December 2019

So there you have it, I've done the TELC examination for B1 and also the Goethe-Institut examination for B1 - only yesterday. 
What are the differences? Is TELC easier or is Goethe B1 easier?

Well, in my opinion Goethe is easier as you can 'hack' the examination. You have 15 minutes in room alone before the oral examination and you are given the presentation to present already. So you have time to prepare. TELC it is all spontaneous and you need to describe an image there and then, prepare an event together and also with both you need to present yourself. Both are similar but carry strengths and weaknesses. TELC has grammar and close tests. Goethe has no grammar section but has more writing. Goethe you get your results the same day, TELC you need to wait for four weeks! Both have similar listening, reading and writing sections. More writing in Goethe, no close tests, more preparation for the speaking section and more structure. TELC is more spontaneous and the examiners seem to be able to ask more well-rounded, real-life examples but in Goethe it is definitely more structured and they start with saying when it has started and when the examination has finished. Both are obviously great to have and with TELC you can do an additional test called the 'leben in Deutschland' and you can do this as a replacement for a citizenship test. 

While I got 100% for speaking in TELC, I was prepared for it. I had studied. I didn't study for Goethe. I was tired, had no sleep and I think I got about 4 hours of sleep beforehand. All said I managed to get both certificates and managed to get an average of 96% in my TELC and 83% in Goethe. I was a little burnt out by Goethe. I hadn't practiced writing and actually fell asleep during the last few minutes of the reading part. It was tough going. Sleep is so important. Now I work fully in German and it's easy... and I'll forget it all when I go home for Christmas LOL. :-D