Communication Exam

Topical Overviews

Build broader background knowledge, understand central themes and enter discussions with more confidence, clarity and perspective.

Topical Overviews

Choose a topic and build bigger-picture understanding

These overview pages help you connect central issues, recurring tensions and useful examples for the communication exam.

9 topic overviews

All topical overviews

Choose one topic to revise a central field in more depth — or work through several of them to build broader connections.

Topic 1

The Individual and the State

Freedom, responsibility, state power and the limits of intervention.

 Topic 2

American Ideals

Liberty, equality, constitutional principles and political culture.

 Topic 3

National Narratives

Identity, myths, cohesion and competing ideas of who belongs.

 Topic 4

Globalisation

Global interdependence, inequality, opportunity and responsibility.

 Topic 5

Environmental and Economic Sustainability

Growth, ecological limits, responsibility and long-term thinking.

 Topic 6

Migration, Belonging and Inclusion

Mobility, identity, participation and social inclusion.

 Topic 7

Conflict, Cooperation and International Relations

Power, diplomacy, global tensions and shared responsibility.

 Topic 8

Communication, Uncertainty and Political Decision-Making

Framing, credibility, missing information and political judgement.

 Topic 9

How These Themes Interconnect

Recurring tensions, structural links and the bigger political picture.

Background helps you think more broadly

The communication exam does not test isolated facts. It tests whether you can think clearly about central societal issues and use relevant background knowledge in a meaningful discussion.

This section will help you understand broader thematic fields, recurring concepts and useful connections between literary, political and social issues.

You are not expected to memorise endless case studies. What matters more is that you can explain key ideas clearly, recognise tensions and use examples confidently in discussion.

Baden-Württemberg context — and an important note

What this section focuses on

This section is mainly based on the Baden-Württemberg communication exam context for 2025/26. It includes broad social and political fields as well as the focus topic On the Move and the film Arrival.

For students from other Bundesländer

If you are preparing for the Abitur in another German state, your focus topics may differ. Please check individually which topics apply to your own communication exam.

Even so, the broader way of thinking practised here — connecting themes, identifying tensions and discussing issues with context — will still be useful.

The key principle

The exact topics may change. But the skills you need are usually very similar: explain important ideas, connect the topic to bigger issues, develop a balanced opinion and respond to other points of view.

Thematic areas

In the communication exam, you should be prepared to discuss a number of broader social issues. These areas often overlap and interact.

Politics and society

  • the relationship between the individual and the state
  • American ideals, constitutional principles and political culture
  • national narratives, identity and social cohesion

Global and economic issues

  • globalisation, global inequality and economic responsibility
  • environmental and economic sustainability
  • conflict, cooperation and international relations

Migration and communication

  • migration, belonging and questions of inclusion and exclusion
  • communication, uncertainty and political decision-making

Important

Do not treat these topics as isolated chapters. Many strong exam discussions become better when you show how different thematic areas overlap and influence each other.

Texts and film as material for reflection

You should also be able to draw on literary and film texts — not as isolated content, but as material for reflection.

What you should know

  • the short texts from the focus topic On the Move
  • the film Arrival

What you should be able to do

  • explain central themes, characters and conflicts
  • connect the texts to broader political and societal questions
  • use examples from them to support your argument

The key shift

You are not expected to retell plots in detail. The texts are there to help you reflect on larger issues and support your ideas with relevant examples.

Core competences

Across all these topics, the same core competences matter in the communication exam.

Conceptual clarity

  • explain central concepts clearly and precisely
  • identify typical tensions

Analytical depth

  • connect issues to broader political, economic or social structures
  • develop a balanced and well-reasoned position

Dialogue competence

  • engage thoughtfully with a different perspective in dialogue

In one sentence

If you understand the themes and the key ideas behind them, you are much better prepared for the communication exam.

Overview Communication Exam