If you have searched for Abitur subjects, which subjects to take for the Abitur, or how the Abitur is graded, this explainer lays it out clearly. The Abitur is Germany's university-entrance qualification, and its subject choices and points system confuse a lot of people, including many outside Germany. Here is which subjects you actually have to take, how you choose the rest, and how the grading works, from the 15-point course marks down to the final 1.0 to 4.0 average. For a plain definition of the exam itself, see what is the Abitur.
Quick answer: The Abitur spans three fields (languages/arts, social sciences, and maths/natural sciences), with German, maths and a foreign language effectively compulsory. Students pick advanced Leistungskurse (which count double) and basic Grundkurse. Courses are marked 0 to 15 points; those totals convert to a final average from 1.0 (best) to 4.0 (pass), needing at least 300 of 900 points to pass.
The Three Fields Every Abitur Student Must Cover
The Abitur is designed for breadth. Every student must cover three fields of study (Aufgabenfelder):
- Languages, literature and the arts: German, foreign languages, art or music
- Social sciences: history, geography, politics, economics
- Mathematics and natural sciences: maths, physics, chemistry, biology
German, mathematics and at least one foreign language are effectively compulsory across the two-year Qualifikationsphase. On top of that, students choose which subjects to take at a higher level and which as their exam subjects, usually landing on four or five exam subjects with a mix of written and oral papers. A student aiming at a science degree will often carry biology, chemistry or physics as a main subject, which is why queries like German Abitur biology requirements are so common.
Which Subjects Do You Have to Take for the Abitur?
This is the question most students actually arrive with, and the honest answer is that the compulsory list is short and the choice is wide. Three rules govern the combination in most states:
- German, mathematics and at least one foreign language run through the whole two-year Qualifikationsphase. You cannot drop them.
- Your exam subjects must cover all three fields between them. You cannot sit five science-flavoured papers and skip the social sciences entirely.
- At least two of your exam subjects must come from German, maths and a foreign language.
Everything else is yours to pick, and the picking matters, because the exam subjects are where the double-weighted Leistungskurse live. Here is what a realistic combination looks like for a student heading toward a science degree:
| Slot | Subject | Type | Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam 1 (written) | Mathematics | Leistungskurs (double) | Maths and natural sciences |
| Exam 2 (written) | Biology | Leistungskurs (double) | Maths and natural sciences |
| Exam 3 (written) | German | Grundkurs | Languages and arts |
| Exam 4 (oral) | History | Grundkurs | Social sciences |
| Exam 5 (oral or presentation) | English | Grundkurs | Languages and arts |
All three fields are covered, German and English satisfy the two-from-the-core rule, and the two strongest subjects sit in the double-weighted slots. A student aiming at law or economics would swap the science Leistungskurs for history, politics or economics and keep the same shape. Note that at least one slot is examined orally, which is a format most students get far less practice in than written papers, so it is worth reading how to study for an oral exam before that one comes around.
The trap is choosing a Leistungskurs because it sounds interesting rather than because you can score in it. A weak Leistungskurs costs you twice, so it pays to be honest about where your marks actually land before the choice is locked in. Bavaria and a few other states run their own rules on which combinations are allowed, so check your own Bundesland's list before committing.
Abitur, Abi, Fachabitur: What the Different Terms Mean
People search for abitur, abiturs, abi and Fachabitur more or less interchangeably, but they are not the same thing:
- Abitur: the qualification itself, formally the allgemeine Hochschulreife, the general entrance qualification that opens every university course. (The German plural is Abiture, which is why the English-language plural "abiturs" turns up so often in searches.)
- Abi: just the everyday short form of Abitur, the way students and parents actually talk about it.
- Abiturprüfung: the exam itself, as opposed to the qualification you walk away with.
- Fachabitur: a different qualification. It usually refers to the Fachhochschulreife, which admits you to a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) rather than to any university course. A related variant, the fachgebundene Hochschulreife, admits you to specific subject areas at a university.
The distinction matters because a Fachabitur and an Abitur do not open the same doors. If you are comparing German qualifications further down the ladder, the Realschulabschluss explained covers the mid-level school-leaving certificate that comes before the Oberstufe.
What Is the Difference Between Leistungskurse and Grundkurse?
This is the split that shapes the whole Abitur:
- Leistungskurse (LK): advanced courses, taught with more hours and greater depth. They count double in the final grade and become the main written exam subjects. Most students take two or three.
- Grundkurse (GK): basic courses, covering the breadth of the curriculum. They count once and keep the qualification broad.
Because Leistungskurse are double-weighted, a student's strongest subjects can lift the whole average, and a weak Leistungskurs can drag it down twice as hard. That is exactly where targeted support pays off; our tutors often help Gymnasium students shore up a Leistungskurs in maths or the sciences before the exams.
How Is the Abitur Graded?
Grading runs in two layers. First, individual courses are marked on a 0 to 15 point scale, where 15 is the best and 0 is a fail (roughly, 15–13 is a top grade, and 4 or below is failing). Those course points are added up across the two-year Qualifikationsphase and the final exams into a total out of 900 points, the Gesamtqualifikation.
That points total then converts into the final Abitur average, which runs from 1.0 (best) to 4.0 (just passed). So there are two numbers people mean by "Abitur grade": the 15-point course marks and the 1.0 to 4.0 overall average.
Converting Abitur Points into a Grade
The conversion is not a lookup table someone invented, it is a straight formula:
average = 17/3 − (points ÷ 180)
Which gives you a rule of thumb worth remembering: every 180 points is worth a full grade point, and every 90 points is worth half a grade. That makes the whole scale easy to hold in your head:
| Total points (of 900) | Final average |
|---|---|
| 823 and above | 1.0 |
| 750 | 1.5 |
| 660 | 2.0 |
| 570 | 2.5 |
| 480 | 3.0 |
| 390 | 3.5 |
| 300 | 4.0 (pass mark) |
The practical read: 90 points is half a grade, and a single double-weighted Leistungskurs course block can move you by a meaningful chunk of that. If you need to compare the result against another system, our Abitur grade conversion guide has the official IB, US GPA and UK A-level tables in both directions.
What Is a Good Abitur Grade?
On the final scale, lower is better. Here is how the averages map to the German descriptors:
| Average | Descriptor | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0–1.5 | sehr gut | Excellent |
| 1.6–2.5 | gut | Good |
| 2.6–3.5 | befriedigend | Satisfactory |
| 3.6–4.0 | ausreichend | Pass |
| worse than 4.0 | nicht bestanden | Fail |
Competitive courses such as medicine or psychology often expect an average near 1.0, and admission can hinge on tenths of a point. That is why students fight for every extra point in their Leistungskurse.
How Many Points Do You Need to Pass the Abitur?
To earn the Abitur you need at least 300 points out of 900 in the overall Gesamtqualifikation, while also meeting minimum standards in each block and not failing more than a set number of individual courses. The 300-point floor corresponds to the 4.0 pass mark; at the other end, 823 points and above earns the top 1.0 average.
Is the Abitur the Same in Every German State?
The framework is national, but schooling is run by each Bundesland, so the details differ. Bavaria (Bayern) sets its own papers and has its own rules on subject combinations, which is why people search for Abitur in Bayern specifically. What stays constant everywhere is the three fields, the Leistungskurs and Grundkurs split, and the 1.0 to 4.0 scale. Exam formats and dates are the main things that vary by state.
Key Takeaways
- The Abitur spans three fields: languages/arts, social sciences, and maths/natural sciences, with German, maths and a foreign language effectively compulsory.
- Your exam subjects must cover all three fields, and at least two must come from German, maths and a foreign language. Everything beyond that is your choice.
- Students pick Leistungskurse (advanced, count double) and Grundkurse (basic, count once). A weak Leistungskurs costs you twice.
- Courses are marked 0 to 15 points; totals convert to a final average from 1.0 (best) to 4.0 (pass) via 17/3 − (points ÷ 180), so 180 points is one full grade.
- You need at least 300 of 900 points to pass; 823+ earns a 1.0.
- Fachabitur is not the Abitur. It usually means the Fachhochschulreife, which admits you to a university of applied sciences, not to any course.
- The structure is national, but states like Bavaria run their own papers and dates.
Facing the Abitur? Find an Abitur tutor on iTutorOnline for your Leistungskurse in maths, the sciences or languages. For revision strategies, read the full German Abitur preparation guide, and if the two-year Qualifikationsphase feels unmanageable, start with how to make a study schedule.