How the B1 exam is marked — 60 points in total, and no zeros

The most common mistake people make preparing for the B1 exam is not a grammar mistake. It is a wrong mental model of the marking. A great many candidates assume each part has to be passed separately — a threshold for writing, another for listening. In Estonia that is not how it works.

The rule, verbatim

The official wording is short:

"The examination is passed if the examinee has collected at least 60% of the maximum possible score. No individual skill may score 0 points."

In other words:

• There are 100 points in total. Each of the four skills contributes 25.
• You need at least 60 % of the possible total — at B1 that is 60 points out of 100. One shared threshold, not four.
• No single skill may score exactly 0. That is the only way one part can sink your exam on its own.

The same rule — at least 60 % of the possible total, and no zeros — applies at every level from A2 to C1. The total itself differs by level: B1 is out of 100, A2 out of 80. So "60 points" is the B1 figure specifically, not the general rule.

What that means in practice

A weak skill is not a failure. If writing is your weak spot and you get 8 out of 25 there, but 22 in reading, 18 in listening and 15 in speaking, your total is 63 — you have passed. In a country where every module must be cleared separately, that same result would be a fail. Do not import another country's rule.

A zero kills everything. If you never start the writing paper, or do not show up for the speaking part, that skill scores 0 and the exam is failed — even if the other three add up to 75. The same happens if outside help is detected during marking: then the whole paper is scored 0.

Collect points where they are cheapest. Because the threshold is shared, the sensible preparation strategy is simple: add points where the next point is easiest to get. For most people that is reading and listening — they are objectively marked and made of many small scoring items.

Raw points versus weighted points

This is where practice-test scores get confusing. Each skill is first marked on its own raw scale and only then converted to 25 points:

Skill	Raw points	Weighted points
Writing	20	25
Listening	30	25
Reading	33	25
Speaking	20	25

That is why "18 correct out of 30" does not map directly onto your final score. Reading has 33 scoring items weighted into 25 points; listening has 30 items for the same 25. One correct reading answer is therefore worth slightly less than one correct listening answer.

Where points actually leak away

• Time. Reading gives you 50 minutes for 33 questions; in listening every recording is played twice, but you cannot rewind. Candidates who do not know the format lose points simply by falling behind.
• Blank answers. There is no penalty for a wrong answer in a multiple-choice task. A blank box is a guaranteed zero; a guess is free.
• Presentation. Answers are written in capital letters; work written in pencil is invalid; and marking two options in one box makes the answer wrong.
• In the short-answer listening task (one to two words) grammar and spelling mistakes are not penalised as long as the answer is understandable. Always write something there.

How to use this when preparing

Do at least one full practice set against the clock and add the points up the way the exam does: four parts, 25 points each, one total. If the total lands between 55 and 60, there is no point studying everything evenly — look for the part where the next five points are quickest to gain.

The exam exercises on this site are organised exactly along the official structure: writing, listening, reading and speaking, with the same task types as the exam.

Sources: the Information sheet for the Estonian language proficiency examinee (Harno) and the B1 test specification. Facts reviewed on 13 August 2026.

An explanatory article, not legal advice and not an official examination guide.