Abitur in North Rhine -Westphalia: 70,000 pupils start in nerve -wracking examination time!

Abitur in North Rhine -Westphalia: 70,000 pupils start in nerve -wracking examination time!

On April 29, 2025, the written Abitur exams for around 70,000 students begin in North Rhine-Westphalia. This is done at around 1,000 schools, including public and private high schools, comprehensive schools, further training colleges and Waldorf schools, and follows the Easter holidays. The exams are a crucial moment for the students because they have to prepare for their future academic career. On May 6th, around 7,800 vocational colleges will compete for their exams. However, the defined dates are criticized.

The state student council of North Rhine -Westphalia has criticized the close examination dates. Many students have to take off their three exams within just four days, which generates high pressure. In order to meet the requirements of the Abitur, the high school graduates in North Rhine -Westphalia are obliged to take exams in four subjects: two in performance courses, a third written examination subject and an oral subject. At the general education schools, the central written exams can be taken in a total of 40 subjects, even in the vocational colleges in 47 subjects.

examination content and requirements

A decisive part of the Abitur exams is the common tasks in which NRW participates. This includes subjects such as German, mathematics, English, French, biology, chemistry and physics. It is particularly noteworthy that tasks for listening comprehension are integrated for the first time in modern foreign languages ​​this year. Against the background of these innovations, the preliminary ABI average of the last year can be viewed of 2.39, which enables a review of the performance of the students.

Last year, 85,000 young people in North Rhine -Westphalia received a high school diploma or university entrance qualification. However, this was a decline of 3.9 percent compared to the previous year. In perspective, the number of high school graduates will probably decrease significantly in the coming year. This is because the Abitur is taken off after nine years and no longer after eight years.

new developments in the examination process

Another important element concerns the changes in the examination process itself. A new download system for high school duties is planned, but will not be introduced to the further training collegs until autumn 2025. The old procedure will continue to be used up to this point. This new system was necessary after a download breakdown occurred in 2023, which led to the decision to optimize the process.

in the upper high school, as from School Ministry.NRW , students have to take numerous exams both in the introductory phase and in the qualification phase. In the introductory phase, for example, basic courses in German, mathematics and continued foreign languages ​​with at least two exams and a duration of 90 minutes are required. In the qualification phase, the number and duration of the exams varies according to the specified requirements.

With these new regulations, the strict examination conditions and the continued discussion about the preparation for high school, the students face a decisive challenge. It remains to be seen how the exams develop and what effects they will have on the future years.