80+ of 200 · TOPIK I · beginner
Level 1 is awarded for a total of 80 or more on TOPIK I (Listening 100 + Reading 100 = 200). There is no per-section minimum — only the total counts. Score 140 or more and you are automatically awarded Level 2 instead.
Roughly 800 core words and the most basic grammar patterns: introducing yourself, greetings, asking prices in a shop, ordering food, telling the time and date. Understanding short personal texts and forming simple sentences.
Level 1 rarely appears in formal requirements — most university and visa thresholds start at Level 2. But it is your first official certificate: useful for placement into Korean language courses and university language institutes (어학당), and the best way to test yourself under real exam conditions.
Reading Hangul fluently is the first requirement; if you cannot tell the sounds apart in Listening, everything else stops. Then the 800 core words and 30–40 grammar patterns. Work through past TOPIK I papers two or three times: the question types are identical every round. From zero to Level 1 usually takes 2–3 months of regular study.