Upper Secondary Level (Gymnasiale Oberstufe) and Abitur

The basic structure of the upper secondary level includes:

• an introductory phase (one year) and a qualification phase (two years)
• classification of subjects into three areas of study
• distinction between compulsory and elective subjects
• the possibility of setting individual priorities
• teaching at different levels of difficulty
• a credit system for determining the overall qualification

The detailed design is the responsibility of the federal states.
Admission requires the intermediate school leaving certificate with eligibility for upper secondary education.
The upper secondary level concludes with the Abitur examination. The Abitur certificate confirms the general higher education entrance qualification.
For information on obtaining the general higher education entrance qualification through vocational education pathways, click here.

To be admitted to the Abitur examination, certain performance requirements must be met during the qualification phase. The Abitur examination includes four or five subjects, at least two of which must be at an advanced level and two of the three subjects German, a foreign language, and Mathematics. In addition, all three areas of study must be represented in the examination.

The states may allow a special academic achievement (e.g., a year-long or project-based paper over at least two semesters including a colloquium) to count as the fifth examination component.

The overall qualification and the final Abitur grade include both examination results and achievements from the qualification phase. The general higher education entrance qualification is awarded if at least satisfactory performance (average grade 4) is achieved.

In almost all states, written Abitur examination tasks are now set centrally (overview available here).

For more than 40 Abitur subjects from general and vocational education, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) has developed Uniform Examination Requirements (EPA) click here. These form the basis for subject-specific requirements and also include guidelines for creating and assessing examination tasks as well as sample tasks. 

In the subjects German, Mathematics, English/French (as continued foreign languages), and the sciences Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, the EPA have been further developed into educational standards for the general higher education entrance qualification.

The IQB has published a collection of sample Abitur tasks based on these standards to support orientation and implementation.

A key element in implementing the educational standards for the general higher education entrance qualification is the development of a shared pool of standardized Abitur tasks in German, Mathematics, and continued foreign languages (English/French), which the KMK adopted in March 2012. The goal is to ensure comparability of requirements and high quality standards in the Abitur. The task pool was first available for the 2017 Abitur examination.

Seventeen FAQs provide answers to key questions about the common task pool. 

With the “Guidelines on the Use of Tools” available for download on the IQB website, the states have agreed on common rules for the functionality of digital tools. These rules apply to modular mathematics systems (MMS) and simple scientific calculators (WTR).

For guidelines applicable from the 2030 Abitur onwards, the states review, upon manufacturer request, whether an MMS or WTR meets the common rules. The review is conducted centrally by the KMK Secretariat. Once a tool passes the review and is commercially available, its designation is published here.

Approved WTR:

• CALCOOM IQ-Z8 (Böttcher Datentechnik)
• CALCOOM IQ-Z8Plus (Böttcher Datentechnik)
• fx-810DE CW (Casio)
• EL-W550TG (Sharp)
• TI-30X Prio MathPrint™ (Texas Instruments)

Approved MMS:

• none so far

FAQs for teachers regarding the common guidelines for digital tools for the Abitur from 2030 have been compiled.

For tasks in the pools for Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics, a mathematical-scientific formula collection is provided as an aid, containing only the content listed in the official document. The use of other formula documents in lessons is not affected. Usage rights have been granted for printing the official formula collection, and all commercially available editions are listed.

The duration of schooling to obtain the general higher education entrance qualification is 12 or 13 years. A total of at least 265 annual weekly hours from grade 5 until the Abitur must be documented, with up to five hours of elective courses counted toward this total.