French Education System

[888sally888]

Hi - my stepson is moving to France (he's 13). does anyone know what the exam system is like there? Will he do GCSE's?

Merci!

[maximo]

Hello! Assuming your stepson is going to mainstream education (ie: not a bilingual school, and even then it shouldn't be much different), at 13 he should go to the College, in Quatrieme. The following year, he will have to sit his BEPC (I'm not sure, but I think it could be the equivalent of the GCSE's). Then he'll go to the "lycee" in Seconde, aged 15. At 17/18, he will sit his Baccalaureat (A levels). That's of course depending on his results, and on what he decides to do. If he wants to go to a professional school, then the options are different. hope this helps!

[maximo]

Well, I've just had a look here:

http://www.education.gouv.fr/sec/default.htm

and found out that the BEPC is no more! I didn't think I was that old....but then it's 15 years since I sat it myself! :-) it has been replaced by the Diplome National du Brevet.
Have a look at the link (assuming you read French)!

[aristotle]

It's 20 years since I taught in a French college and then there were no exams at all. Assessment for the end of colleger certificate was done by the teachers. At the age of 15, students transferred either to a lycee to do the Baccalaureate or to a technical college where they did a sort of apprenticeship. Certainly there were no GCSEs. Another difference is that they all take two modern foreign languages usually English + either Spanish or German.

[888sally888]

Thanks for the help - unfortunately I cant read French that well!!

[lafrancaise]

The Brevet that french kids sit at the end of their 4th year at coll�ge, (3eme it's called as it's the third year before the Bac.) is just an exam in french, maths and history/geography. Wether you pass it or not doesn't mean anything as you can still go to the lyc�e without it, you can even be still advised to do your 3eme again if results aren't good from fortnightly tests over the year, even if you do pass it!!
French schools love giving tests so kids here develop more of a 'learning by heart' kind of education. They get noted out of 20 and anything over 10 is OK. Hope this helps

[888sally888]

Thanks for that - was very informative.