Mittlerer Schulabschluss, the intermediate school certificate

All students sit for the MSA, the first school certificate, at the end of Year 10. After this, the two-year secondary senior class prepares students for the Abitur and general qualification for university.

The MSA is the prerequisite for attending a school’s second secondary level. Both yearly class marks and exam grades are counted for the MSA.

Class marks

In order to obtain the MSA, all class marks must, in principle, be graded 4 or better. Failure to pass class marks may be due to imbalance in marks, more than two absences, two 5s in core subjects, two 6s or one 6 in a core subject.

Students who have not passed a part of a year can make up the exam that they have failed. It is important to note that they can only make up an exam for one subject (besides Sport) and the goal of improving a result by one mark must be achievable.

The exam

Exams are held for the subjects German, Mathematics and the first foreign language. Students must also sit a presentation exam in another subject.

Students must attain a minimum mark of 4 to pass the examinations. A minimum of 5 can be offset by a 3 (or better) in another subject. Students who do not pass a part of the exam have the option of taking an additional oral exam to improve their written results.