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A Levels and German Abitur equivalent

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Reply 20
Kathrin
There is an institution which is called the Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle.
Each Bundesland (county) has its own Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle and they convert foreign grades into the german grade system.

I have sent my A-Level results off last week, so I should hear from them soon :smile:

If you sent them off last week you can expect to wait between 2-3 month depending on where you live. I waited three month.
713
I am indeed very glad my grades were converted to be 1.7, but now when I come to think about it, it might be due to the fact that I had Aaaaa in year 12. It could be that they took the individual AS grades into account as well.


they take ALL grades from year 11 to year 13 into account. the end grade is worked out according to a complicated system with differently weighted grades according to year and difficulty level. i did my abitur 11 years ago and i still haven't understood the way it's computed :cool:
Reply 22
cheese_fondue
they take ALL grades from year 11 to year 13 into account. the end grade is worked out according to a complicated system with differently weighted grades according to year and difficulty level. i did my abitur 11 years ago and i still haven't understood the way it's computed :cool:

Well, I didn't attend year 11 so it's probably just year 12 and 13.
Reply 23
713
Well, I didn't attend year 11 so it's probably just year 12 and 13.

It is definitely only year 12 and 13 as year 11 does not count for your final grade.
Lyaios
It is definitely only year 12 and 13 as year 11 does not count for your final grade.


oops, sorry, forgot. yes, year 11 isn't counted. that's why tons of germans go away as exchange students in year 11.
Reply 25
I got my results back yesterday and I have sent them off last week :eek:

for my AAAAAa i got an Abiturschnitt of 1,0 :woo:
Reply 26
Kathrin
I got my results back yesterday and I have sent them off last week :eek:

for my AAAAAa i got an Abiturschnitt of 1,0 :woo:

congratulations! :smile: (both to your abiturschnitt and the quick reply)
I guess you wouldn't even have needed that many A's at A-Level to get 1,0 though.
Reply 27
713
congratulations! :smile: (both to your abiturschnitt and the quick reply)
I guess you wouldn't even have needed that many A's at A-Level to get 1,0 though.


but its really weird.
cause 1,0 is like getting 100% in all my A-levels?
N I only got average percentages like 85%+
Reply 28
Kathrin
but its really weird.
cause 1,0 is like getting 100% in all my A-levels?
N I only got average percentages like 85%+


No 1,0 is not like getting 100% in all exams. You have to have an average of 13/15 points in all subjects during year 12 and 13 to get 1,0. I for example had only 9/15 points in Chemistry in year 12 but could compensate that by 15/15 points in several other subjects.

Well I guess compared to the British A-Levels the German system is much more complicated:biggrin:
Reply 29
I still believe that one gets 1,0 with AAB, possibly AAA in year 12.
Reply 30
713
I still believe that one gets 1,0 with AAB, possibly AAA in year 12.


It is just not comparable. If I am not wrong the A-Level results are only based on several examinations whereas almost all your grades over a period of 2 years counts towards the Abitur grade.
If someone gets 15/15 points (maybe equivalent to A*) in all his final Abitur examinations he might still not get 1,0 or even near that if he got bad grades in years 12 and 13. Those final examinations only count for 50 % whereas A-Levels are only based on final examinations...what you did a year before the examinations does not count towards your results.
That is why it is definitely harder to gain 1,0 in the German Abitur than AAA at A-Levels. I am not saying that German examinations are harder, as I do not know about that, but for the German Abitur you need to be constantly good at school.
Reply 31
Ghassan
It is just not comparable. If I am not wrong the A-Level results are only based on several examinations whereas almost all your grades over a period of 2 years counts towards the Abitur grade.
If someone gets 15/15 points (maybe equivalent to A*) in all his final Abitur examinations he might still not get 1,0 or even near that if he got bad grades in years 12 and 13. Those final examinations only count for 50 % whereas A-Levels are only based on final examinations...what you did a year before the examinations does not count towards your results.
That is why it is definitely harder to gain 1,0 in the German Abitur than AAA at A-Levels. I am not saying that German examinations are harder, as I do not know about that, but for the German Abitur you need to be constantly good at school.

At A-Level you do also take the exams over a period of two years, namely AS Levels and A2.
I am not trying to compare A-Levels and the Abitur, I am just saying that's what it gets converted to by the regierungspraesidium when you enter with certain grades at A-Level.
Reply 32
i called the Bayrische Bildungs Ministerium...

every A2 grade gets converted as follows:
A----1,0
B----1,75
C----2,5
D----3,25
E----4,0

i know its a joke...they justiefied it by saying that A being the highest mark should be 1,0...and E being the lowest mark still worth a pass is equal to 4,0....they do not take into consideration that u only need like 40% to get an E..whereas u often need 50-60% to get 3,5-4,0....its ridiculous....and obviously they dont care that at A-Level u just do 4 subects..
Reply 33
I don't think that you can get 1,0 with AAB.
Consider the entry requirements for Oxford and Cambridge:
Oxford: 1.0-1.5
Cambridge: 1.0-1.3
I'd say that the Oxford requirements are a bit too low but Cambridge seems to be right.
AAA might be something like 1.0-1.3
Reply 34
trust me...i did As-Level and 10 years of german grammar school...my average in Years 9 and 10 in germany were pending between 1,8-2,2....in england i did Maths, French, Business Studies, German, Italian and History....i got 5A's and 1 B....many of my friends made similar experiences(from 2,0 to gettin 2A 1C 1B)... soo i beliebe cambridge is really harsh in converting...
hey how r u ..i wanted to ask u a question........Are these B----1,75
C----2,5 good points to get admission in university or are they to low..plz answer
Reply 36
imranakhtar
hey how r u ..i wanted to ask u a question........Are these B----1,75
C----2,5 good points to get admission in university or are they to low..plz answer



dont know what you mean? besides, which unis are you on about? whilst BBC are good grades, they won't get you into Oxford..xD
Just want to give you my opionion to this whole topic:
If one looks at the percentages in A-level:
A = 80%
B = 70%
C =60% (as a minimum of course)

now comparing this with the percentages for the points
15= 96% (so if all achieved grades were 15 it would equal an abitur of = 0.9 )
14=91% (1.0)
13= 86% ( 1.3)
generally thisi s set euqal with an A (1)
12= 81% (1.6)
11= 76% (2.0)
10= 71% (2.3)
generally this is set euqal with a B (2)

so looking at the percentages AAA should equal = 1.6 ( as a minimum)
BBB = 2.3 etc.
but ofcouser noone really does this which is a beat unfair, on top of that an abitur student hast the final exams plus 40 other grades fomr the last 2 years, these grades are set up by an exam, per subject, test which you dont know when it comes and another oral grade ( the teacher asks you questions) every half a year. Not to forget the extendend essay and a its presentation. Considering this i think 1.6 ist still too high compared to A levels... Especially because we can only choose partially where we want to do our final exams ( it has to be in german and maths ) plus we have at least 11 different subjects where the grades are coming from, so if one isnt very musical or only good in siences an horrible in the langugaes or just avetage, your screwed. (imrefering to the system in bavaria)
but of course i understand that this stilldiffers from school to school and county to county, but i think from a logical point of view, 1.6 should be the euqivalent to AAA.

But there is no point complaining.
@CoffeeAddict

Your opinion is pretty close to the opinion of NRW (Nordrhein-Westfalen). Due to the introduction of A* they changed the grade conversion. For all attending A Levels beginning with June 2010. http://www.bezreg-duesseldorf.nrw.de/schule/schulrecht_schulverwaltung/pdf/Merkblatt_GB.pdf
A rare case, that legislation (Universities can have their own opinion, but...) meets personal opinions(at least at A Level).

So, to give a short overview over the "changes" (A Level):

A*=1.0
A = 1.6
B = 2.2
C = 2.8
D = 3.4
E = 4.0

Abitur (allgemeinbildende Hochschulreife):
1.0 = A*A*A*A*A* in a language, Math, Chemistry, Biology/Physics and a "gesellschaftwissenschaftliches Fach mit wirtschafts- oder sozialkundlicher Ausrichtung" (Business Studies, Economics, Economics & Business Studies, Economics & Government &
Politics, Geography, Government & Politics, Politics, Sociology)
=> max. 700 (A*A*A*A*A*) min. 200 (DDDDD) UCAS Tariff Points

The other accepted A Level combinations are "only" a fachgebundene Hochschulreife (similar to UK practise, you can't study Medicine with History, English, Maths, PE):
1.0 = A*A*A*with an A as AS
=> max. 480 (A*A*A* with A at AS) and min. 140 (DDD with a D at AS) UCAS Tariff Points
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 39
Hi, is there anyone with smilar experience?-I wish to study medicine in Germany and experienced a significant downgrading of my A-levels through the responsible German authority called "hochschulstart.de".I
in Germnay with effect from last summer "hochschulstart" calculates "maimum reachable points" on the basis of 4 A*'s (=560 UCAS Tariff Points) which are inserted into the so called modified Bavarian Formula.My A-levels are A*AAA, being downgraded from a "Abiturequivlent" of 1.0 to 1.4.
Anyone with similar experience who would like to do something about it and get the basis for calcualtion in Germnay changed?

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