Options after Primary school

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
We live close to Zürich since 2022 and we are sending our now 9yo to SIS Zürich. He did the whole Primary 3 class in the school and now he is in Primary 4. He likes the school and everything seems fine.

Now I am trying to understand a little better what paths are available for him after Primary. I do not want by any means to decide for him, just to cover my lack of knowledge of the options of the Swiss school system. It does not help that I have very little experience in the US/UK/international schooling systems.

My understanding is that in Kanton Zürich the access to public gymi (both lang and kurz) is subject to pass die Zentrale Aufnahmeprüfung at the beginning. Is this true also for private gymi?

I read that it is possible to be enrolled in well known Swiss universities with IB diploma. For the perspective of an expat, are there actual advantages to doing the Matura with respect to IB? I read some posts where it is written that IB needs certain requirements to be met to allow you to enroll in some university, while the succeeding in the Matura is enough.

Of course I know that there are differences in the subject to be taken in gymi and IB and also I am very well aware that the effectiveness of a school path depends also on the quality of the specific school, but this is another giant problem, that I prefer to face later on.

My target now is to identify the paths that are more flexible in case we have to leave Switzerland. I hope to be able to live here for a long time, but who knows what the future reserves to us. We are from Italy, so the most probable option is going back there. I am aware that there is an italian high school in Zurich, I already have a ton of info about that and it is indeed a possible option for us.

Thank you!

2

Perhaps this could help you:
Information on the school system
https://www.englishforum.ch/educatio…em-z-rich.html

3

Swiss Gymi or Sek will be very difficult without good German - spoken and written.
Kanton Zürich has an exam for Gymi entry. Private Gymis do their own thing, as do all the international schools for entry into particular courses.

The Matura gives an automatic right to study at a Swiss university - the exceptions are some faculties such as medicine.
Swiss Unis each have their own approach to the IB - these are changing, but in general, it make life more difficult for IB graduates. Previous threads have dealt with this.

Do you know this source already?

https://www.zh.ch/content/dam/zhweb/…ols_202010.pdf

4
Kids coming from private schools are actually at a disadvantage in that their previous grades are not considered- admission is based 100% on the exam result, which is very challenging. Also, as a German teacher working at a bilingual school, l I know that the level of the German programme is not comparable to that of a Swiss state school, even if they teach to the Swiss curriculum. So, while it is not impossible, unless German is one of your home languages, access to a state Gymi from a bilingual school can be challenging.

5
Ticino. We speak Italian, and there is no entry exam for secondary school.

And salaries are 2-3 times that in Italy.

Tom

6

You can look up the entry requirements here: https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/…accalaureatete

The long Gymnasium Rämibühl offers a joint Matura/IB tracks where you get both. I do not know if there is a short gymnasium whihc offer a joint track.

The Swiss International School offers a Swiss Matura and/or IB track.

For the Swiss Matura a strong knowledge in German will be needed.

7
Well whatever about gaining admittance, a student will be severely disadvantaged it they do not have full competence in the language in which the course is being presented.

And that may even not be enough, when my son did computer science in Bern, some of the courses he wanted to take were only available in French or English due to staff shortages, so some students had to skip some of their preferred choices.

8
Not true for Basel

9
Wow, this surprises me and it doesn't. I thought the pay, certainly in Swiss universities would be very good. At least comparable to what you could earn in the industry. Perhaps I am simply out of touch.

Although CS might be an outlier; Most if not all programming languages are essentially made up of English words, with most of the published documentation in English too?

10
Answering the question, the Matura is far more difficult than the IB.

It is more difficult because you have to study at least 9 or 10 subjects for four years, so French, English, German, Italian, Geography, History, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology with options as well like Business, Legal or Spanish. [It was three years in Vaud, but that is changing].

In IB you choose a specific subject like Math or Computer Science and focus on just that. Sure you study them in more depth, but you can think of them like A levels in the UK; most students don't take more than 3 or 4 tracks.

Since most of us have a preference, some are good at sciences, some languages, and some the arts; going with the Matura route is naturally harder.

Even getting to Gymnasium isn't easy either, they stream kids at eleven; so if you're child joined the party late, there is a good chance they'll miss the boat to get onto the Matura track. Sure there are other routes, but the most direct one, if you like is to pass that exam when you are eleven.

My daughter tells me too that passing "the Rac" as it called if you end up in one of the lower streams to get back on track is even harder. You need to get an average of 5 points in all subjects to move into the VP stream, when you reach 15, doing a foundation year in Gymnasium. So that is five years study.

The IB is I fear also a safety net for the rich and those with the right connections with the main entry criteria, a chequebook. So should your son/daughter take that route they may find themselves in a class of Chinese students whose English skills alone will make it difficult for everybody in the class.

All that said, if you there is a good chance you won't be staying in Switzerland than the only sane route with any continuity is the IB. I am pretty sure that the IB in Hong Kong, Dehli, Zurich, London and New York is essentially the same.

Didn't mention the IB route is only something you can do in private schools, there is no IB route in public ones that I am aware of. I think you can do the Matura in some private schools too or even the American High School certificate.

11
IMO, the Matura is not far harder than IB. It is different.

Sure you have more subjects, but you are allowed to fail in some (2?). This can confuse foreign universities who not realise, for instance, how many Swiss-German graduates have failed French for cultural reasons.

The work load, especially homework, can be higher in the Matura and there is the pressure to pass every year for 5 years (long-term Gymi) in order to progress whereas the IB courses are 2 years. You can however join a Matura class very late in the programme.

IB is available in some Swiss state gymis, but usually as an additional programme to the Matura, seldom as an alternative.

There is no way, other than student opinion, to measure the comparative difficulties.

12
You don't study all those subjects all the way to the Matura, they start dropping off in the course of the studies and during the last year you actually have 6 subjects (looked at my kids plan for the modern language track of a Zurich Gymi).

I would not say IB is similar to A levels as it's much broader - you actually have 6 subjects you need to pick with some rules around minimal languages, humanities, science and math. You also have to do an extended essay, a philosophy course as well as hours of volunteering.

It's offered in Zurich at the Rahmibul Language Gymi - so a public Gymi.

It's different programs and I would not call the IB easier.

13
Yes it true you don't study all the subjects for all four years... but having to study any subjects that you have next to no interest in is hard, far harder than subjects you do enjoy.

So A levels are easiest

An IB is a middle of the road

And the Matura is torture

That said I did A level math at University and despite that the fact that I quite like Math, I found it baffling... it was hard.

If you think you'll stay here and your kids are academics, than the Matura is the way to go. If you think there is a good chance you return overseas, than an IB makes more sense.

14
I went from England to Scotland after O levels. Asked by my new headmaster which subjects I wished to study, I replied Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

No, you need 5 subjects for Highers and English is compulsory.

My thoughts; English? in Scotland? That is pushing water uphill.

OK, and Biology.

Physics and Biology is not possible.

OK, History.

I do not regret having had to take a wider range than just A levels. Specialising at an early age can produce narrow minded idiots. I would argue for the Matura to have more options and fewer compulsory subjects, but the concept of a wider education is sound, As to it being more difficult - maybe so, but it may be worth it. The real difficulty in the Matura is in it being a strict pass/fail system.