What is Abitur?
Every country has a system of education that it uses. Additionally, every system is unique from others. The exam they conduct for high school graduation is different as well. We’ll talk about the Germany’s high school diploma examination. You probably want to know What is Abitur? So let us know more about it.
Germany awards the Abitur as a diploma at the end of secondary education. It is awarded to students who successfully complete International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) after twelve to thirteen years of formal education and by successfully passing the final school-leaving exam “Abiturprüfung”.
History:
For the first time in Germany, Prussia introduced the Abiturreglement, a statute, in 1788, making it an official credential. Later, it spread to the other German states as well. Beginning in 1834, it was the only exam required for admission to universities in Prussia, and it remained the only exam in all of Germany until 2004.
Equivalence:
The International Baccalaureate, the GCE Advanced Level, and the Advanced Placement exams can all be compared to the Abitur in terms of academic rigour. In fact, there are few differences between the German exam criteria and the International Baccalaureate study requirements. In every state of Germany, it is the only diploma that enables the graduate (or Abiturient) to enroll in a university right away.
Structure of Abitur:
Your personal information on the school-level coursework that you’ve already completed in the areas of:
-
- Language, literature, and the arts
- Social sciences
- Math, natural sciences, and technology
The final exams (Abiturprüfungen) involve testing pupils in four or five topics (at least one of which is oral). States have different procedures:
| Course | Type of examination |
|---|---|
| 1st advanced course | Written |
| 2nd advanced course | Written |
| Basic course or 3rd advanced course | Written |
| Basic course | Oral |
| Basic course | Oral, presentation or BLL (literally “exceptional learning achievement”, a 20-page paper or success in a recognized competition) |
You must have studied one of the three aforementioned subjects if you have an Abitur. You have to have taken at least two disciplines as your primary “Leistungskurse” intense courses. These two courses had to have included a linguistic, math, or natural science component in one of them. The other course has to be taken as a “Grundkurse,” or foundational course.
Scoring:
The scoring criteria of Abitur is as follows:
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- The overall final score for the Abitur is a 6. German Abitur tests require a minimum score of 300 points to succeed.
- Each semester of a subject studied in the final two years can earn a student up to 15 points, with advanced courses counting twice as many points.
- The final exams each count four times. Typically, you need a composite score of at least 50% to pass the Abitur. Students who achieve less than that minimum score fail and are not awarded an Abitur.
- The student must additionally fulfil a few additional requirements in order to get the Abitur, including taking required courses in a few subject areas and having a maximum number of failing grades in the core disciplines.
- Finally, if a student has completed more courses than the minimum required, they may choose to exclude part of those courses from their composite score.
- Only 0.2% to 3% of students frequently achieve the best grade of 1.0, which is awarded if the score is between 823 and 900 points. This is true even among the already elite group of Abitur applicants. 12 to 30% of applicants for the Abitur receive grades between 1.0 and 1.9.
International Abitur:
Schools outside of Germany that have been accredited by the German government provide the International Abitur. And following is they way of how International Abitur is conducted:
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- The three written tests and two oral exams that make up the five exams are in the following subjects: European history, German literature, economics, math, a natural science, or a language.
- All students take the written exams in three subjects, including German, in February of their senior year (grade 12).
- Students must take two required oral exams in late spring that are monitored by a German educational official.
- The five Abitur tests are included in the final GPA along with grades from both the junior and senior years.
So there you have a brief summary of the test. We really hope that we were able to address all of your concerns and provide you with the necessary information on what is abitur and its educational method.
Also Read,
Fully Funded Scholarships in Germany
European University Credit System
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