Degrees

Mittlerer Schulabschluss

Pupils in Year 10 receive the ‘Mittleren Schulabschluss’ (MSA) from the state of Berlin on successful completion of Year 10, which is the prerequisite for pupils to be able to enter the sixth form.

Bilingual Abitur in Berlin

Pupils at the Berlin Cosmopolitan School can aim for the German Abitur, which qualifies them to study at German and international universities. The Abitur programme extends over years 11 and 12 and consists of a qualification phase and final examinations at the end of year 12.

The final Abitur grade is determined by the general performance in the qualification phase and the results of the final examinations. Pupils choose courses from three subject areas: languages, social sciences (e.g. history, economics, philosophy, geography) and maths/science (e.g. physics, biology, chemistry). They take two advanced courses and eight foundation courses, all of which must comply with the educational guidelines of the state of Berlin.

The final examination consists of three written examinations, an oral examination and a fifth component, which can be a ‘special learning achievement’ or a presentation on a specialised topic. The examinations are centralised and follow set grading guidelines to ensure uniform and transparent grading throughout the state.

This rigorous programme places students in the top group of German grammar school pupils and provides them with a solid foundation for their future academic career.

The grading of the Abitur is also determined by the state of Berlin and is rubric-based with an interval scale of 15 points.

Points and the corresponding school grades

Internationales Baccalaureate Diploma Programm (IBDP)

Variety of courses and core components

Students take six courses: three at the advanced level and three at the regular level, providing a broad education in language arts, social studies, experimental science, art and maths. In addition to the courses, students complete three core components:

• The Extended Essay: an independent thesis of 4000 words in length
• Theory of Knowledge: A course that explores critical thinking and the nature of knowledge.
• CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service): A programme in which 150 hours of extracurricular activities in the areas of creativity, activity and service must be completed.

At the end of the programme, students take written examinations that are assessed by external IB examiners. While most students aim for the full IB diploma, it is also possible to complete individual courses and receive certificates for them. The IB learning profile and pedagogical approach encourages conceptual understanding, teamwork and connection to local and global contexts, fostering a well-rounded, open-minded learner.

IB DP evaluation scheme

In the IB DP grading system, all courses are graded on a 7-point scale, with 7 being the maximum score. The grade descriptions vary depending on the subject and are based on general performance characteristics:

Letter grades are awarded for the core components of the Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, with A being the highest grade achievable. See below for the grade descriptors.