New grade 10 and 11 classes

In the new upper secondary school, pupils take a broad series of common classes intended to pass on a general 21st century culture based on sciences, humanities and fluency in two living languages.

• At the next start of a school year, all Grade 10 pupils will be taught SES (economic and social sciences) and digital sciences and technology, each for one and a half hours.
• In Grades 11 and 12, pupils will attend a twohour science class presenting an integrated approach to the sciences.

A positioning test at the start of Grade 11 is a chance for pupils to assess their fluency in French and their skills in maths. Teachers will use the results of this test as a basis for consolidating the knowledge acquired by pupils in one-to-one support.

In the technological pathway, pupils henceforth have a common thread in all streams. Three specialist subjects in Grade 11 and two in Grade 12 specific to each stream are added.

Grade 11 general pupils will have chosen three specialist classes of four hours at the end of last year. This learning logic encourages pupils to work harder in upper secondary school which will make them successful in their higher studies.

Grade 11 pupils on pathways closest to their desires

At the start of the 2019 school year, the upper secondary schools are offering enhanced training. Thus, where 84 % of public upper secondary schools offered three streams, this school year will see 92 % of public upper secondary schools offer at least seven specialist subjects.

The families chosen for the start of the 2019 school year demonstrates that the pupils have made full use of their new freedom. 47.7 % of them have made choices that were not previously available.

Only 26 % of pupils have chosen combined "maths" (the most chosen speciality - 64 % of pupils), "physics and chemistry" and "Earth and life sciences", i.e. the equivalent of the former S stream.

A vast majority of pupils have opted for diversity, with, for example :

• combining scientific disciplines with human sciences classes
• the choice of new courses :
  • history-geography, geopolitics, political sciences have been chosen by 33 % of pupils
  • humanities, literature and philosophy classes will allow 18 % of pupils to study philosophy in Grade 11
  • digital and computer science courses have been chosen by 8 % of pupils, a promising start for a new teaching subject.

A baccalauréat that promotes regular work

The 2021 baccalauréat is now based on five final exams that counts for 60 % of the final mark and coursework assessment that counts for 40 %. The coursework assessment covers Grades 11 and 12.

From the start of the school year, the results achieved by Grade 11 pupils start to count towards their baccalauréat :

• all marks obtained during this year will count for 10 % of the final mark
• two short series of common exams, one in January and the other at the end of the year, will count for 30 % of the final baccalauréat mark.

At the end of Grade 11, like today, pupils will take early French exams.

In Grade 12, the pupils will supplement these results by :

• the marks in their report
• a final series of common exams
• four final exams.

The exam encourages regular work by pupils during the Grade 11 and 12 years, so that they can broaden the disciplines that fuel their project to continue with their studies.

Range of specialities in establishments