Abitur (from
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
abire = leave, go off) is a designation used in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
for final exams that pupils take at the end of their
secondary educationSecondary education is the stage of education following primary school. Secondary education is generally the final stage of compulsory education. However, secondary education in some countries includes a period of compulsory and a period of non-compulsory education. The next stage of education is...
, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling (see also for Germany:
Abitur after twelve years after twelve years, or in eight years describes the reduction from the duration in the from nine to eight school years in a lot of States of Germany. In the States Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the reduction took place from seven to six years because, there, primary education...
). The official term in Germany for this certificate of education is
Allgemeine Hochschulreife; the contraction
Abi is common in colloquial usage. The
Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife (often referred to as
Abiturzeugnis), issued after candidates have passed their final exams, is the document which contains their grades and which formally enables them to attend
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. This means it includes the functions of a school leaving (high school graduation) certificate and a university entrance exam. In 2005, a total of 400,000 students passed the Abitur exam in Germany.
Even though the Abitur is often compared to a
high school diplomaA high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education...
of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the academic level of the Abitur is more comparable to the
International BaccalaureateThe International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19 that aims to provide an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education and is recognised by many universities worldwide....
and
Advanced Placement testsThe Advanced Placement program offers college level courses at high schools across the United States and Canada. According to the Good Schools Guide International, it is "usually much more rigorous than the general course offerings." The most taken AP exam in 2008 was AP United States History with...
— indeed, the study requirements for the International Baccalaureate differ little from the Finnish exam requirements. It is the only school-leaving certificate in all states of Germany that allows the graduate (or
Abiturient) to move directly to
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. The other school leaving certificates, the
Hauptschulabschluss and the
Realschulabschluss, do not allow their holders to matriculate at a university. Those granted certificates of
Hauptschulabschluss or
Realschulabschluss can gain a specialized
Fachabitur or an Abitur if they graduate from a
Berufsschule and then attend
BerufsoberschuleBerufsoberschule is an optional part of the German education system, and is an additional way to be allowed at university for students who didn't get an Abitur at a Gymnasium.- Requirements :...
.
The importance of the Abitur has grown beyond admission to the university, however, in that it has increasingly become a prerequisite to start an apprenticeship in some professions (e.g. banking). Therefore, career opportunities for
HauptschuleA "Hauptschule" is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling. Any student who went to a German elementary school can go to a Hauptschule afterwards, whereas students who want to attend a Realschule or Gymnasium need to have good marks in order to do so...
or
RealschuleThe Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and Russian Empire .-Germany:In the German secondary school system, the Realschule is ranked between Hauptschule and Gymnasium...
graduates who do not have the Abitur have almost universally seen a downturn in recent years. More than just being a leaving certificate, the Abitur is widely regarded as a matter of personal prestige as well.
According to the
Statistisches Bundesamt in 2003/2004 about 23% of all students leaving school graduated with an Abitur (
Fachabitur [1.2%],
Realschulabschluss [42.6%],
Hauptschulabschluss [25.0%], without any school leaving certificate [8.3%])
The official term for Abitur in Germany is
Zeugnis der allgemeinen Hochschulreife (often translated as General Qualification for University Entrance or Certificate for Overall Maturity for Higher Education). The equivalent exam in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and other countries of
continental EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel...
is the
MaturaMatura is the word commonly used in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine for the final exams young adults take at the end of...
; while in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, and the West Indies, it is A-levels; in
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
it is the
Matriculation CertificateThe Matriculation Certificate is a certificate awarded to post secondary students and the admission requirement of the University of Malta. It is based on the premise that students seeking admission to University are more likely to develop into mature persons if their education spans both the...
(MATSEC) and in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
it is Higher Grade.
Abitur in Germany
In colloquial usage the term
Abitur often refers to the final exams only. These generally consist of sets of written examinations and oral examinations. The subjects covered in these examinations vary according to the specialisation chosen by the pupil during the last 2-3 years (
Oberstufe) at the
GymnasiumA gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools...
or Gesamtschule. The pupil's choice may be limited further, however, depending on the specific laws on higher education in a federal state (
BundeslandGermany is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen states, known in German as . Since is also the German word for "country", the term is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law.The citizens of the states form the nation...
), which has some independence in the design of its educational systems with respect to multilateral treaties between the states. So Abitur in every state may differ. However, most of them have centralised exams now.
The marks obtained in these exams are combined with marks won during the last 2-3 years to a summary mark, like the US GPA. This, in turn, is important to be admitted to a German university for some fields of study, in particular medical schools ("
Numerus claususNumerus clausus is one of many methods used to limit the number of students who may study at a university. In many cases, the goal of the numerus clauses is simply to limit the number of students to the maximum feasible in some particularly sought-after areas of studies.However, in some cases,...
").
The final Abitur grade is a figure ranging from 1.0 (best) to 4.0. Usually the average passing grade is around 2.3 to 2.7, with about 0.5% to 3% of students achieving the highest grade of 1.0. (These results can differ from state to state.) However, during their time of studies and at the end exams students receive only grades on a scale of 15 (best) to 0 points (failed). These points are weighted and then added up and converted to the final grade. If a student receives 14 points or more on average in all of his/her courses and exams he/she will get a final grade of 1.0.
The composite score of the Abitur is between 280 and 840, though both borders are rarely awarded. Students with a score below 280 fail and will not receive the Abitur. There are some more conditions that the student has to meet in order to receive the abitur. The student also has the option of omitting courses (if he/she has taken more than necessary) from his/her composite score.
Abitur in North Rhine Westphalia
The Abitur in North Rhine Westphalia has been centrally administered since 2007, when final examinations were provided by the Ministry for Schools and Further Education. In 2013, two years will sit their finals simultaneously due to the introduction of the Abitur after 12 years, amid fears of a shortage of apprenticeship and university placements.
The Central Abitur system 2007-2012
The Abitur graduates (Abiturienten) of 2007 were the first to sit centrally prepared final examinations. However, those students who failed the exams the previous year did not sit those, but tests set by the course tutor in question.
All the marks awarded during the qualification stage (semesters 12/1, 12/2, 13/1 and 13/2) that are of relevance constitute the final grade or mark, the importance of which lies in its weight when it comes to university places ("
Numerus claususNumerus clausus is one of many methods used to limit the number of students who may study at a university. In many cases, the goal of the numerus clauses is simply to limit the number of students to the maximum feasible in some particularly sought-after areas of studies.However, in some cases,...
"). In German law, the Abitur enables every graduate to read and major in whatever subject they please, and at whatever state
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. However, places are usually offered on the basis of the overall Abitur grade, so that weaker candidates may have to wait up to five years until they can take up a place at their preferred university for particular subjects.
Subjects and Courses
In legal terms, a course is a subject that has been studied for one semester. Courses are further divided up into Leistungskurse (LK)/intensive courses and Grundkurse(GK)/basic courses. In order to qualify for final Abitur examinations, students are required to have covered two subjects as
LKs and between seven and ten as
GKs. The choices as to which subjects to study at Abitur level are made in year 11; the general rule being that no subject may be studied that was not covered during year 11, the introductory stage. In both
LKs students sit final Abitur examinations, as in two
GKs of their choosing, one of which is a written and the other an oral examination or interview (the “fourth subject”). Interviews are not centrally administered but prepared and conducted by the course tutor and two other teachers of the respective school.
Students are, unlike their counterparts in other countries, not entirely free with regard to the choices they are required to make on subjects and courses. Three ‘subject fields’ need to be covered:
| Subject field |
Subject -In knowledge and education:* An area of knowledge, a topic, an area of interest or study*Course , a unit of academic instruction**List of academic disciplines*Subject , one of two main constituent parts of a sentence...
|
Annotations |
linguisticLinguistics is the scientific study of natural language. Linguistics encompasses a number of sub-fields. An important topical division is between the study of language structure and the study of meaning...
-
literaryLiterature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" , and therefore the academic study of literature is known as Letters...
-
artsaRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is most famous for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
field |
German German is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
|
compulsory subject from 12/1 to 13/2 |
| English English is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
|
foreign languageA foreign language is a language not spoken by the people of a certain place: for example, not only English but also Late Old Japanese is a foreign language in Japan. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say...
s
|
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
|
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
|
| other foreign languages (one foreign language is mandatory from 12/1 to 13/2. Language offers differ from institution to institution) |
ArtArt is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings...
|
compulsory: two courses in year 12* (i.e. one subject studied for the period of 1 year) |
MusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
|
LiteratureLiterature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" , and therefore the academic study of literature is known as Letters...
|
| humanities The humanities are academic disciplines which study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences....
Social Science field |
History History is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
|
compulsory: two courses of History and ‘Sowi’ each |
| Social Science (SoWi) |
| Geography Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
|
| Philosophy Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
|
not offered everywhere |
EducationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
|
PsychologyPsychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the systematic, and sometimes scientific, study of human or animal mental functions and behavior...
|
| Mathematics Mathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
-
natural sciences-
technicalTechnical may refer to:*Technical , a fighting vehicle based on a pickup truck*Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data...
field |
| Maths |
compulsory subject from 12/1 to 13/2 |
BiologyBiology is the natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy...
|
Classical natural sciences
mandatory: one classical natural science from 12/1 to 13/2 |
ChemistryChemistry is the science concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions...
|
PhysicsPhysics is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force...
|
Computer ScienceComputer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. It is frequently described as the systematic study of algorithmic processes that create, describe and transform...
|
subject offers depend on the individual schools |
| Home Economics Home Economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community. Home economics is a field of formal study including such topics as consumer education, institutional management, interior design, home furnishing, cleaning, handicrafts,...
|
| Technology Technology is a broad concept that deals with human as well as other animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment...
|
| unclassified |
R.E. Religious Education is the term given to education concerned with religion. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization, for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a...
|
mandatory: two courses in year 12* (either catholic, protestant or Jewish R.E.; alternatively, Philosophy may be chosen. |
| P.E. |
compulsory subject from 12/1 to 13/2, although a maximum of three courses may be considered for the Abitur |
- since a minimum of two courses count towards the final Abitur grade, the course results from year 13 may be used instead if the course is continued. Usually the best grades are considered. Thus it is possible to include the results for, say, 12/1 and 13/2 in the Abitur grade if the best marks were awarded in those semesters. Moreover, these subjects may naturally be studied for more that just two semesters. However, only 2 courses in Literature/Vocal training/… count towards the Abitur grade.
Emphasis on languages or sciences
An emphasis has to be put on either languages or the sciences, i.e. either (at least) two foreign languages or (at least) two natural sciences (one of which must be a ‘classical’ one) have to be covered during the four semesters of study.
History of the German Abitur
Up until the 18th century, every German university had its own entrance examination. In 1788
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
introduced the
Abiturreglement, a law that—for the first time within Germany—established the Abitur 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, and it remained so in all
states of GermanyGermany is a Federal Republic consisting of sixteen states, known in German as . Since is also the German word for "country", the term is commonly used colloquially, as it is more specific, though technically incorrect within the corpus of German law.The citizens of the states form the nation...
up until 2004. Since then the German state of Hessen allows also students with the
Fachhochschulreife (see below) to study at the universities within the state.
Other qualifications called Abitur in colloquial usage
In the
German languageGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
the
European BaccalaureateThe European Baccalaureate is awarded to students who successfully managed to complete a European School. These are mainly attended by students whose parents work for a European Institution. There are currently 14 European Schools....
is called
europäisches Abitur, and the International Baccalaureate is called
internationales Abitur, both not to be confused with the German Abitur.
Fachabitur was used up until the 1970s in all of Germany for a variation of the Abitur. The official term for this German qualification is
fachgebundene Hochschulreife. This qualification includes only one foreign language (in most cases English). The Abitur, in contrast, mostly includes two foreign languages. This school leaving certificate also allows the graduate to start studying at a university. However, he is limited to a specified range of majors. The range of majors depends on the specific subjects covered in his Abitur examinations. But the graduate is allowed to study all majors at a
FachhochschuleA Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of university, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland...
(University of Applied Sciences, in some ways comparable to polytechnics). Today this school leaving certificate is called
fachgebundenes Abitur.
Now the term
Fachabitur is used in most parts of Germany for the
Fachhochschulreife. This school leaving certificate was introduced in
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
in the 1970s together with the
Fachhochschulen. It enables the graduate to start studying at a
Fachhochschule, and in Hesse also at a university within the state. In the
GymnasiumA gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools...
s of some states it is reached in the year before the
Abitur is reached. However, the normal way to receive the Fachhochschulreife is the graduation from a German
Fachoberschule, a vocational high school also introduced in the 1970s.
The term
Notabitur is used for a qualification which existed only during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
and
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was granted to male German Students who freely enlisted for military service before graduation. The Notabitur during WWI included an examination, roughly equivalent to the Abitur exam. The WWII Notabitur, in contrast, was granted without any examinations. After the war this was a major disadvantage for Germans with this qualification since it was, unlike its WWI counterpart, generally not recognised in
West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
and never recognised in East Germany.
Abitur in Finland
A similar test has also existed in
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
since the mid-19th century. The test is called
Ylioppilastutkinto in
FinnishFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. It is one of the official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a Finnish dialect, are spoken...
and
Studentexamen in
SwedishSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish...
. The official English language translation is
MatriculationMatriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula - little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
Examination. Since 1919, the test has been arranged by a national body, the Matriculation Examination Board. Before that, the administration of the test was the responsibility of the
University of HelsinkiThe University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, then part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
.
Successful completion formerly legally entitled one to enroll as a university student (hence "matriculation"). Although the legal requirement has been lifted, matriculation without completing the test is still an exception. The universities are now free to arrange their own entrance examinations in addition to considering scores from the Matriculation Examination. Thus, universities accept students based both on entrance exam points, matriculation exam points, and also by a combined score from the two. Matriculation entitles one to wear the
student capIn various European countries, student caps of different types are or have been worn, either as a marker of a common identity, as is the case in the Nordic countries, or to identify the bearer as member of a smaller corporation within the larger group of students, as is the case with the caps worn...
.
Exams
Each examinee is required to participate in at least four tests in order to matriculate. As of 2005 the only mandatory part of the test is that of
Äidinkieli ("mother tongue"; Finnish for most students,
SwedishSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish...
or
SámiSami or Saami is a general name for a group of Uralic languages spoken by the Sami people in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and extreme northwestern Russia, in Northern Europe. Sami is frequently believed to be a single language. Several names are used for the Sami languages: Saami,...
for some), including a composition test. The student then has to choose three other subjects from
- Second domestic language (Swedish for Finnish speakers
In Finnish schools, Swedish is a mandatory school subject for Finnish-speaking pupils from 13/14 until 15/16 years of age. It is also mandatory in high schools, vocational schools, and vocational universities. Moreover, all Finnish-speaking university graduates must demonstrate a certain level of...
or Finnish for Swedish speakers)
- Foreign language Languages are separated into A and B levels depending on the demanded skill. The language counted as part of the four obligatory subjects must be one of A-level. However, if a student takes advanced level mathematics as an obligatory subject, he may take B-level language exams. English, German and French are the most popular choices among students, but in addition, the students may take Russian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Inari Sámi
Inari Sámi is a Finno-Ugric, Sami language spoken in Finland by some 300-400 people, the majority of whom are middle-aged or older and live in the municipality of Inari. It is the only Sami language that is spoken exclusively in Finland...
, and Northern SámiNorthern or North Sami is the most widely spoken of all Sami languages. The speaking area of Northern Sami covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as northwestern parts of Russia...
exams. The foreign language exams include listening and reading comprehension tests, grammar test and an essay.
- Mathematics (ordinary or advanced level), including 15 assignments 10 of which must be completed.
- Reaali in which examinees take between one or two exams, and are only allowed to answer questions from a single subject per exam. These subjects have to be chosen by the examinee well in advance prior to the exam. Exams consist of questions which require answers in the form of an essay
An essay is usually a short piece of writing. It is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can be literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author....
. The subjects of reaali category are
- Religion, Evangelical Lutheran
- Religion, Orthodox Christian
- Education on ethics and moral history
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- History
- Civics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Geography
- Health education
The exam takes place at schools according to minute regulations laid out by the national board. Each exam takes six hours. After the exam, the teachers grade the papers and send the graded papers to the national board which then re-grades every paper. The grading of the exam may be appealed against. In this case, the board re-examines the grading. The result of the re-examination is final and cannot be appealed to any authority.
Scoring
The score of each test varies with the subject. For example, the maximum score for the test in Finnish or Swedish as a first language is 114 points, in mathematics 66 points and in foreign languages 299 points. The tests are graded according to
normal distributionIn probability theory and statistics, the normal distribution or Gaussian distribution is a continuous probability distribution that describes data that cluster around a mean or average. The graph of the associated probability density function is bell-shaped, with a peak at the mean, and is known...
into seven verbal grades with
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
names:
Improbatur (I),
Approbatur (A),
Lubenter Approbatur (B),
Cum Laude Approbatur (C),
Magna Cum Laude Approbatur (M),
Eximia Cum Laude Approbatur (E) and
Laudatur (L), from bottom to top. In general, at least the grade A is required for the test to be passed. In every exam,
- 5% of students receive a laudatur
- 15% of students receive an eximia cum laude approbatur
- 20% of students receive a magna cum laude approbatur
- 24% of students receive a cum laude approbatur
- 20% of students receive a lubenter approbatur
- 11% of students receive an approbatur
- 5% of students receive an improbatur.
Traditionally, the test is taken in the spring, but it is also arranged every autumn and may be taken in up to three parts. Thus completing the matriculation exam may take up to one and half years. Usually, the last set of exams is taken at the end of the third year in upper secondary school. The exams take place in late March, but for the school-leavers, the school ends in mid-February, giving the students ample time to prepare for the test in solitary study. This occasion is celebrated by the traditional festivity of
penkkaritPenkkarit is a yearly tradition among Finnish upper secondary school students. The event is celebrated in the spring of their final, usually third, year as the final day of school, before the start of the matriculation exams...
.
Compensation system
If the student receives an
improbatur in any of the obligatory exams, the whole exam is failed. However, a single failed obligatory exam may be compensated by good results from other exams. For this purpose, there is a compensation system where the total exam result of the student is calculated and it is compared to the result of the failed test. In order to get his/her diploma accepted, student must gather enough compensation points from all the other exams.
Improbatur is divided to four classes (i+,i, i-,i=), each describing the depth of student's failure (i+ being the least bad) and each class has its own number of compensation points to be reached for an acceptable result (12, 14, 16 and 18 respectively). Points from accepted exams are awarded as follows:
L 7 points,
E 6,
M 5,
C 4,
B 3 and
A 2.
See also
- Education in Germany
Responsibility for German education system lies primarily with the Bundesländer while the federal government only has a minor role. Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for mostly 11 to 12 years...
, Abitur after twelve years after twelve years, or in eight years describes the reduction from the duration in the from nine to eight school years in a lot of States of Germany. In the States Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the reduction took place from seven to six years because, there, primary education...
- Education in Finland
The Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees for full-time students. Attendance is compulsory for nine years starting at age seven, and free meals are served to pupils at primary and secondary levels, where the pupils go to their local school...
- Matura
Matura is the word commonly used in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine for the final exams young adults take at the end of...
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