Primary and secondary education

Primary education lasts 6 years and is intended for children aged 6-12. After primary education, students follow the 3-year lower secondary education at a junior middle school (初中 chuzhong). Then they are on average 15 years old and compulsory education has ended.

After completing an entrance examination, students can continue on to upper secondary education. Students can choose:

• general upper secondary education which is concluded with exams for the senior middle school graduation certificate; or
• vocational upper secondary education which is concluded with exams for the vocational senior middle school graduation certificate.

Students conclude upper general secondary education with exams for the senior middle school graduation certificate. They follow their education at a senior middle school (高中 gaozhong).

• Duration i : 3 years (after the 3-year lower secondary education).
• Content: compulsory subjects in 8 fields of study plus a combination of practical activities. The fields of study are language and literature, mathematics, technology, humanities and society, science, art and physical education and health. The practical activities are research-based learning activities, social service and social practice. Students must obtain a total of 144 credits, and their secondary education is closed off with a final examination, the so-called general ability test. For further information on this test or credits, see Secondary education study results.
• Diploma: senior middle school graduation certificate (普通高中毕业证书 putong gaozhong biye zhengshu), also translated as general secondary education certificate.

Instead of general upper secondary education, students can choose vocational upper secondary education. They conclude it with exams for a vocational senior middle school graduation certificate (中等专业毕业证书 zhongdeng zhuanye biye zhengshu). They follow vocational upper secondary education at a vocational senior middle school (中等专业学校 zhongdeng zhuanye xuexiao).

• Duration: 3 or 4 years.
• Content: mainly vocational subjects.
• Diploma: vocational senior middle school graduation certificate (中等专业毕业证书 zhongdeng zhuanye biye zhengshu). The diploma is also referred to as zhongzhuan diploma.