Baccalauréat
'baccalaureate'), often known in France colloquially as the bac, is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the lycée) by meeting certain requirements.
Though it has only existed in its present form as a school-leaving examination since Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's implementation on March 17, 1808, its origins date back to the first medieval French universities.
Similar academic qualifications exist elsewhere in Europe, variously known as Abitur in Germany, maturità in Italy, bachillerato in Spain, maturita in Slovakia and Czech Republic.
Much like the European Matura or English A levels, the baccalauréat allows French and international students to obtain a standardised qualification, typically at the age of 18 (end of the lycée).
It qualifies holders to work in certain areas, go on to tertiary education (universités), or acquire some other professional qualification or training.
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".
The main purpose of the general baccalaureate is to access universities and grandes écoles to pursue higher academic education.
Students in the L stream prepare for careers in education, linguistics, literature, philosophy, public service, politics, sociology, management, business administration, law, and economics.
Students of the ES stream prepare for careers in politics, sociology, management, business administration, law, and economics.
These subjects are added to a set common to all : French, philosophy, history & geography, languages, sciences and sport.
It allows the student to work or to pursue short and technical studies (laboratory, design and applied arts, hotel and restaurant management, etc.).
The professional baccalaureate includes nearly 100 specialties like : leather crafts; building technician; maintenance of industrial equipment; cook; road freight transport driver; butcher; etc.
The student is given a substantial block of time (depending on the exam, that is from two to five hours) to complete a multiple-page, well-argued paper.
The Mathematics and Earth & Life Sciences examinations may occasionally contain some multiple-choice questions (choix multiples), but this is rare and, when it occurs, does not constitute the majority of the exam.
Students of the baccalauréat général also have to work on an oral research project (travaux personnels encadrés or TPE).
The 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 number is written on all exam material and the name is hidden by folding and sealing the upper right-hand corner of the examination sheet(s).
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, religion, national origin, or ethnicity.
Unlike the English GCSEs, Scottish Standard Grades and the American SAT, the French baccalauréat is not a completely standardised test.
Students generally take the French Language & Literature exam at the end of première since that subject is not taught in terminale, where it is replaced with Philosophy.
It differs, as students take a two-year syllabus in literature, history, and geography in a foreign language.
For instance, the British Section (administered by the University of Cambridge) models the programmes on A-levels in English, History, and Geography.
[4] These exams have a high weighting in the final mark of the baccalaureate and do not give extra points to OIB students.
Thus, many consider the OIB qualification to be highly challenging and a sign, not only of academic prowess, but also of tenacity and hard work.
Since November 2017, an initiative spearheaded by minister Jean-Michel Blanquer has united numerous actors from the field of education to reinvent this system to have less exams (now only four) in conjunction with a large oral examination.
