German levels A1 to B2: what each level means

A1, A2, B1 and B2 are levels of German. They describe what you can do in the language, from simple greetings at A1 to discussing your own work at B2. Employers, training companies, universities and visa offices in Germany use these levels to say how much German they expect.

Set one clear target level before you join a class, because the right target depends on your route.

The CEFR levels in everyday life

The levels come from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, called CEFR for short. It is a scale from the Council of Europe that goes from A1 (beginner) to C2 (very advanced). A means basic user, B means independent user and C means proficient user. Nurses need B2, and Ausbildung visas ask for A2 or B1.

• A1: you can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases. You can introduce yourself and answer simple questions, if the other person speaks slowly and helps you.
• A2: you can understand common sentences about things that matter to you every day, such as family, shopping, your area and your job. You can manage simple, routine conversations.
• B1: you can understand the main points when people speak clearly about familiar topics such as work, school or free time. You can describe an experience, a plan or a reason in simple connected sentences.
• B2: you can understand the main ideas of complex texts, including technical talk in your own field. You can speak with some fluency, so a conversation with a native speaker works without strain on either side.

Think about what each level could mean at work. For example, a nurse at A2 may manage a greeting and simple questions to a patient. A nurse at B2 may explain a treatment, follow a doctor's instructions and write a clear handover note. That gap is why the level you need depends on your job.

How many hours each level takes

The Goethe-Institut gives estimates in lessons of 45 minutes each. These are its estimates of the total number of lessons to reach each level. We have also turned them into clock hours, rounded.

• A1: 80 to 200 lessons, about 60 to 150 hours.
• A2: 200 to 350 lessons, about 150 to 260 hours.
• B1: 350 to 650 lessons, about 260 to 490 hours.
• B2: 600 to 800 lessons, about 450 to 600 hours.

The Goethe-Institut says the real time depends on what you already know. Your practice outside class matters too. Practice outside class, such as speaking German for half an hour a day, helps you move faster. So use these numbers to plan, and expect your own pace to differ.

Before you pay for a course, ask the provider three things. How many lessons does each level have? How many lessons are there each week? And how will the teacher check your speaking and listening, not only your grammar? Then check that the timetable fits your work, college or shifts.

Which level jobs, Ausbildung and study ask for

There is no single German level for everyone. The level depends on your route and your job. These are the levels each route asks for.

• Nurses: at least B2 for recognition as a nurse in Germany. Your state authority confirms which certificate it accepts.
• Recognition visa: usually A2, for people who come to Germany to complete the recognition of their qualification.
• Ausbildung visa: normally B1, says Make it in Germany. The German missions in India ask for at least A2, and at least B1 for medical professions.
• Skilled worker visa and EU Blue Card: no legal German level for the visa itself. A recognition procedure or the mission can still ask for one, and many employers expect good German.
• Engineers: German is not mandatory to work as an engineer in Germany.
• Professional drivers: Make it in Germany says language skills are no longer a general requirement for drivers. Other conditions apply, such as the right licence and approval from the Federal Employment Agency.
• German-taught degrees: TestDaF with level 4 in all four parts is accepted as proof. Goethe C2 and telc C1 Hochschule are usually accepted too. Each university sets its own rule.
• English-taught degrees: proof of other language skills, usually English, set by each programme.
• Opportunity Card (points route): at least A1 German or B2 English.
• EU Blue Card holders who want to stay for good: permanent residence after 27 months with A1, or after 21 months with B1.

An employer or school can always ask for more than the legal minimum. And the level that gets you a visa is not always the level you need to do the job well. A nurse can enter on a recognition visa at A2, but needs B2 to work fully as a nurse.

Exams that prove your level

Whether you need an exam, and at which level, depends on your route. Some routes have no legal language rule, but when a visa office, a recognition authority, a university or an employer asks for proof of German, a class certificate is usually not enough: they want a recognised exam certificate. These are the main German exams for people in India.

The Goethe-Institut runs exams for each level from A1 to B2, and above. The A1 exam has listening, reading, writing and a group speaking test. The B1 and B2 exams have four modules: reading, listening, writing and speaking. You can take the modules separately or together.

Fees at the Goethe-Institut centres in India, including 18% GST, are INR 9,400 for A1, INR 10,600 for A2, INR 18,800 for B1 (INR 4,700 for one module) and INR 21,200 for B2 (INR 5,300 for one module). Goethe exams also run at partner Goethe-Zentren in Coimbatore, Trivandrum and Kochi, so check each centre for its dates and fees. Bring a valid passport, because it is the only ID the Goethe-Institut accepts in India.

The second exam provider, telc, offers general German exams and a special exam for nurses, telc Deutsch B1-B2 Pflege. Its tasks come from the daily work of nurses, and you must take the whole exam at once. Bavaria's nursing office, for example, accepts telc Deutsch B2 and telc Deutsch B2 Pflege as proof of B2. telc does not set fees. Each exam centre sets its own, so ask the centre.

For university study in German, a common exam is TestDaF. It has four parts, reading, listening, writing and speaking, and you take it at a test centre, on paper or on a computer depending on the centre. Results are given as TDN 3, 4 or 5, which match levels B2 to C1. TDN 4 in every part is generally accepted as proof of German for a German-taught degree.

How to study faster

• Speak from the first week. Say short sentences aloud, even if they are not perfect.
• Learn the German of your future job. A nurse learns words for the body and the ward. A mechanic learns workshop words.
• Practise a little every day, even twenty minutes, instead of one long session a week.
• Listen to slow German news or podcasts on your phone while you travel.
• Write a few lines about your day and ask your teacher to correct them.
• Book your exam date early, so you have a clear goal to work towards.
• In the last weeks before the exam, practise with model papers in the same format and time yourself.

If you studied German before, do not start again from A1. Ask for a placement check that includes a short conversation. Bring any old certificate and say when you last used German. You may be able to join a higher level and save weeks of lessons.

Request a free call back to talk about your German level and the route you are planning. Tell us the level your employer, school or university asks for, and we will help you plan classes towards that target.