At the Integrated Comprehensive School (IGS), students in grades 5 through 13 are taught. The IGS can also be operated without an upper secondary track (grades 11 through 13). In Lower Saxony, the IGS is generally operated as an all-day school

At the end of Secondary Level I, the IGS leads to the following diplomas:

• Hauptschule diploma after 9th grade
• Secondary Level I Diploma – Hauptschule Diploma
• Secondary Level I Certificate – Realschule Certificate
• Extended Secondary School Diploma I

Earning the Extended Secondary School Diploma I qualifies students for admission to the introductory phase of the upper secondary school (11th grade). At the end of the qualification phase after 13 years of schooling, students earn the general university entrance qualification by passing the Abitur exam.

The upper secondary level of the gymnasium is divided into a one-year introductory phase (11th grade) and a two-year qualification phase (12th and 13th grades); it concludes with the Abitur examination after 13 years of schooling.

Successful completion of the Abitur examination grants general university entrance qualification. This entitles students to enroll in any degree program at a university, college, or university of applied sciences, subject to any institution-specific admission procedures and requirements.

The principle of integration, which is characteristic of the IGS, is evident in the fact that all students are taught according to a common curriculum and participate together in classes across various subjects as well as in all aspects of school life. However, the IGS is also a school system that offers differentiated instruction. External academic differentiation through specialized courses is implemented at various levels of academic challenge in mathematics and English starting in the 7th grade, in German starting in the 8th grade, and in the natural sciences no later than the 9th grade.

In the Cooperative Comprehensive School (KGS) , the Hauptschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium school types are brought together “under one roof” as interrelated and interconnected school branches. The school may also be organized by grade level. The KGS educates students in grades 5 through 13; however, the school may also operate without grades 11 through 13 (upper Gymnasium).

At the KGS, students can earn the same diplomas as at the IGS (see above). The educational program and graduation requirements are governed by the respective regulations of the corresponding school types.

Instruction at the KGS is provided both within and across school tracks. Upon a decision by the school board, instruction in grades 5 through 8 may be provided primarily in cross-track learning groups. For subject-specific instruction within the KGS’s stream-specific curriculum, the core curricula of the respective school type apply; for subject-specific instruction in cross-stream learning groups, the core curricula of the IGS apply.