Term division
Study takes place in lessons, with the academic year divided into three study terms. Every term has a new timetable. During one term (11 weeks, sometimes 12 weeks) a student takes 10 - 11 mandatory courses which means that the student has to focus on fewer subjects. The tenth (sometimes eleventh) week of every term is a preliminary examination week, during which the assessment of acquired knowledge takes place (preliminary examinations are taken in 5 subjects. During the last (11th, sometimes 12th) week, elective courses are taken.


Holidays
Each academic year has five holidays: autumn, Christmas, winter, spring, and summer holidays. Five holidays allow to spread academic load and stress more evenly and it is more student and teacher friendly.


The number and duration of lessons

Lessons start at 8.30 am, every lesson is 75 minutes long, 1 course = 2x75min lessons a week per term. There are 4-5 lessons in a regular school day. Besides timetable lessons, there are also form teacher’s classes and a class for retaking tests (called “happy hour”). School also arranges different guest lectures, activities and meetings with people outside the school.

Assessment
Course and final grades for mandatory and field of study courses are assessed on a five-point scale. Elective courses (except A1/A2 level foreign language) are marked as “Pass” or “Fail”.


Fields of study

In Võru State Upper Secondary School there are three fields of study: science, natural science and humanities. The field of science includes additional knowledge of mathematics, ICT, physics, technical drawing and economy. The field of natural sciences is meant for students who want extra knowledge in chemistry, biology, geography, and physics. The field of humanities includes social studies and languages, religion, philosophy, history, literature, Estonian and a level B1 foreign language (Russian/German).


Foreign languages

English is taught at B2 level, Russian and German are taught at B1. Also, if there are students interested, we teach French, German, Russian, Spanish and Finnish (at levels A1/A2).


Elective courses

At the end of every term, there is an elective course week during which students have an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge in a subject of interest. Students take one elective course for an entire week (which makes three different courses in one academic year, except for 12th grade). Elective courses are taught by the teachers of Võru State Upper Secondary School or external specialists. In 2017/2018 students had a choice between around 50 different elective courses. Students register for elective courses at the beginning of the academic year.