Baccalauréat
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The baccalauréat (IPA: /bækælore'ɑ/), often known in France colloquially as the bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students sit at the end of the lycée (secondary or high school).
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[edit] Overview
Much like British A-Levels or American high school diplomas, the baccalauréat allows French and international students to obtain a standardised qualification, typically at the age of 18. This then then qualifies holders to work in certain areas, or go on to tertiary education or acquire some other professional qualification or training.
Just about all students in their final year of secondary school of high school sit the exam. However the French baccalauréat is legally an academic qualifying degree. In theory, the students in lycée could choose not to sit for the baccalauréat at the end of the lycée, as it is by law an exam to qualify students for entrance into university. Unlike some US high school diplomas, it is not a lycée completion exam.
The word bac is also used to refer to one of the end-of-year exams that students must pass in order to get their baccalauréat diploma: le bac de philo, for example, is the philosophy exam (which all students must take, regardless of their field of study).
Within France, there are three main types of baccalauréat degrees:
- the baccalauréat général (general baccalaureate);
- the baccalauréat professionnel (professional baccalaureate);
- the baccalauréat technologique (technological baccalaureate).
Each of these categories encompasses several somewhat specialized curricula.
For entrance to regular universities within France, however, there are some restrictions as to the type of baccalauréat that can be presented. In some cases, it may be possible to enter a French university without the bac by taking a special exam, the diploma for entrance to higher education.
Though most students take the bac at the end of secondary school, it is also possible to enter as a candidat libre (literally, "free candidate") without affiliation to a school. Students who did not take the bac upon completion of secondary school and would like to attend university, or feel that the bac would help them accomplish professional aspirations, may exercise this option. The exam is no different from the one administered to secondary-school students.
[edit] Baccalauréat général streams
Students who sit for the baccalauréat général choose one of three streams (termed séries) in the penultimate lycée year. Each stream results in a specialization and carries different weights (coefficients) associated with each subject. The streams for the baccalauréat général are as follows:
| S scientifique (sciences) |
ES économique et sociale (economics and social sciences) |
L littéraire (literature) |
|---|---|---|
| The natural sciences stream requires a high level in mathematics (which is very heavily weighed), physics & chemistry, and biology. | The bac ES is balanced between literary and scientific courses of studies, and students must take an economics and social sciences exam. | The bac L weighs French language, history & geography, and foreign languages heavily. It also includes a literature section. |
The baccalauréat permits students to choose to sit for exams in over forty world languages or French minority languages (such as Basque, Breton, Corsican, and Occitan).
A majority of students that sit the Baccalauréat général choose the bac S. It has typically been seen as more prestigious, and said to open more doors as more numerate. This in turn can offer a greater range of post-graduation opportunities. This bias is inherent to the French educational systemm as many of the more prestigious "Classes Preparatoires" (post bac specialised classes for entry into the Grandes Eccoles) require the S series. However this hegemony may sometimes be contested by teachers from the other two general streams of study, ES and L.
[edit] Content
[edit] Série scientifique (S)
The S stream prepares students for work in scientific fields such as medicine, engineering and the natural sciences. Natural sciences students must specialize in either Mathematics, Physics & Chemistry or Earth & Life Sciences. Mathematics is the most heavily weighed subject for all S students.
| Subjects | Weight | Format of exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipated subjects1 | |||
| French Language | 2 | Written | 4 hours |
| French Language | 2 | Oral | 20 minutes |
| Terminale subjects | |||
| Mathematics | 7 | Written | 4 hours |
| Physics & Chemistry | 6 | Written and Laboratory | 3 ½ hours plus ½-hour |
| Earth & Life Sciences | 6 | Written and Laboratory | 3 ½ hours plus ½-hour |
| History & Geography | 3 | Written | 4 hours |
| First Foreign Language (LV1) | 3 | Written | 3 hours |
| Second Foreign Language (LV2) or Regional Language (LVR) | 2 | Written | 2 hours |
| Philosophy | 3 | Written | 4 hours |
| Physical Education | 2 | Year-end Average | |
| Specializations | |||
| Mathematics or Physics & Chemistry or Earth & Life Sciences | 22 | Oral or Laboratory (except for Mathematics) | ½-hour |
| Supplementary Physical Education | 2 | Year-end Average | |
| Travaux personnels encadrés (TPE) | 23 | Oral | ½-hour |
| Optional Subjects4 | |||
| Foreign Language | 23 | Oral or Written (depending on the language) | 20 minutes or 2 hours |
| Regional Language | Oral | 20 minutes | |
| Latin | Oral | 15 minutes | |
| Ancient Greek | Oral | 15 minutes | |
| Physical Education | Year-end Average or Examination | ||
| Arts | Oral | 30-40 minutes | |
| 1Exam at the end of première. French is replaced by Philosophy in terminale. 2Added to general subject above. |
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[edit] Série économique et sociale (ES)
Students in the ES stream prepare for careers in the social sciences, in management and business administration, and in economics. The subject Economics & Social Sciences is the most heavily weighed and is only offered in this stream. History & Geography and Mathematics are also important subjects in ES.
| Subjects | Weight | Format of exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipated subjects1 | |||
| French Language | 2 | Written | 4 hours |
| French Language | 2 | Oral | 20 minutes |
| Natural Sciences | 2 | Written | 1 ½ hours |
| Terminale subjects | |||
| History & Geography | 5 | Written | 4 hours |
| Mathematics | 5 | Written | 3 hours |
| Economics & Social Sciences | 7 | Written | 4 hours2 |
| First Foreign Language (LV1) | 3 | Written | 3 hours |
| Second Foreign Language (LV2) or Regional Language (LVR) | 2 | Oral | 20-30 minutes |
| Philosophy | 4 | Written | 4 hours |
| Physical Education | 2 | Year-end Average | |
| Specializations | |||
| Economics & Social Sciences or Mathematics or LV1/LVR | 23 | Written or Oral | 1 hour or 20 minutes |
| Supplementary Physical Education | 2 | Year-end Average | |
| Travaux personnels encadrés (TPE) | 24 | Oral | ½-hour |
| Optional Subjects5 | |||
| Foreign Language | 24 | Oral or Written (depending on the language) | 20 minutes or 2 hours |
| Regional Language | Oral | 20 minutes | |
| Latin | Oral | 15 minutes | |
| Ancient Greek | Oral | 15 minutes | |
| Physical Education | Year-end Average or Examination | ||
| Arts | Oral | 30-40 minutes | |
| 1Exams at the end of première. French is replaced by Philosophy in terminale. 2The exam is 5-hours long for students in this specialization. |
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[edit] Série littéraire (L)
Students in the L stream prepare for careers in the humanities such as education, linguistics, and public service. They also have interests in the arts. The most important subjects in the literary stream are Philosophy and French language & literature and another language usually English or German.
| Subjects | Weight | Format of exam | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipated subjects1 | |||
| French Language & Literature | 3 | Written | 4 hours |
| French Language & Literature | 2 | Oral | 20 minutes |
| Natural Sciences | 2 | Written | 1 ½ hours |
| Mathematics & Computer Science | 2 | Written | 1 ½ hours |
| Terminale subjects | |||
| Literature | 4 | Written | 2 hours |
| History & Geography | 4 | Written | 4 hours |
| First Foreign Language (LV1) | 4 | Written | 3 hours |
| Second Foreign Language (LV2) or Regional Language (LVR) | 4 | Written | 3 hours |
| Philosophy | 7 | Written | 4 hours |
| Physical Education | 2 | Year-end Average | |
| Specializations | |||
| Latin or Ancient Greek | 4 | Written | 3 hours |
| Mathematics | 3 | Written | 3 hours |
| Arts & Crafts or Cinema & Audiovisual Studies or Art History or Music or Theatre & Dramatic Expression or Dance | 6 | Written and Oral | 3 ½ hours and ½-hour |
| Supplementary Physical Education | 2 | Year-end Average | |
| Travaux personnels encadrés (TPE) | 22 | Oral | ½-hour |
| Optional Subjects3 | |||
| Foreign Language | 22 | Oral or Written (depending on the language) | 20 minutes or 2 hours |
| Regional Language | Oral | 20 minutes | |
| Latin | Oral | 15 minutes | |
| Ancient Greek | Oral | 15 minutes | |
| Physical Education | Year-end Average or Examination | ||
| Arts | Oral | 30-40 minutes | |
| 1Exams at the end of première. French is replaced by Philosophy and Literature in terminale. 2Only points above 10 out of 20 (50%) are taken into consideration. |
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Note: The tables in this section were adapted from the French Ministry of Education website.
[edit] Format
The majority of the baccalauréat examination takes place in a week in June. For lycée students, this is the end of the last year, terminale. This is a very stressful period for students and preparation starts early in the school year, sometimes even a few years beforehand.
Most examinations are given in essay-form. The student is given a substantial block of time (depending on the exam, from two to four hours) to complete a multiple-page, well-argued paper. The number of pages filled-out varies from exam to exam but is usually substantial considering all answers have to be written down, explained and justified. Math and science exams are problem sets but some science questions also require an essay-type answer. All foreign language exams include a short translation section as well. Although multiple-choice exams (questionnaire à choix multiples) do exist in the French educational system, they do not appear for the baccalauréat (except in mathematics where they occasionally appear but often require justification).
Some students also have the opportunity to work on a research project called the travaux personnels encadrés or TPE. These are generally conducted in groups of 2 or 3 and focus on a subject determined by the students under supervision of a faculty member.
When taken in mainland France, the baccalauréat material is the same for all students in a given stream. Secrecy surrounding the material is very tight and the envelopes containing the exams are unsealed by a high-ranking school officer (usually a principal or vice-principal) in front of the examinees only a few minutes prior to the start of the examination. The procedure is the same for each subject, in each stream. Students usually have an identification number and an assigned seat. The number is written on all exam material and the name is hidden by tearing the upper part of the examination sheet(s). In this fashion, anonymity is respected. The correcting staff is usually a member of the teaching staff in the same district or, at a larger scale, in the same académie. To avoid conflicts of interests, a teacher who has lectured to a student or group of students cannot grade their exam. Also, to ensure greater objectivity on the part of the examiners, the test is anonymous. The grader sees only an exam paper with a serial number, with all personally identifying material stripped away and forbidden from appearing, thus curbing any favoritism based upon sex, national origin, or race.
Unlike the English GCSEs, Scottish Standard Grades or the American SAT, the French baccalauréat is not a standardized test. Since most answers — even for biology questions — are given in essay form, there is considerable room for subjectivity in grading by the examiner. This is especially true in subjects such as philosophy and French literature.
Students generally take the French language and literature exam at the end of première, due to the fact that this subject is not taught in terminale (where it is replaced with a philosophy course). It also has an oral examination component, along with the written part. The oral exam covers works studied throughout première.
[edit] Weight system
Each baccalauréat stream has its own set of subjects that each carry a different weight (coefficient). This allows some subjects to be more important than others. For example, in the ES stream Economics & Social Science carry more weight than the Natural Sciences. Therefore the former is more important than the latter. Students usually study more for exams that carry heavier weights since the grade they obtain in these exams may have a bigger impact on their mean grade. It is in the calculation of this mean that passing the bac and eventual honours are determined.
[edit] Variations on the general baccalauréat
The general baccalauréat offers several additional variants. The best known subset is the "option internationale du baccalauréat", the OIB. This is sometimes confusingly translated as the "French international baccalaureat". However it is in no way related to the the International Baccalaureate (IB). The OIB is mostly the same as the French national exam. Students choose one of the L, ES or S streams. It differs as students take a literature programme in a language other than French, and and History/Geography are taught through the foreign language. The OIB offers the student extra bonus points for good grades in these subjects, so it is often easier to get high grades in the OIB, especially for bilinguals. Ironically non-French universities tend to lower their entrance requirements for applicant students with the OIB, rather than one of the traditional French bacs.
[edit] Passing & honours
The passing mark is 10 out of 20. The 2004-2005 success rate for the baccalauréat in mainland France was 79.7%.
For the baccalauréat four levels of honours are given:
- A mark of 12 will earn a student a mention assez bien (honours);
- A mark of 14 will earn a mention bien (high honours);
- A mark of 16 will earn a mention of très bien (highest honours).
The single highest mark within a graduating cohort (not lower than 18 over 20) can be rewarded by the unofficial félicitations du jury (jury's congratulations).
Honours are prestigious but not crucial, as admissions to the classes préparatoires (or Preparatory classes) (that prepare to grande école exams) are decided months before the exam.
French educators seldom use the entire grading scale. The same applies when marking the baccalauréat. Therefore it is practically impossible to get a perfect score of 20 out of 20. It is also very rare to see scores lower than 3 (which is much less than required for a supplemental examination anyway). In the 2004-2005 school year, according to official statistics, 38.6% of successful examinees were awarded honours. This shows that more than 60% of all passing students finished with a grade between 10 and 12 over 20.
Here is a useful formula2 to convert a French grade (x) to an equivalent percentage grade (y):
For example, a grade of 13 over 20 is comparable to 82%.
[edit] Supplemental examination
If a student averages between 8 and 10, he or she is permitted to sit for the épreuve de rattrapage (also called the second groupe), a supplemental oral exam given in two subjects of the student's choice. If the student does well enough in these orals to raise the overall, weighed grade to a 10, then he or she receives his or her baccalauréat. If the student does poorly in the orals and receives below an 8, he or she may choose to repeat the final year of lycée (terminale).
The student cannot choose to sit for the entire examination once again in September, as the September exams may only be taken by those who have not been able to take the June exams: illness or other serious reasons.
[edit] Receiving the baccalauréat in the United States
There are a small number of schools which prepare students for the baccalauréat in the United States. It can, of course, only be taken after completion of the necessary coursework, which is entirely in French. Upon receiving the baccalauréat, students wishing to pursue post-secondary studies in the US generally will present their degrees to the university's chancellor, or head of registrar. If it is decided that the coursework merits credits, they will generally be assigned according to what stream the student has taken.
[edit] See also
[edit] Note
- The formula was taken from the Lycée Claudel website, a French lycée in Ottawa, Canada and might only be accurate for Canadian -- and even Ontarian -- percentage grades. In Ontario an 80% grade is an "A" on the American Scale and the student is awarded an Ontario Scholar Diploma. A 90% grade is an A+ on the American Scale is considered a grade with honours and automatically qualifies the student for government funded scholarships and bursuries. The formula should be used for comparison only.
