When a German pupil may have to repeat a school year, the parents get a written warning. It is known as der blaue Brief, the blue letter. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the school law sets out the duty. If a pupil’s promotion is at risk because the work in a subject is no longer good enough, so sind die Eltern schriftlich zu benachrichtigen, the parents must be told in writing. The school must also point out any special consequences of not being promoted. Depending on the state, the letter must arrive about eight to ten weeks before the last day of classes. A school that does not warn pays a price. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a weak subject that should have been warned about and was not is left out of the promotion decision.