Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports:
For those who aren't aware of the German school system, students attend compulsory Form-1 (elementary) school through 6th grade, and then move to one of the following (which is also known as a Form-6 or post-elementary school):
* Hauptschule - designed for students going into a trade (e.g., carpentry, masonry, etc.) and is finished at the 9th or 10th grade.
* Realschule - designed for students going into a profession and is finished at the 10th grade.
* Berufsschule - designed for accompanying an apprenticeship after Haupt- or Realschule; mandatory to age 18.
* Gymnasium - designed for students going to university/college and finishes at the 12th (G8) or 13th (G9) class.
NOTE: The first cut for college is 6th grade and if you don't make the 'cut' you cannot attend college in Germany, which is free to qualified students.
Richard's $.02 
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just to clear this up: most schools have the first "cut" after grade four. It is not true that students who don't make the first cut are barred from attending college. It is possible to 'work your way up', i.e. finish Hauptschule, then go on to Realschule and finally Gymnasium. It happens all the time. Furthermore univeristy/college in Germany is not free in most states (Hessen is the exception). The public universities usually charge a tuition of 500€ per semester.
Didn't mean to detract from the main subject or hijack the thread, just wanted to point this out.