Having looked at how certifications work for English and French, we continue our journey through the world of the CEFR with a closer look at German language certifications.
If you would like a more general overview of how the European system for assessing language skills works, or of certifications in other languages, you will find all the links at the end of this article.
When it comes to German, the certification landscape is made up of several assessment systems run by different cultural institutions. The main ones are:
– The Goethe-Institut
– The Hagen Institut
for Germany, while in Austria language certifications are issued by the ÖSD-Zentrale.
The Goethe-Zertifikat and BULATS
The Goethe-Institut, the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the body whose remit worldwide is to spread and promote knowledge of the German language and culture.
The Goethe-Institut is present in Italy too, with seven centres (in Milan, Trieste, Turin, Genoa, Rome, Naples and Palermo). Around it there is a dense network of Goethe-Zentren and Italian-German cultural associations that look to the Goethe-Institut and work with it in various capacities.
The language exams held at authorised centres lead to the various Goethe-Zertifikat: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.
Each of them corresponds exactly to one of the six levels of language knowledge set out in the CEFR (from a basic command through to an in-depth one) and they cover general rather than sector-specific language skills.
The Goethe-Zertifikat are internationally recognised.
The Goethe-Institut also organises the BULATS Deutsch-Test for the workplace.
BULATS (Business Language Testing Service) is a certification issued by a non-German body, Cambridge University, and it is available for English, Spanish, French and German thanks to its collaboration with the leading local cultural institutes.
It was created to certify the sector-specific language skills tied to a given profession and is used in the workplace at international level too.
The Hagen Institut’s TestDaF
The Hagen Institut, the university institution based in the city of the same name, has developed a certification that is used in academic settings.
The TESTDAF is an advanced-level language certification (it corresponds to a B1 or a C1, depending on the type of test) but it is used almost exclusively in a university context: it is in fact the qualification that academies and universities in Germany require as a valid language certificate for admission. Outside Germany, on the other hand, it carries little weight.
The TestDaF, too, certifies general language skills.
ÖSD diplomas and certificates
The Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (or ÖSD) are the certificates attesting to a command of the German spoken in Austria.
In practice they therefore have a narrower application than the exams for standard German, and are taken above all by people moving to Austria to study or work.
These are the certifications that make it up – with their equivalent given as a CEFR level:
- GD – Grundstufe Deutsch 1 and 2 (corresponding to CEFR levels A1 and A2)
- ZD – Zertifikat Deutsch (level B1)
- B2 – Mittelstufe Deutsch (level B2)
- C1 Oberstufe Deutsch (level C1)
- C2 Wirtschaftssprache Deutsch (level C2)
Holding one of the three higher-level exams (B2 to C2) is valid for admission to degree programmes at Austrian universities and exempts prospective students from the language test.
The TELC system
Finally, for German too you can sit the exams for the TELC language certificates (The European Language Certificates), standardised international tests certifying knowledge of ten different languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian, Czech and Arabic.
The TELC classification follows exactly that of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and it is the system used both for integration courses for immigrants and as official proof of German language competence when applying for citizenship.
The exams are run by TELC GmbH, a non-profit association that works alongside European Union institutions, and are held at accredited centres in Italy and around the world.
As always, do get in touch with us directly if you are thinking of taking a German certification.
Our teachers will be able to point you towards the one that best fits your needs and to support you every step of the way as you prepare.
Here are the other articles about language certifications on European School Magazine:
- LANGUAGE CERTIFICATIONS: WHICH ONES, HOW AND WHY
- ENGLISH LANGUAGE CERTIFICATIONS
- FRENCH LANGUAGE CERTIFICATIONS
