20 gaps, 30 points, and the exam section most people only take seriously a week before the exam. Yet the Sprachbausteine are the most predictable part of the entire telc B1 exam: the tasks aren't invented freely but built from a fixed catalogue of learning objectives. Once you know the recurring patterns, the exam stops throwing surprises at you and starts showing you old acquaintances.
Here is the complete inventory: 10 patterns for Teil 1, 5 for Teil 2, each with the typical trap telc sets for you.
The format in 60 seconds
- Teil 1: A short letter or email with 10 gaps. For each gap you choose from three options (a, b, c).
- Teil 2: A second text with 10 gaps. You choose from a list of 15 words (a to o). Each word fits at most once, 5 are left over.
- Points: Every correct answer is worth 1.5 points, 30 points in total. Wrong answers cost nothing, so never leave a gap empty.
- Time: The Sprachbausteine share 90 minutes with the Leseverstehen. Plan around 15 to 20 minutes; with the patterns below you won't need more.
One thing that is often explained wrongly: there is no minimum score for the Sprachbausteine alone. The 60 percent threshold applies to the entire written part (135 of 225 points). A weak Sprachbausteine round can be compensated with reading and listening. But the reverse holds too: 30 points is 10 percent of the whole exam, almost as much as an entire letter in the Schriftlicher Ausdruck. Not something to give away.
Why the same patterns keep coming
At B1, telc tests a defined grammar inventory. The exam authors may only test structures listed in the B1 catalogue of learning objectives, and a gap text with 10 items can only cover a handful of them. The result: across the practice tests and real exams, the same categories appear in nearly identical distribution. Those categories are listed here.
Teil 1: the 10 multiple-choice patterns
1. Prepositions of time and place
The classic. seit, vor, ab, in, an, auf, bei and their cases.
Ich wohne ___ zwei Jahren in Köln. (a) vor (b) seit (c) ab
The trap: All three options are time prepositions. vor zwei Jahren (a point in the past) versus seit zwei Jahren (a period lasting until now). The verb decides: wohne is present tense, so seit.
2. Connectors and word order
weil, denn, deshalb, obwohl, trotzdem, damit.
Ich komme später, ___ ich noch einen Termin habe. (a) deshalb (b) weil (c) trotzdem
The trap: telc likes combining one subordinate-clause connector with two main-clause connectors. Look at the verb position: if it stands at the end (habe), only weil or obwohl qualify. Then logic decides.
3. Pronouns in the right case
Personal, possessive and reflexive pronouns, usually accusative or dative.
Können Sie ___ bitte die Unterlagen schicken? (a) mich (b) mir (c) meiner
The trap: schicken takes a dative (to whom?) and an accusative (what?). The documents are the what, so you need the to-whom: mir.
4. Verb forms and tenses
Perfekt with haben or sein, Präteritum of the most important verbs.
Gestern ___ ich zu Hause geblieben. (a) habe (b) bin (c) war
The trap: bleiben forms its Perfekt with sein even though no movement happens. The verbs sein, bleiben, passieren, werden belong to the sein group, and telc tests this regularly.
5. Modal verbs
müssen, sollen, dürfen, können in meaning and form.
In diesem Raum ___ man nicht rauchen. (a) darf (b) muss (c) will
The trap: Prohibition versus necessity. nicht dürfen = forbidden, nicht müssen = not necessary. German makes a distinction here that many languages don't.
6. Adjective endings
After definite, indefinite and zero article.
Ich suche eine ___ Wohnung. (a) große (b) großen (c) großes
The trap: The three options are always forms of the same adjective. First determine gender and case of the noun (eine Wohnung, accusative, feminine), then the ending: -e.
7. Konjunktiv II and polite requests
würde, hätte, könnte, wäre.
___ Sie mir bitte helfen? (a) Können (b) Könnten (c) Konnten
The trap: All three forms exist. Polite requests and unreal conditions take the Konjunktiv II. The signal word is often bitte or a wenn clause.
8. Relative pronouns
der, die, das, dem, denen and the case question inside the clause.
Der Kollege, ___ ich das Paket gegeben habe, ist heute krank. (a) der (b) den (c) dem
The trap: Gender comes from the antecedent (der Kollege), but case comes from the relative clause. geben + dative, so dem. If you only look at the antecedent, you choose wrong.
9. Infinitive with zu, um ... zu and damit
Ich lerne jeden Tag, ___ die Prüfung zu bestehen. (a) für (b) um (c) damit
The trap: um ... zu and damit mean the same thing, but um ... zu requires the same subject in both clauses and a zu before the infinitive. If there is a zu in the sentence, damit is out.
10. Negation and article words
kein versus nicht, plus jeder, alle, manche, etwas, nichts.
Ich habe leider ___ Zeit. (a) nicht (b) keine (c) nichts
The trap: Nouns without an article are negated with kein, not nicht. The form (keine) then still has to match the noun.
Teil 2: the 5 word-list patterns
Teil 2 is not a grammar test but a test of fixed combinations. The 15 words in the list look interchangeable. They almost never are.
11. Verbs with fixed prepositions
sich freuen auf/über, warten auf, sich interessieren für, denken an, sich bedanken für.
The trap: The word list contains several prepositions. If the text says Ich freue mich sehr ___ Ihre Antwort, auf wins (future) over über (already happened). Never learn a verb without its preposition.
12. Noun-verb combinations and fixed expressions
Bescheid geben, zur Verfügung stehen, in Frage kommen, sich Mühe geben, eine Entscheidung treffen.
The trap: These expressions can't be translated literally and can't be derived from grammar rules. You either know them or you don't. The good news: at B1 level there are only a few dozen, and telc recycles them.
13. Letter phrases and Redemittel
Mit freundlichen Grüßen, im Voraus, herzlichen Dank, Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren.
The trap: Teil 2 is almost always a semi-formal letter. Vielen Dank im ___ can only be Voraus. Knowing the 20 most important letter phrases hands you 2 to 3 gaps for free, and you need the same phrases for the Schriftlicher Ausdruck anyway.
14. Text-level connectors
deshalb, trotzdem, außerdem, allerdings, zum Beispiel.
The trap: Here telc tests logic, not grammar. Read the previous sentence: does a consequence follow (deshalb), a contrast (trotzdem, allerdings) or an addition (außerdem)? If you only read the gap sentence, you're guessing.
15. Reading the word class of the gap
The meta pattern that beats the other four: before looking at the word list, determine which word class fits the gap.
How it works: If the gap follows an article, you need a noun or adjective. If it sits in position 2 of the sentence, a verb. That immediately crosses out two thirds of the 15 words, and you choose among 4 to 5 candidates instead of 15.
The 3 traps that cost the most points
- Distractors from the same word class. The wrong options are never random. In a preposition gap, all three options are prepositions. Recognizing what is missing isn't enough; you have to know the combination.
- Reading only the gap sentence. Many answers hang on the sentence before (connectors, pronoun references). Always read one sentence more than you think you need.
- Sinking time into Teil 2. If you're stuck on a gap, move on. Since each word fits only once, the certain gaps solve the uncertain ones for you: the fewer words remain, the easier the rest becomes.
Exam-day strategy
- Read the text once in full before filling the first gap. You need the context (who is writing to whom and why).
- Fill the certain gaps first, mark the uncertain ones.
- In Teil 2: mentally sort the word list by word class before you begin.
- Use elimination. Crossing out two options is often easier than spotting the right one directly.
- Leave no gap empty at the end. There is no penalty, so a guess beats a blank.
- Transfer your answers to the answer sheet before the 90 minutes end. Only the sheet is graded.
FAQ
How many points do I need in the Sprachbausteine?
There is no minimum score for this individual section. The 60 percent rule applies to the entire written part (135 of 225 points). The Sprachbausteine contribute at most 30 points.
How much time do I have for the Sprachbausteine?
There is no separate time limit. Leseverstehen and Sprachbausteine share 90 minutes. 15 to 20 minutes for the Sprachbausteine has proven a good split.
Are wrong answers penalized?
No. A wrong answer counts the same as an empty gap: zero points. So always mark something.
Can a word appear twice in Teil 2?
No. Each of the 15 words fits at most one gap, and 5 words are left over at the end.
From reading to practicing
Knowing the 15 patterns is half the job. The other half is recognizing them in real exam texts under time pressure. That is exactly what Yulo's interactive Sprachbausteine exercises are for, in the real telc format: Teil 1 and Teil 2, with instant grading and an explanation for every gap telling you which pattern was just tested.
Photo by Susan Holt Simpson on Unsplash