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Baccalauréat

Lycée Louis-le-Grand (on the right) in Paris is one of France's most famous lycées, with a rate of success to baccalauréat usually above 99%.

The baccalauréat (IPA: /bækælore'ɑ/), often known in France familiarly as the bac, is a academic degree which French students sit for at the end of the lycée (secondary school).

Overview

Much like British A-Levels or American high school diplomas, the baccalauréat allows French students to go on to tertiary education or to obtain a professional qualification that will enable them to get a job in a particular field upon completion of high school. Howewer, it's legally an academic degree, wich means the examination must be headed by a university professor. The students in lycée could choose not to sit for the baccalauréat at the end of the lycée, as it is in law more an exam for entrance into university than 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).

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, however, there are no real restrictions as to the type of baccalauréat that was achieved (with a few exceptions of course). Furthermore, it is also possible to enter a 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 than the one administered to secondary-school students.

Baccalauréat général streams

Students who sit for the baccalauréat général choose one of three streams in the penultimate lycée year (première):

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 French students choose to take the bac S as it is said to open more doors, for a greater range of post-graduation opportunities. This bias is inherent to the French educational system but is more and more contested, especially by teachers from the other two general streams of study.

Content and grading

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 Math where they occasionaly appear but often require justification)

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 folding 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.

Unlike the British GCSEs 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.

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 three 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).

Honours are crucial for students wishing to enter the classes préparatoires, before going to a grande école.

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 formula1 to convert a French grade (x) to an equivalent percentage grade (y):

For example, a grade of 13 over 20 is comparable to 82%.

Supplemental examination

If a student averages an 8, 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). (He or she 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)


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(He or she 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).
. 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). She reinvented her career with the hit film Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya and a brief but appreciated role in Ram Gopal Varma's hit film Sarkar. 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. She was paid Rs.70 lakhs for the movie Malliswari making her top the list of highest paid actress during a southern movie debut. If a student averages an 8, 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. She has done two Telugu movies down South - Malliswari and Allari Pidugu.

For example, a grade of 13 over 20 is comparable to 82%. Katrina debuted in the film Boom, which featured her as a supermodel. Here is a useful formula1 to convert a French grade (x) to an equivalent percentage grade (y):. Her mother is English and father a NRI originally from Kashmir. This shows that more than 60% of all passing students finished with a grade between 10 and 12 over 20. She was born 16 July 1984. In the 2004-2005 school year, according to official statistics, 38.6% of successful examinees were awarded honours. Katrina Kaif is a model and Bollywood actress.

It is also very rare to see scores lower than 3 (which is much less than required for a supplemental examination anyway). Rina Kaif. Therefore it is practically impossible to get a perfect score of 20 out of 20. Boom (2003) .. The same applies when marking the baccalauréat. Princess Malliswari. French educators seldom use the entire grading scale. Malliswari (2004) ..

Honours are crucial for students wishing to enter the classes préparatoires, before going to a grande école. Pooja. For the baccalauréat three levels of honours are given:. Sarkar (2005) .. The 2004-2005 success rate for the baccalauréat in mainland France was 79.7%. Sonia. The passing mark is 10 out of 20. Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya? (2005) ..

The oral exam covers works studied throughout première. Allari Pidugu (2005). It also has an oral examination component, along with the written part. (announced). 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). Bheema (2006) .. This is especially true in subjects such as philosophy and French literature. (filming).

Since most answers — even for biology questions — are given in essay form, there is considerable room for subjectivity in grading by the examiner. Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006) .. Unlike the British GCSEs or the American SAT, the French baccalauréat is not a standardized test. (announced/unsure about filming). To avoid conflicts of interests, a teacher who has lectured to a student or group of students cannot grade their exam. Sholay (2006) .. The correcting staff is usually a member of the teaching staff in the same district or, at a larger scale, in the same académie.

In this fashion, anonymity is respected. The number is written on all exam material and the name is hidden by folding the upper part of the examination sheet(s). Students usually have an identification number and an assigned seat. The procedure is the same for each subject, in each 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. When taken in mainland France, the baccalauréat material is the same for all students in a given stream. (except in Math where they occasionaly appear but often require justification). Although multiple-choice exams (questionnaire à choix multiples) do exist in the French educational system, they do not appear for the baccalauréat.

All foreign language exams include a short translation section as well. Math and science exams are problem sets but some science questions also require an essay-type answer. 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. 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.

Most examinations are given in essay-form. This is a very stressful period for students and preparation starts early in the school year, sometimes even a few years beforehand. For lycée students, this is the end of the last year, terminale. The majority of the baccalauréat examination takes place in a week in June.

This bias is inherent to the French educational system but is more and more contested, especially by teachers from the other two general streams of study. A majority of French students choose to take the bac S as it is said to open more doors, for a greater range of post-graduation opportunities. 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). Students who sit for the baccalauréat général choose one of three streams in the penultimate lycée year (première):.

The exam is no different than the one administered to secondary-school students. 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. 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. Furthermore, it is also possible to enter a university without the bac by taking a special exam, the diploma for entrance to higher education.

For entrance to regular universities, however, there are no real restrictions as to the type of baccalauréat that was achieved (with a few exceptions of course). Each of these categories encompasses several somewhat specialized curricula. There are three main types of baccalauréat degrees:. 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).

The students in lycée could choose not to sit for the baccalauréat at the end of the lycée, as it is in law more an exam for entrance into university than a lycée completion exam. Howewer, it's legally an academic degree, wich means the examination must be headed by a university professor. Much like British A-Levels or American high school diplomas, the baccalauréat allows French students to go on to tertiary education or to obtain a professional qualification that will enable them to get a job in a particular field upon completion of high school. .

The baccalauréat (IPA: /bækælore'ɑ/), often known in France familiarly as the bac, is a academic degree which French students sit for at the end of the lycée (secondary school). A mark of 16 will earn a mention of très bien (highest honours). A mark of 14 will earn a mention bien (high honours);. A mark of 12 will earn a student a mention assez bien (honours);.

the baccalauréat technologique (technological baccalaureate). the baccalauréat professionnel (professional baccalaureate);. the baccalauréat général (general baccalaureate);.