telc Pflege Passing Score: The B1·B2 Combination Table Explained (2026)

There is no single pass mark for telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege. The certificate level comes from a combination table of three component results: Hören/Lesen/Sprachbausteine, Schreiben and Sprechen. This guide shows the official point bands, the combination table and two worked examples.

All numbers below come from the official telc Übungstest 1, pages 40 to 42. Our telc B1-B2 Pflege exam guide covers the exam format and timings. This guide covers only the score.

telc Pflege has three components, not five subtests

The exam has five subtests. telc combines them into three components for the certificate decision. Each component has its own point scale.

Component	Subtests included	Maximum points	Who scores it
HLS	Hören + Lesen + Sprachbausteine	59	Scanner, 1 point per correct item
Schreiben	The report task	20	Licensed telc raters, 4 criteria × 5 points
Sprechen	The paired oral exam	100	Two licensed telc examiners

HLS is our short name for the first component. telc writes it as "Hören/Lesen/Sprachbausteine". The 59 items are 23 Hören items, 18 Lesen items and 18 Sprachbausteine items. Each correct item gives 1 point. There is no weighting between the three subtests inside HLS.

The score bands for each component

telc converts each component result into a level: B2, B1 or "unter B1" (below B1). The bands are fixed.

Component	B2	B1	unter B1
HLS (59 points)	43–59	27–42	0–26
Schreiben (20 points)	15–20	7–14	0–6
Sprechen (100 points)	75–100	35–74.5	0–34.5

Sprechen scores can end in .5 because two examiners score independently. If their scores differ, telc calculates the mean. Schreiben scores are whole numbers from 0 to 20.

Sprechen is the gate

If your Sprechen result is "unter B1", you get no certificate. The other two components do not matter in that case. telc states this as the minimum condition for any certificate.

The Sprechen level also sets the ceiling. A B2 certificate needs a B2 result in Sprechen. A B1 result in Sprechen limits you to a B1 certificate, even with 59 points in HLS and 20 points in Schreiben.

The B2 combination table

For a B2 certificate, telc lists exactly three valid combinations. Sprechen is B2 in all three. At least one of HLS or Schreiben is B2. The other one is B1 at minimum.

Case	HLS	Schreiben	Sprechen	Certificate
1	B2	B2	B2	B2
2	B2	B1	B2	B2
3	B1	B2	B2	B2

No component may be "unter B1" in a B2 case. An HLS result of 26 points with 20 points in Schreiben and 100 in Sprechen does not give B2. It gives B1, because HLS is below B1.

The B1 certificate and the "no certificate" case

For a B1 certificate, Sprechen must reach B1 or B2. At least one of HLS or Schreiben must reach B1 or B2. telc lists 13 valid combinations for B1. The rule behind all 13 is short.

1. Sprechen is B1 or B2.
2. HLS or Schreiben (or both) is B1 or B2.
3. If HLS is "unter B1", HLS has at least 19 points.
4. If Schreiben is "unter B1", Schreiben has at least 4 points.

Rules 3 and 4 are the two footnotes under the official B1 table. They are floors. A candidate with 18 points in HLS cannot get a B1 certificate through a strong Schreiben result.

You get no certificate in two situations. The first is Sprechen "unter B1". The second is Sprechen at B1 or B2 with both HLS and Schreiben "unter B1". In both situations telc issues no certificate.

Do not use the general telc B2 rule

telc Deutsch B2 (the general exam) is a single-level exam with its own pass rule for the written and the oral part. telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege is a scaled exam. It uses the combination table above and no pass percentage. If a forum post or a course gives you a percentage for telc Pflege, check it against the tables in the official Übungstest. The percentages in the Schreiben and Sprechen rating grids (100 %, 80 %, 60 %) describe the rating levels. They are not a pass mark.

Two worked examples

Candidate A scores 46 points in HLS, 13 points in Schreiben and 80 points in Sprechen.

1. HLS 46 is in the 43–59 band: B2.
2. Schreiben 13 is in the 7–14 band: B1.
3. Sprechen 80 is in the 75–100 band: B2.
4. The combination B2/B1/B2 is case 2 in the B2 table.

Result: a B2 certificate. Candidate A missed the Schreiben B2 band by 2 points, and the HLS result covered that gap.

Candidate B scores 52 points in HLS, 17 points in Schreiben and 71.5 points in Sprechen.

1. HLS 52 is in the 43–59 band: B2.
2. Schreiben 17 is in the 15–20 band: B2.
3. Sprechen 71.5 is in the 35–74.5 band: B1.
4. Sprechen is not B2, so no B2 case applies. All three components are B1 or above, so a B1 case applies.

Result: a B1 certificate. Candidate B has two B2 components and still gets B1. The gap is 3.5 points in Sprechen. A strong written result does not close that gap.

FAQ

Is 60 % enough to pass telc Pflege? No percentage decides the result. 60 % of HLS is 35.4 points, which is a B1 result. 60 % of Schreiben is 12 points, also B1. 60 % of Sprechen is 60 points, also B1. With 60 % in each component you get a B1 certificate, not B2.

Can I get B2 with a B1 result in Schreiben? Yes. This is case 2 in the B2 table: HLS B2, Schreiben B1, Sprechen B2. Schreiben must have at least 7 points. Schreiben below 7 points is "unter B1" and blocks B2.

What happens if I fail Sprechen? A Sprechen result below 35 points gives no certificate at all. HLS and Schreiben results do not compensate for it.

How long do results take? telc does not publish a fixed number of days. The examiner script in the official Übungstest closes with the sentence that the result arrives "in a few weeks". Your test centre gives you the expected date for your sitting.

Can I retake only one part? No. telc states that the exam can be repeated as a whole, as often as you want. Results from an earlier sitting do not carry over. A candidate who wants to improve Sprechen sits all five subtests again.

Next step: read your Übungstest result with this table

Take the free telc Pflege Übungstest on soruLab. It gives you a Lesen and Sprachbausteine score with an explanation for each item. Then open the certificate simulator on the telc Pflege page. Enter that score and your own estimate for Hören, Schreiben and Sprechen. The simulator applies the same combination table and shows the points you still need.

soruLab covers Lesen, Sprachbausteine and Fallbeispiele. It does not cover Hören, Schreiben or Sprechen. For the Sprachbausteine part of HLS, our 12 practice items with answers show the two task types.

Official sources

• telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege: exam page with the free Übungstest download
• telc Deutsch B1·B2 Pflege Übungstest 1 (PDF): score bands and combination tables, pages 40–42

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Score bands and combination tables checked against telc Übungstest 1 on 12 October 2026. telc® is a registered trademark of telc gGmbH. soruLab is not affiliated with telc gGmbH.