Introduction

European Schools were initially created for children of employees of the European Union’s institutions so that there would be a steady curriculum for their children, despite changing countries. This is offered for all grades until right before university, in 37 different schools, in 15 countries, all across the European union.

Structure

Gymnasium, known as the “upper secondary”, corresponds to the years of Secondary 5 (1st), Secondary 6 (2nd), and Secondary 7 (3rd). The European Baccalaureate (EB) is the Diploma awarded to successful students of the “orientational cycle” or “European Baccalaureate cycle” which is comprised of S6 and S7. The baccalaureate cycle has students choose subjects individually, not as part of a subject “line.” Mandatory subjects include Language 1 (mother tongue), Language 2 (first foreign language), Religion/Ethics, Physical Education, History, Geography, and Maths. Certain subjects will be taught in L2 throughout all “gymnasium.” Optional, known as elective subjects, include economics, physics, and music. Students can choose to take certain subjects at a higher level; this differs from European School to European School. Students must choose at least one “nature” science, have at least two advanced subjects, and the minimum requirement of hours. S5 is a broader education than the orientation cycle, which is half of the “pre-orientation cycle” that spans from S4 (Folkeskole 9. klasse) to S5. Students have fewer subject choices during this cycle; they may only choose their maths level and certain electives. At the end of S5, students are awarded a “Junior laureate certificate” (equivalent to afgangsbevis/uddannelsesbevis) Even if a subject is not continued after S5, but is passed, the student will be awarded “C level” on the Danish scale in that subject if they leave S7.

Tests, Grades, Curriculums

From S4-S6, students are internally tested biannually, with tests written by teachers called B-Tests. Students are graded in both their test marks but also class marks on a scale of 0-10, including half marks. In the final year, students are tested twice, with the Pre-Baccalaureate exams held in the winter, and the Baccalaureate exams held in the summer. Grades on the final diploma are expressed on a scale from 0 to 100 with one decimal point. 50% of the final diploma comes from a student’s performance in exams and classwork throughout S7. The other 50% comes from 8 final exams held in the month of June. These are corrected by an internal examiner and an external examiner allowing for equal and fair grading across Europe. Of these 8 Baccalaureates, 5 are written; these are Language 1, Language 2, Maths, Choice 1, and Choice 2. Two of these may be chosen by the students but must be advanced subjects that do not already appear as an exam. The 3 oral Baccalaureates are; Language 1, a subject in language 2 (including language 2), and a choice of Baccalaureates. The choice here must not already be chosen and may not be what is called a complementary subject. The students have full control over choosing their own subjects to be tested within the regulatory framework.

DGS’ EB policy

In DGS we believe that EB students should have the same rights and opportunities as any other gymnasium education. This means more representation for the EB options that are available to students leaving folkeskole, ensuring equal access to universities, and making sure that EB students are well represented in cross- educational system organisations such as DGS. Currently, EB students often face obstacles in applying and being admitted into universities in Denmark due unfavorable conversions. DGS believes that grades should be converted by taking into account the nuances between the different school systems and the nuances between the grading and examination systems. For example, a 100 is not nearly as common as a 12, and this should be reflected in the conversion scale.