The secondary education system in Germany is compulsory from 12 to 13. As Germany is a federal country, the legislative power of the education system belongs to each state, so the forms of running secondary education in Germany are not exactly the same in each federal state. Students do not need to take a unified exam to enter middle school. According to the grades of primary schools (including orientation stage), teachers' appraisal and parents' opinions, decide which type of middle school to enter. Secondary education in Germany is divided into two levels. The first level includes senior middle schools, general middle schools, senior middle schools and general middle schools. The second advanced stage can also be called Oberstufe, which mainly includes the dual system of vocational education system and the senior grades of liberal arts middle schools.
Four school forms in the first stage of primary school
(1) Students with good grades generally choose liberal arts high school for about nine years, which is the only way to enter higher education. Abitur is common in every federal state, and the senior department of liberal arts high school has the nature of pre-university. Its compulsory courses and elective courses are divided into two categories: Grundkurs and Leistungskurs. Compulsory courses are divided into language, literature, art, social science, mathematics and science, religion, physical education and so on. Elective courses are usually basic courses or introductory courses in various disciplines in universities. Students must take more than two specialized courses, one of which must be Chinese, mathematics or natural science. Subject 4 of the senior high school entrance examination requires two professional courses plus two basic courses. In addition, in order to expand the scope and depth of elective courses, courses such as psychology, law, sociology and economics have been added.
(2) Students with the second best grades often enter practical middle schools, with courses lasting about five to six years. The school focuses on cultivating practical talents in the industrial and commercial circles and government agencies. Its courses are mainly social science, natural science and language, with special emphasis on the practicality of the subjects. The required parts can be summarized into the following five categories: 1. Foreign language (usually English); 2. Natural science (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology); 3. Social sciences (history, economy, geography); 4. housekeeping; 5. The art of music. There are elective courses in the seventh grade, such as nature, handicrafts and a second foreign language (usually French). Students can choose two or three compulsory subjects to take the final exam; Most graduates will choose to continue to receive full-time higher vocational and technical education, and a few will receive vocational training.
(3) Students who have obtained the second grade are enrolled in the five-year vocational preparatory course. Their courses are relatively simple, including religion, German, geography, history, music, science and technology, economy, English, mathematics, physics and chemistry, biology and physical education. Most graduates continue to enter the dual vocational education system and complete apprenticeship training, mainly engaged in handicrafts and manufacturing.
(4) In addition, some states set up a comprehensive high school (Gesamtschule), which is a combination of the above three traditional school types, usually including grade 5 or grade 7- 10. Some comprehensive schools also set up a high school, which is similar to that of a liberal arts middle school. Comprehensive schools implement the principle of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. Students can choose higher or simpler courses according to their abilities. The syllabus also includes vocational education courses. All states in the Federation recognize the graduation qualification of comprehensive schools. In recent years, comprehensive schools have been welcomed by students and parents because of their flexible educational organization, and become the second pillar of German school education system besides liberal arts middle schools.
The second senior school form
(1) Senior Grade of Liberal Arts Middle School
Starting from 1 1 grade, it takes two to three years to enter the senior stage of liberal arts middle school according to the regulations of each state. The teaching method at this stage is the credit system, that is, students can freely choose courses and key disciplines according to their own preferences and development direction as a preparation for entering colleges and universities. Senior students in liberal arts high schools and comprehensive high schools are equally qualified to take the high school graduation examination. In addition, because more and more liberal arts middle school graduates choose to enter the workplace or continue to receive vocational education, many liberal arts high schools have also reformed their teaching subjects to meet the needs of emerging occupations or hot jobs, shortening the years of students' study at school.
(2) Vocational schools
The types of vocational education in Germany have different new developments according to the needs of different majors, while the length of compulsory education in Germany is 18 years. Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of various majors in the field of work and compulsory study age, there are many schools established for different situations, such as Berufsschule, Berufsfachschule, fachschule and so on.
In addition, high schools of arts and sciences have also increased various related vocational education to meet the needs of society, such as Technisches Gymnasium, Wirtschaftsgymnasium, Berufsoberschule, which is a high school with science and technology education as the main axis, and so on. High school students who graduate from here can get a high school diploma.