Basically, there are two different grading systems in Germany. The most frequently used one consists of a grading scale from one to six, where one is “very good” and six is “insufficient”. If a grade is lower than four, the exam is considered failed. It is used in schools from the 1st to the 10th grade as well as at vocational schools and universities or colleges. Intermediate steps can be represented here with decimal numbers.
The exact table is:
• 1.0 Very good
• 2.0 Good
• 3.0 Satisfactory
• 4.0 Sufficient
• 5.0 Poor
• 6.0 Insufficient
Exact meaning of the grades:
The grade “very good” should be given if the performance exceeds the requirements
The grade “good” should be given if the performance fully meets the requirements.
The grade “satisfactory” shall be given if the performance generally meets the requirements.
The grade “sufficient” should be given if the performance has deficiencies but still meets the requirements overall.
The grade “poor” should be given if the performance does not meet the requirements but shows that the necessary basic knowledge exists and that the deficiencies can be remedied in the foreseeable future.
The grade “insufficient” should be given if the performance does not meet the requirements and even the basic knowledge is so incomplete that the deficiencies cannot be remedied in the foreseeable future.
In the upper level of the Gymnasium (completion of the Abitur) there is another system. This consists of 0 to 15 points and is used because the point counting system is also used in the Abitur itself. This point system is also the basis for applying to universities, but the points can also be roughly converted into grades.
The table for this is:
• 15 Better than very good
• 14 Very good
• 13
• 12
• 11 Good
• 10
• 09
• 08 Satisfactory
• 07
• 06
• 05 Sufficient
• 04
• 03
• 02 Poor
• 01
• 00 Insufficient
Sources: Wikipedia/studieren-in-deutschland.de
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