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ENIC UKRAINE
National Information Centre
of Academic Mobility

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BASIC SECONDARY EDUCATION

The basic secondary school (5-9 grades) is the second level of complete general secondary education that teaches foundational skills of learning and personal growth, and prepares students for further education and specialization. Aiming at this, basic secondary schools create an environment for independent in-depth learning of specific subjects, important for the choice of further profile education.

Learning conditions at basic secondary school, as a rule, differ from the primary level: new subjects and study setting are introduced, teachers and student groups change as well. The number of students in one class may be up to 30.

Institutions. Pupils, as a rule, acquire basic secondary education in gymnasiums – general educational institutions of the II level, which can function independently or as structural units of other institutions.

Program duration. The duration of the basic secondary program is 5 years.

Classes. The duration of classes is typically 45 minutes.

Assessment. The assessment of students' learning outcomes can be done according to the 12-point assessment system defined by legislation or according to an institution's own scale at the discretion of the institution. Most often institutions use the 12-point system with grades from 1 to 12 (high).

Graduation. The 9th grade is the graduation year for students at this level. Learning outcomes are assessed by the State Final Attestation (exams). The content, forms, procedure and terms of the assessment are approved annually by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in the 2020/2021 academic year, graduates of basic secondary school were exempted from the State Final Attestation exams. The exemption continued for the next two years, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, for safety reasons during martial law.

Educational document. Graduates of the basic secondary education (9th grade) are awarded the Certificate of Basic Secondary Education with transcript of grades. In cases of excellent performance (all grades are 10, 11 and 12), the Certificate of Basic Secondary Education with Honors is awarded. The Certificate of Basic Secondary Education gives the right to continue education at upper secondary schools or technical and vocational institutions.


Historical profile:

Basic secondary education up to 2018

Updated: November 2023.


This information has been produced with the financial assistance of the Council of Europe. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe.