Gymnasium (Denmark)
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The Gymnasium offers a 3-year general upper secondary programme which builds on the 9th-10th form of the Folkeskole and leads to the upper secondary school exit examination. This qualifies a student for admission to higher education, subject to the special entrance regulations applying to the individual higher education programmes.
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Gymnasium
Types of Institutions
The academically-oriented general upper secondary education which leads to the upper secondary school exit examination is offered at approximately 140 Gymnasiums of varying size, distributed all over Denmark. The smallest Gymnasium has 76 students, the largest 760 (2000).
The upper secondary school leaving examination can also be taken within special 2-year courses for adult students.
Admission Requirements
In order to be admitted to the first year of the Gymnasium, pupils must have completed the 9th form of basic school.
All pupils that have received the relevant education and passed the prescribed examinations can continue to an upper secondary programme of more or less their own choosing.
Access, however, is not always automatically granted to general upper secondary programmes. If a school finds that the pupil and their parents are not taking the education and guidance provided seriously, and/or that there is a risk that the pupil will not be able to meet the requirements of the general upper secondary programmes, the pupil may be recommended to sit for an admission test to one of the general upper secondary programmes.
Levels and Age Groups
The Gymnasium is divided into years and lines: a language line and a mathematics line. The instruction comprises obligatory subjects common to all students in the line chosen and a number of optional subjects.
The students have different teachers for different subjects, and it is normal that these teachers stay with a class for an entire course.
Branches of Study, Specialisation
The course of instruction lasts three years and is given in two different lines: the language line and the mathematics line. The instruction comprises obligatory subjects common to all students in the line chosen and optional subjects at two levels: high level and intermediate level.
The obligatory subjects in both lines are: biology, classical studies, religious education, Danish, English, geography, history, music, visual arts, and physical education. In the language line, the instruction also includes German or French at continuation level, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, or Russian at beginner's level as well as Latin and natural science (mathematics, physics, chemistry). In the mathematics line, the instruction also includes chemistry, mathematics and physics as well as French or German at continuation level or German, French, Spanish, Italian or Russian at beginner's level.
The high level optional subjects are English and German at continuation or beginner's level, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Latin, Greek, social studies, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and music. Latin and Greek can only be chosen by the students in the languages line, and physics and chemistry can only be chosen by students in the mathematics line. English is organised differently in the two lines.
The intermediate level optional subjects are: biology, business economics, chemistry, computer science, design, drama, film and TV-studies, geography, Latin, mathematics, music, philosophy, psychology, physical education, physics, social studies, technical studies, astronomy, and visual arts. Mathematics and physics can only be chosen by students in the languages line. Latin and chemistry are organised differently in the two lines.
The instruction also includes a major written assignment in the 3rd year in Danish, history or one of the student's optional subjects at high level.
General Objectives
In continuation of the 9th form of the basic school, the Gymnasium provides a 3-year course of continued general education. This covers the necessary basis for further studies and is completed by an examination (the upper secondary school exit examination). The upper secondary school exit examination qualifies the student for admission to higher education, subject to regulations. The teaching must furthermore contribute to the pupils’ personal development, developing their interest in and ability to participate actively in a democratic society.
Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours
At the commencement of the instruction, the teacher either prepares a plan for the autumn term's teaching in collaboration with the students or informs the students of such a plan. In the later phases of the instruction, the teacher and the students plan the work together. The teacher and the students regularly discuss the instruction given. Instruction in the individual classes is co-ordinated with a view to achieving a coherence between the different subjects and a suitable distribution of the student's workload.
A core curriculum is common to both lines. In addition, there are a number of compulsory subjects in years 1 and 2, and 4 blocks of optional subjects at higher and intermediate level (3 in year 3 and 1 in year 2).
The core curriculum includes Danish, history (year 1), biology (year 1), music (year 1), geography (year 2), visual arts (year 3), religious education (year 3) and classical studies (year 3) as well as physical education.
Compulsory subjects in the languages line include: English, German or French, a third foreign language (French or German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese or Russian), science and Latin (1st year only).
Compulsory subjects in the mathematics line include: mathematics, physics, English, a second foreign language (German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese or Russian) and chemistry (1st year only).
The optional subjects at higher level include music and social studies in both lines, and additionally English, German and a third foreign language in the 3rd year. In the languages line, Greek and Latin are also optional subjects. In the mathematics line, biology and chemistry are optional subjects in the 2nd year and additionally mathematics and physics in the 3rd year.
The optional subjects at intermediate level include visual arts, biology, computer studies, drama, economics, film, music, philosophy, physical education, social studies, technology, astronomy and geography (3rd year only) in both lines. In the languages line, Latin is also an optional subject and so are chemistry, mathematics and physics in the 3rd year. In the mathematics line, chemistry and Latin are also optional subjects.
Certain criteria for the optional subjects must be met by all students:
- all 4 "blocks" must be occupied, and a subject can only be taken at one of the levels
- at least 2 of the subjects must be chosen at higher level
- in the languages line, students must choose at least one foreign language at higher level
- in the mathematics line, students must choose higher level in one of the following subjects: biology, chemistry, mathematics, music, physics, or social studies and higher level in social studies or music must be combined with intermediate level in either biology, chemistry or geography or higher level in mathematics or physics.
Certification
The authority responsible for the content and examinations is the Ministry of Education.
The title of the examination taken at the end of the Gymnasium is the "Studentereksamen". Students, who have passed the "studentereksamen", are presented with a certificate, which contains the following information:
- all marks for the year's work,
- examination marks, including marks for the years work in subjects in which there has been no examination,
- the two average figures,
- the examination result, etc.
The certificate is signed by the headmaster of the Gymnasium where the examination has been taken. Certificates are drawn up by the Ministry of Education. Only one original certificate may be issued. A copy, including a translated certificate (the certificate is translated into English, German and French) must be designated 'copy'.
Ministerial regulations (concerning the award of credits in connection with teaching and examinations) are issued to students who have followed the instruction and taken examinations from other programmes at upper secondary level.
See also: Gymnasium (school)