covered briefly beats any perfection. One or two sentences per Leitpunkt count as adequate. Four times two sentences is an A on Criterion I. Two perfectly crafted paragraphs are a C.
How to make the zero impossible (checklist)
- Underline the four Leitpunkte before writing. Not the situation, the points.
- One paragraph per Leitpunkt. This structure pays twice: Criterion I is secured and Criterion II (sensible arrangement) improves too.
- Touch all four first, expand later. Write two sentences on every point before deepening any of them.
- Five minutes before the end: Leitpunkt check. Count them. If one is missing, add two simple sentences. Simple beats absent.
- Don't forget greeting, date, sign-off. Not a zero trigger, but it costs you on Criterion II.
Bonus: the extra points
Up to 2 bonus points are awarded for above-average linguistic range and scope, but only if no criterion was rated C or worse. Here too, the winner covers the mandatory program first (all Leitpunkte) and adds flair second.
FAQ
Do I get 0 points if I forget one Leitpunkt?
No. Three out of four is a B (3 instead of 5 raw points). The zero only happens if you adequately address at most one point, or if errors make your text barely comprehensible.
How long does the letter have to be?
The task is designed for about 150 words. There is no official minimum word count with deductions, but scope feeds into Criterion II and the bonus points.
Who grades the letter?
Two examiners who must agree on one rating.
How much does the letter count?
45 of 300 points, 15 percent. To pass you need 60 percent across the whole written part (135 of 225), so a weak letter can be compensated. A zero, barely.
Practice against the real criteria
Knowing the zero rule is step one. Step two is thinking in Leitpunkten automatically under time pressure. With Yulo you write letters for real telc tasks and get instant feedback along the three official criteria, including a warning when a Leitpunkt is missing.