# Faust Academy

## telc B1 reading practice test: one Lesen task, explained

URL: https://www.faustacademy.com/telc-b1-reading-practice-test
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-21

Below is one real task from a Faust telc B1 reading paper (Teil 3, the ads), with the answer and the reason in English. The full paper, all five parts and 40 items, is free to start online without an account.

In telc Deutsch B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch), the reading booklet has two sections: Leseverstehen (reading comprehension, Teil 1 to 3) and Sprachbausteine (grammar and vocabulary gaps, Teil 1 and 2). You get one shared block of 90 minutes for all five parts and must mark every answer on the answer sheet S30 inside that time. Dictionaries and phones are not allowed.

Teil 3 has a twist. You read ten short situations and twelve ads, and you match each situation to an ad. Some situations have no matching ad at all, and then the answer is x.

### The task: Leseverstehen Teil 3, item 19 (Übungssatz 1)

The instruction, as printed on the paper: „Lesen Sie die Situationen 11 bis 20 und die Anzeigen a bis l. Ordnen Sie jeder Situation eine passende Anzeige zu. Benutzen Sie jede Anzeige höchstens einmal. Wenn keine Anzeige passt, markieren Sie x.“

In plain English: match each situation to one ad, use each ad once at most, and mark x when no ad fits.

Situation 19: „Für eine Feier möchten Sie einen Herrenanzug in einer kurzen Größe für ein Wochenende mieten. Sie möchten keinen Anzug kaufen.“

So the person needs three things at once: a men’s suit in a short size, for rent, for one weekend. Buying is not an option.

### The two ads that look right

Two of the twelve ads talk about men’s suits. Read both before you decide.

- Ad e, Herrenmode Berg: „Kurze Größen gehören bei uns zum festen Sortiment. Vergleichen Sie verschiedene Jacken und Anzüge und probieren Sie alles in Ruhe in unserem Geschäft an. […] Alle Modelle sind ausschließlich zum Kauf erhältlich.“ Short sizes, yes. But everything is for sale only.
- Ad f, Festlich für ein Wochenende: „Anzüge mieten bei Abendfein: freitags abholen, montags zurückbringen. Reinigung im Mietpreis enthalten. Unser Verleihbestand umfasst ausschließlich Normalgrößen von 46 bis 56.“ Rental for a weekend, yes. But only regular sizes.

### Answer: x (keine passende Anzeige)

Item 19 is x. Ad e has the short size but sells only („ausschließlich zum Kauf“). Ad f rents for a weekend but has regular sizes only („ausschließlich Normalgrößen“). No ad gives a short size for rent, so no ad fits.

The deciding word in both ads is „ausschließlich“ (only, exclusively). In Teil 3 it often marks the one condition an ad cannot meet. When you see it, check it against every part of the situation.

The trap: f matches the weekend and the renting, so it feels right, and it is tempting to stop reading there. The paper itself gives the rule: „Prüfen Sie alle Bedingungen der Situation. Eine ähnliche Anzeige genügt nicht, wenn das gesuchte Angebot fehlt.“ Check every condition, not most of them.

### Compare: item 15 uses ad e

Situation 15 reads: „Sie sind eher klein und suchen eine neue Herrenjacke in einer kurzen Größe. Vor dem Kauf möchten Sie verschiedene Modelle im Geschäft anprobieren.“ Here the answer is e: short sizes, buying, and trying on in the shop all match.

Same shop, different need. That is how Teil 3 works: the ads are written so that one of them fits one situation exactly, and the near misses are there to catch fast readers.

### How to work through Teil 3

- Underline the conditions in each situation first: who, what, when, buy or rent, alone or with a partner.
- Look for words that close a door: ausschließlich, nur, nicht, keine, erst ab.
- Each ad can be used once, but x can be the answer more than once. In this paper, items 14 and 19 are both x.
- Do the situations you are sure of first. The ads you have used drop out, and the rest gets easier.

### telc B1 reading at a glance

| Section | Parts | Tasks | Points | Time |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reading (Leseverstehen) | 3 | 20 | 75 | 90 minutes, shared |
| Language elements (Sprachbausteine) | 2 | 20 | 30 | 90 minutes, shared |

### What each part asks you to do

- Leseverstehen Teil 1: five short texts and ten headings. You pick the heading that fits each text.
- Leseverstehen Teil 2: one longer text with five questions, each with the options a, b or c.
- Leseverstehen Teil 3: ten situations and twelve ads, with x when no ad fits.
- Sprachbausteine Teil 1: a letter with ten gaps, each with three options.
- Sprachbausteine Teil 2: a text with ten gaps and a box of fifteen words.

### What you need to pass

You pass telc Deutsch B1 with 60 percent in the written exam and 60 percent in the oral exam: at least 135 of 225 written points and at least 45 of 75 oral points. Reading and Sprachbausteine count toward the written total; there is no separate pass mark for reading alone.

### How Faust marks this paper

You answer online, and Faust checks each answer against the key as soon as you hand in. For every item you see the right answer and a short reason, like the one above for item 19.

When you finish Übungssatz 1, take Übungssatz 2 next: same five parts, new texts and new traps.

### Questions

**How long is the telc B1 reading test?**

You have 90 minutes for Leseverstehen and Sprachbausteine together. There is no fixed time per part, so you plan the 90 minutes yourself and transfer your answers to the answer sheet S30 within that time.

**What does x mean in telc B1 reading Teil 3?**

x means that no ad fits the situation. Each ad can be used only once, but x can be the right answer for more than one situation.

**Can I use a dictionary in the telc B1 reading test?**

No. Dictionaries, phones and other electronic devices are not allowed.

### Sources

- [telc: Übungstest 1, telc Deutsch B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch), download](https://www.telc.net/fileadmin/user_upload/mock_exams/Deutsch/telc_deutsch_b1.zip)
- [telc: telc Deutsch B1 (Zertifikat Deutsch)](https://www.telc.net/sprachpruefungen/deutsch/zertifikat-deutsch-telc-deutsch-b1/)