The German Arbeitszeugnis (reference letter) is unique in the world: a polite, generic, uniformly positive letter that is — in substance — a coded grading system on a 1–6 scale. Reading it correctly is essential. This page is the overview. For correction service and litigation, see Reference Letter Lawyer Germany.
The performance grading code
The decisive sentence in any qualified Zeugnis is the closing summary of the performance assessment. The wording is almost identical from grade to grade — but the small differences are everything:
| Grade | German wording | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | „stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit” | Very good |
| 2 | „stets zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit” | Good |
| 3 | „zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit” | Satisfactory (note: no „stets”) |
| 4 | „zu unserer Zufriedenheit” | Sufficient (no „voll” either) |
| 5 | „im Großen und Ganzen zu unserer Zufriedenheit” | Poor |
| 6 | „hat sich bemüht” | Unsatisfactory (made an effort, i.e. without success) |
The presence or absence of „stets” (always) and „voll” (full) shifts the grade by an entire level. Recruiters scan for this in the first 10 seconds.
For the full grading deep-dive — including the seven required elements, the closing-formula code, and how to read your reference in one minute — see our Zeugnis-grading reference article.
The conduct grading code
Parallel code for the conduct assessment (Verhaltensbeurteilung):
- Grade 1: „stets vorbildlich” / „stets sehr gut”
- Grade 2: „vorbildlich” or „stets gut”
- Grade 3: „einwandfrei” (faultless / without fault)
- Grade 4: „im Wesentlichen einwandfrei”
The standard order is: superiors first, then colleagues, then external partners. Reversing the order is itself a signal of friction with management.
Hidden negative codes — quick reference
Right to correction
Under § 109 GewO + consistent BAG case-law, you have a right to a corrected reference where:
- The factual description is wrong.
- The grading is below Grade 3 without justification.
- The closing formula is missing or incomplete.
- The duty description is vague or undersized for your role.
- Hidden coded negative language is used without substantive justification.
The detailed correction process — Gegendarstellung, formal demand, Zeugnisberichtigungsklage — is set out in our correction guide.
Interim references (Zwischenzeugnis)
You can also request an interim reference during ongoing employment — when your manager changes, when you apply internally, after a long employment without a reference, at the start of Elternzeit. A Zwischenzeugnis with a high grade is one of the most valuable defensive dokuments in your file, because the eventual Endzeugnis cannot drop below it without substantial new justification.
See our reference article: Interim reference (Zwischenzeugnis).