Abitur (German pronunciation:[abiˈtuːɐ]ⓘ), often shortened colloquially toAbi, is a qualification granted at the end ofsecondary education inGermany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end ofISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen years of schooling (see also, for Germany,Abitur after twelve years). In German, the termAbitur has roots in the older wordAbiturium meaning "Leave (Graduation) exam/diploma", which in turn was derived from theLatinabiturus (future active participle ofabire, thus "someone who is going to leave").
As amatriculation examination,Abitur can be compared toA levels, theMatura or theInternational Baccalaureate Diploma, which are all ranked as level 4 in theEuropean Qualifications Framework.
TheZeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife ("certificate of general qualification for university entrance"), often referred to asAbiturzeugnis ("Abitur certificate"), issued after candidates have passed their final exams and have had appropriate grades in both the last and second last school year, is the document which contains their grades and formally enables them to attenduniversity. Thus, it encompasses the functions of both a school graduation certificate and a college entrance exam.[1]
Abitur confersAllgemeine Hochschulreife (allows students to enter university orFachhochschule), while there are other ways of obtaining it. In 2005, some 231,000 students obtainedAllgemeine Hochschulreife in Germany.[2] This number rose over time to around 263,000 in 2021.[3] Of those, most obtained theirAllgemeine Hochschulreife at aGymnasium, while 40,000 received it at a different kind of school, such as aGesamtschulen. If those who obtain theFachhochschulreife (144,399 in 2012) are also added, then the total of those who obtained the right to study at a university or aFachhochschule is 395,000 (2021).[4]
Until the eighteenth century, every German university had its own entrance examination. In 1788Prussia introduced theAbiturreglement, a law, for the first time within Germany, establishing theAbitur as an official qualification. It was later also established in the other German states. In 1834, it became the only university entrance exam in Prussia,[5] and it remained so in allstates of Germany until 1998. Since then, the German state ofHesse allows students withFachhochschulreife (see below) to study at the universities within that state.[6]
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The academic level of theAbitur is comparable to theInternational Baccalaureate, theGCE Advanced Level and theAdvanced Placement tests. The study requirements for the International Baccalaureate differ little from the German exam requirements. It is the only school-leaving certificate in all states of Germany that allows the graduate (orAbiturient) to move directly touniversity. The other school leaving certificates, theHauptschulabschluss and theRealschulabschluss, do not allow their holders to matriculate at a university. Those granted certificates ofHauptschulabschluss orRealschulabschluss can gain a specializedFachhochschulreife or anAbitur if they graduate from aBerufsschule and then attendBerufsoberschule or graduate from aFachoberschule.
However, theAbitur is not the only path to university studies, as some universities set up their own entrance examinations. Students who successfully passed a "Begabtenprüfung" ("aptitude test") are also eligible. Students from other countries who hold a high school graduate certificate that is not counted as equivalent to theAbitur (such as the American high school diploma) and who do well enough on theACT orSAT test, may also enter German universities. A person who does not hold theAbitur and did not take an aptitude test may still be admitted to university by completing at least the 10th grade and doing well on anIQ test (see:Hochbegabtenstudium).
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In German, theEuropean Baccalaureate is calledeuropäisches Abitur, and theInternational Baccalaureate is calledinternationales Abitur, neither to be confused with the GermanAbitur. TheFrench-German Baccalaureate is calleddeutsch-französisches Abitur, and is equivalent both to the German Abitur and to the FrenchBaccalauréat.
The termFachabitur was used in all of Western Germany for a variation of theAbitur until the 1990s; the official term for the German qualification isfachgebundene Hochschulreife. This qualification includes only one foreign language (usually, English). TheAbitur, in contrast, usually requires two foreign languages. TheFachabitur also allows the graduate to start studying at a university but is limited to a specified range ofmajors, depending on the specific subjects covered in hisFachabitur examinations. But the graduate is allowed to study for all majors at aFachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences, in some ways comparable topolytechnics). Today, the school leaving certificate is calledfachgebundenes Abitur ('restricted subjectAbitur').
The termFachabitur substitutes in most parts of Germany for theFachhochschulreife (FHR). It was introduced inWest Germany in the 1970s together with theFachhochschulen. It enables the graduate to start studying at aFachhochschule and, inHesse, also at a university within that state. In theGymnasiums of some states it is awarded in the year before theAbitur is reached. However, the normal way to obtainFachhochschulreife is graduation from a GermanFachoberschule, a vocational high school, also introduced in the 1970s.
The termNotabitur ('emergencyAbitur') describes a qualification used only duringWorld War I andWorld War II. It was granted to male GermanGymnasium students who voluntarily enlisted for military service before graduation as well as young women who were evacuated from the major cities before they could complete theirGymnasium education as planned (approximately three to five million children and teenagers had to beevacuated during the war). TheNotabitur during World War I included an examination, roughly equivalent to theAbitur exam. The World War IINotabitur, in contrast, was granted without an examination. After the war this was a major disadvantage for the students concerned since, unlike its World War I counterpart, the certificate was generally not recognised inWest Germany and never recognised inEast Germany. Universities requested theAbitur to consist of written exams including at least two foreign languages (almost always Latin and French, the latter sometimes replaced by English). Students, who received theNotabitur during World War II were offered to re-enter school to prepare for and take the exam after the war had ended. Those specialAbitur preparation classes were made up of young adults of different age and sex, which was very unusual at the time.
The equivalent graduation certificate in theCzech Republic,Austria,Poland,Italy and other countries ofcontinental Europe is theMatura; while in England,Wales,Northern Ireland,Singapore, and theWest Indies, it isA-levels; inScotland it isHigher Grade; in theRepublic of Ireland it is theLeaving Certificate; inGreece andCyprus it is the "apolytirion" (a kind of high school diploma); inMalta it is theMatriculation Certificate (MATSEC), inHungary it is called "Érettségi Bizonyítvány" which translates to Matriculation Certificate.
In Australia, the graduation certificate awarded to high school students is theSenior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE). However, the name of the SSCE varies from state to state. In Victoria, it is called theVictorian Certificate of Education (VCE); in New South Wales it is called theHigher Schools Certificate (HSC).
In India various states name it differently. Each Indian state has its own examination board, some individual states having their own entrance test system. Passing the specified examination qualifies the student to enter into undergraduate program in a university. For example, in the states ofAndhra Pradesh andTelangana this is known as Board of Intermediate Examination (BIE).
For professional, specialist programs and well reputed institutions there are entrance tests. For engineering there is a Joint Engineering EntranceJoint Entrance Examination conducted at all India level. For medical undergraduateMBBS programs there is a national eligibility and entrance test known as NEET-UGNational Eligibility and Entrance Test conducted at all of India. There is also an all India level examination conducted by Central Board of Secondary educationCBSE the certification is known asHigher Secondary Certificate (HSC).
During the final examinations (Abiturprüfungen), students are tested in four or five subjects (at least one of which is oral). Procedures vary bystate.
| 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 orBLL (literally "exceptional learning achievement", a 20-page paper or success in a recognized competition) |
Although tested subjects are chosen by the student, three areas must be covered:
Occasionally, schools (especiallyberufsorientierte Gymnasien) offer vocational subjects such aspedagogy,business informatics,biotechnology andmechanical engineering.
Final exams are usually taken from March to May or June. Papers are graded by at least two teachers at the school. In some parts of Germany students may prepare a presentation, research paper or participate in a competition as an additional achievement "besondere Lernleistung," which in some states may replace the fourth or fifth exam subjects, and in some states may take additional oral exams to pass theAbitur if the written exam is poor.
Beforereunification,Abitur exams were given locally inWest Germany, but Bavaria has conducted centralized exams (Zentralabitur) since 1854. After reunification, most states of the formerEast Germany continued centralized exams, and at the beginning of the 21st century, many states adopted centralized exams. In 2013, all other states exceptRheinland-Pfalz also introduced centralized written exams at least in the core subjects (German, mathematics and the first foreign language, usually English).
TheKultusministerkonferenz (KMK) of several states expanded the exams to scientific subjects and the social sciences.
The structure of the exams vary by state, as education in Germany is managed by each state rather than by the federation. Basic level exams may last up to four hours, e.g. the basic level math exam in Hamburg, while Advanced level exams may last up to six hours. Oral exams can in many states be replaced by a presentation and a colloquium, taking a total of around 30 minutes.
Each semester of a subject studied in the final two years yieldsup to 15 points for a student, where advanced courses may count double, depending on the state.
The exact scoring system depends on the Bundesland in which one takes Abitur. Passing theAbitur usually requires a composite score of at least 50%. Students with a score below that minimum fail and do not receive anAbitur. There are some other conditions that the student also has to meet in order to receive theAbitur: taking mandatory courses in selected subject areas, and limits to the number of failing grades in core subjects. Finally, students often have the option of omitting some courses from their composite score if they have taken more courses than the minimum required.
The best possible grade of 1.0 can be achieved if the score ranges between 823 and 900 points; the fraction of students achieving this score is normally only around 0.2%–3%[7] even among the already selective population ofAbitur candidates. Around 12%–30% ofAbitur candidates achieve grades between 1.0 and 1.9.[8]
| German gymnasium grade system | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades by education | Descriptor | Equivalent | ||
| Grading | Abitur grade | US system (approximately)[i]) | UK system (approximately)[i][9] | |
| 15 points | 1.0 | "sehr gut" (very good: an outstanding achievement) | A[10] | A* |
| 14 points | ||||
| 13 points | 1.3 | A | ||
| 12 points | 1.7 | "gut" (good: an achievement substantially above average requirements) | ||
| 11 points | 2.0 | A− | B | |
| 10 points | 2.3 | |||
| 9 points | 2.7 | "befriedigend" (satisfactory: an achievement which corresponds to average requirements) | B+ | C |
| 8 points | 3.0 | B | ||
| 7 points | 3.3 | B− | ||
| 6 points | 3.7 | "ausreichend" (sufficient: an achievement which barely meets the requirements) | C | D |
| 5 points | 4.0 | D | E | |
| 4 points | N/A | "mangelhaft" / "ungenügend" / "nicht bestanden" (not sufficient / failed: an achievement that does not meet the requirements) | F | U (Ungraded) |
| 3 points | ||||
| 2 points | ||||
| 1 point | ||||
| 0 points | ||||
Historically, very few people received theirAbitur in Germany because many attractive jobs did not require one. The number of persons holding theAbitur has steadily increased since the 1970s, and younger jobholders are more likely to hold theAbitur than older ones. The percentage of students qualified for tertiary education is still lower than theOECD average.
Percentage of students graduating with Abitur or FHR (Studienberechtigtenquote):
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 37.2% | 36.1% | 38.2% | 39.2% | 41.5% | 42.5% | 43.4% | 44.5% | 45.1% | 46.5% | 49.0% |
Percentage of 'jobholders' holdingHauptschulabschluss,Realschulabschluss orAbitur in Germany:[11]
| 1970 | 1982 | 1991 | 2000 | |
| Hauptschulabschluss | 87.7% | 79.3% | 66.5% | 54.9% |
| Realschulabschluss | 10.9% | 17.7% | 27% | 34.1% |
| Abitur | 1.4% | 3% | 6.5% | 11% |
The International Abitur is offered at schools outside Germany that are accredited by the German government. The five Abitur exams (three written exams and two oral exams) are in the following subjects: German literature, European history or economics or mathematics or a natural science or a language. In February of senior year (grade 12), all students take the written examinations for the German International Abitur in three subjects including German. In late spring, students have mandatory oral examinations in two subjects, which are overseen by a German educational official. The final GPA includes grades from both junior and senior years, as well as for the five Abitur exams. The final diploma that students receive after successful completion of these exams allows them to qualify for admission to universities in Germany.[citation needed]
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
