INFO-ECKE: German Culture – German school system
Basically, there are two different grading systems in Germany. One consists of grades from one to six, with one being excellent and six being insufficient (Unlike Panama, with five being excellent). If the grade is lower than four, the student has not passed the exam. This system is the most common in Germany.
It is applied in schools from 1st to the 9th grade as well as at vocational schools and universities. Intermediate steps can be represented by decimal numbers. The exact table is:
- 1.0 Sehr gut (Excellent, very good)
- 2.0 Gut (Good)
- 3.0 Befriedigend (Satisfactory)
- 4.0 Ausreichend (Sufficient)
- 5.0 Mangelhaft (Not ufficient, failed)
- 6.0 Ungenügend (Insufficient, failed)
In the upper level of the Gymnasium, i.e. from the 10th to the 12th grade, there is another system. This consists of 0 to 15 points and is used because the point counting method is also used in the “Abitur”. This point system is also the basis for university applications, but the points can be roughly converted into grades.
15-point grading system in upper secondary education
German Culture
Maria Latzke
