Abitur


Abitur, often shortened colloquially to Abi, is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen years of schooling. In German, the term Abitur has roots in the older word Abiturium meaning "Leave exam/diploma", which in turn was derived from the Latin abiturus.
As a matriculation examination, Abitur can be compared to A levels, the Matura or the International Baccalaureate Diploma, which are all ranked as level 4 in the European Qualifications Framework.

In Germany

Overview

The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as Abiturzeugnis, 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 attend university. Thus, it encompasses the functions of both a school graduation certificate and a college entrance exam.
Abitur confers Allgemeine Hochschulreife, while there are other ways of obtaining it. In 2005, some 231,000 students obtained Allgemeine Hochschulreife in Germany. This number rose over time to around 263,000 in 2021. Of those, most obtained their Allgemeine Hochschulreife at a Gymnasium, while 40,000 received it at a different kind of school, such as a Gesamtschulen. If those who obtain the Fachhochschulreife are also added, then the total of those who obtained the right to study at a university or a Fachhochschule is 395,000.

History

Until the eighteenth century, every German university had its own entrance examination. In 1788 Prussia introduced the Abiturreglement, a law, for the first time within Germany, establishing 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 Germany until 1998. Since then, the German state of Hesse allows students with Fachhochschulreife to study at the universities within that state.

Equivalency

The academic level of the Abitur is comparable to the International Baccalaureate, the GCE Advanced Level and the Advanced 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 to move directly to university. 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 Fachhochschulreife or an Abitur if they graduate from a Berufsschule and then attend Berufsoberschule or graduate from a Fachoberschule.
However, the Abitur is not the only path to university studies, as some universities set up their own entrance examinations. Students who successfully passed a "Begabtenprüfung" are also eligible. Students from other countries who hold a high school graduate certificate that is not counted as equivalent to the Abitur and who do well enough on the ACT or SAT test, may also enter German universities. A person who does not hold the Abitur and did not take an aptitude test may still be admitted to university by completing at least the 10th grade and doing well on an IQ test.

Other qualifications called ''Abitur'' in colloquial usage

In German, the European Baccalaureate is called europäisches Abitur, and the International Baccalaureate is called internationales Abitur, neither to be confused with the German Abitur. The French-German Baccalaureate is called deutsch-französisches Abitur, and is equivalent both to the German Abitur and to the French Baccalauréat.
The term Fachabitur was used in all of Western Germany for a variation of the Abitur until the 1990s; the official term for the German qualification is fachgebundene Hochschulreife. This qualification includes only one foreign language. The Abitur, in contrast, usually requires two foreign languages. The Fachabitur also allows the graduate to start studying at a university but is limited to a specified range of majors, depending on the specific subjects covered in his Fachabitur examinations. But the graduate is allowed to study for all majors at a Fachhochschule. Today, the school leaving certificate is called fachgebundenes Abitur.
The term Fachabitur substitutes in most parts of Germany for the Fachhochschulreife . It was introduced in West 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 that state. In the Gymnasiums of some states it is awarded in the year before the Abitur is reached. However, the normal way to obtain Fachhochschulreife is graduation from a German Fachoberschule, a vocational high school, also introduced in the 1970s.
The term Notabitur describes a qualification used only during World War I and World War II. It was granted to male German Gymnasium 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 their Gymnasium education as planned. The Notabitur during World War I included an examination, roughly equivalent to the Abitur exam. The World War II Notabitur, 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 in West Germany and never recognised in East Germany. Universities requested the Abitur to consist of written exams including at least two foreign languages. Students, who received the Notabitur during World War II were offered to re-enter school to prepare for and take the exam after the war had ended. Those special Abitur preparation classes were made up of young adults of different age and sex, which was very unusual at the time.
File:Abipedia.jpg|thumb|right|This German graduate wrote on his car: "Class of 2008: Not knowing anything, but knowing where it is written. Abipedia"

Equivalent high school graduation certificate in other countries

The equivalent graduation certificate in the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Italy and other countries of continental Europe is the Matura; while in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Singapore, and the West Indies, it is A-levels; in Scotland it is Higher Grade; in the Republic of Ireland it is the Leaving Certificate; in Greece and Cyprus it is the "apolytirion" ; in Malta it is the Matriculation Certificate, in Hungary it is called "Érettségi Bizonyítvány" which translates to Matriculation Certificate.
In Australia, the graduation certificate awarded to high school students is the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education. However, the name of the SSCE varies from state to state. In Victoria, it is called the Victorian Certificate of Education ; in New South Wales it is called the Higher Schools Certificate.
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 of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana this is known as Board of Intermediate Examination.
For professional, specialist programs and well reputed institutions there are entrance tests. For engineering there is a Joint Engineering Entrance Joint Entrance Examination conducted at all India level. For medical undergraduate MBBS programs there is a national eligibility and entrance test known as NEET-UG National Eligibility and Entrance Test conducted at all of India. There is also an all India level examination conducted by Central Board of Secondary education CBSE the certification is known as Higher Secondary Certificate.

Exams

During the final examinations, students are tested in four or five subjects. Procedures vary by state.
CourseType of examination
1st advanced courseWritten
2nd advanced courseWritten
Basic course or 3rd advanced courseWritten
Basic courseOral
Basic courseOral, presentation or BLL

Although tested subjects are chosen by the student, three areas must be covered:
Occasionally, schools offer vocational subjects such as pedagogy, business informatics, biotechnology and mechanical 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 the Abitur if the written exam is poor.
Before reunification, Abitur exams were given locally in West Germany, but Bavaria has conducted centralized exams since 1854. After reunification, most states of the former East Germany continued centralized exams, and at the beginning of the 21st century, many states adopted centralized exams. In 2013, all other states except Rheinland-Pfalz also introduced centralized written exams at least in the core subjects.
The Kultusministerkonferenz 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.