INCA Education around the world
France : Assessment arrangements
6.4.1 Control
6.4.2 Purpose(s)
6.4.3 Participation
6.4.4 Nature
6.4.5 Administration
6.4.6 Grading process
6.4.7 Consequences
6.4.8 Use of results
6.4.9 Output statistics
6.4 Fourth phase: Upper secondary, age 15 - 18 [see 3.2.4]
6.4.1 Control
There is central, state control of the curriculum, examinations, diplomas and university degrees in France and various types of assessment apply to part or all of this phase of education. These include:
- Orientation assessment, involving all students at specific stages of their school career.
- Continuous assessment.
- End of year testing of selective samples of students, which is carried out from time to time for use in the course of national or international surveys or for international comparisons.15
The following apply specifically to upper secondary education.
National examinations
The recteur (de l'académie) (the local representative of the national Ministry of Education) has ultimate responsibility for the setting, organisation and implementation of the national examinations during this phase of education.57 The major examinations during this phase are:
General or technological Baccalauréat
Studies completed in the final two years of general and/or technological education (seconde and terminale) lead to a general or technological Baccalauréat examination. This is organised to reflect the types of courses offered in the première and terminale (the final two, post-compulsory years of upper secondary education) and includes both compulsory and optional examinations. Successful completion entitles the holder to enter higher education.23
Vocational Baccalauréat/Baccaulauréat professionnel
The vocational Baccalauréat is prepared during the two years which constitute the final cycle in the vocational route (première and terminale vocational classes in a vocational lycée). It provides qualifying training for specific occupations, that is, it is primarily a vocational qualification leading directly to employment, although it also entitles holders to undertake university studies.23
Technical certificate (brevet de technicien) and the certificat de fin d'études secondaires
The brevet de technicien (technical certificate) is received on completion of the three-year course in the general and technological lycée by students who do not receive the general Baccalauréat or the technological Baccalauréat. This grants access to certain professions. The certificat de fin d'études secondaires (secondary school leaving certificate) is awarded by the recteur to those students who do not pass the Baccalauréat examination but whose average marks are equivalent to at least 8/20. This certificate states that the student has completed secondary education in its entirety, but it does not entitle the student to enter higher education. 24
CAP
The vocational aptitude certificate (certificat d'aptitude professionnelle - CAP) is a national qualification, offered by the vocational lycées, designed to grant access to an occupation. After the CAP, some students continue their studies for a vocational studies certificate (BEP).23
BEP
The vocational studies certificate (brevet d'études professionnelles BEP) confers the vocational qualification of skilled worker or employee. The certificate requires more extensive training in a vocational field than the CAP. Vocational lycées prepare students who have completed the troisième class (final/fourth year) of collège for the BEP in two years.23
Mass diagnostic national assessment
Previously, all students entering the seconde class of the lycée (age 15+) were also assessed in certain subjects. The tests, which were closely related to the curriculum 15 and assessed students' strengths and weaknesses in, amongst others, reading, writing, and mathematical skills, have been discontinued for 15-year-olds (although 8- and 11-year-olds still take them; see sections 6.2 and 6.3 respectively).23
Continuous assessment is also used during this phase of education.
Responsible agencies
The national Ministry of Education is responsible for the education system as a whole. As such, it is responsible for the development, implementation and analysis of monitoring, assessment and evaluation procedures with regard to student and student learning, teaching establishments and education policy and innovation. It also undertakes long-term planning for the development of the education system and disseminates publications, which will ensure that those in the wider domain are kept fully informed.27With respect to student assessment in particular, the Ministry is responsible for deciding the nature of assessment procedures, arranging sampling, devising and developing tests, supervising their administration and analysing and publishing the findings. In practice, groups of teachers, academics and inspectors from a number of régions, together with Ministry officials meet in the Ministry throughout the year to devise, develop and test national assessment material. Much emphasis is laid on the principle of participation, that is, involving all interested parties in designing such tests. Schools, however, are not involved in this process; individual teachers are. They are drawn from as many different régions and schools as possible to involve as many people as possible. They serve for a few years and are then replaced by others.15
The national Ministry of Education also establishes and determines the content of national qualifications.27
Users may wish to note that there is a Ministry of Education website providing detailed information on the Baccalauréat.
6.4.2 Purpose(s)
Baccalauréat
Satisfactory completion of the (general, technological or vocational) Baccalauréat is the key to entry to higher education. In theory, all applicants who hold the Baccalauréat may be enrolled in university without any additional selection procedure. Admission to certain courses only, such as medicine, and to certain higher education institutions (such as the 'grandes écoles', see below), is restricted.22
However, in practice, better marks in the Baccalauréat examinations (and coursework) result in students gaining access to the better higher education faculties.83
In practice, the possession of the Baccalauréat certificate per se no longer guarantees the holder the free choice of subject specialism in higher education to which he or she is nominally still entitled. Apart from the fact that some universities and university institutes of technology have the right to dispense with the Baccalauréat entirely as an entrance qualification, increasing pressure of numbers (of students wishing to enter higher education) has led many universities to discriminate more or less overtly on the basis of the Baccalauréat specialism pursued and the candidate's school record. More important is the relative status ranking between subjects and, in particular, the prestige option 'C' (mathematics and physical sciences), the only specialisation which still allows successful students access to the whole range of disciplines in higher education. Not surprisingly, there is considerable competition within lycées to be allowed to take the Baccalauréat 'C' option and many students will repeat a year in order to achieve this, particularly given the increasing tendency for universities to select on entry. Hitherto, the practice has been to allow open access and then to fail students at the end of the first year, or after two years. 18
For entry to one of the grandes écoles - prestigious, selective institutions of higher education, students have to pass the Baccalauréat with good marks and then must usually study for a further two years, in 'classes préparatoires grandes écoles', (CPGEs), at the end of which they take a competitive examination. Students also have to provide a dossier which includes details of their school record, and copies of their school report (livret scolaire) for the previous two years.83
The BAC SMS (medical and social sciences Baccalauréat) focuses on health and social science subjects. It leads to higher education for most students, but also provides access to such jobs as medical secretary, medico-social secretary or social worker.27
Unlike the technological Baccalauréat, the vocational Baccalauréat is primarily a vocational qualification leading directly to employment, although it also entitles holders to undertake university studies. The vocational Baccalauréat is prepared during the two years which constitute the final cycle in the vocational route (première and terminale vocational classes in a vocational lycée). The creation of this diploma in 1985 had a dual objective:
- To respond to the growing demand from business for highly qualified production and maintenance workers having qualifications between those of advanced technicians - who hold an advanced technical certificate (BTS) or technological university diploma (DUT) - and qualified workers - who hold a CAP or BEP. The level of the latter appeared increasingly insufficient to keep up with the development of new technologies in the production of goods and services (such as computer-assisted design and manufacturing, robotics, office automation, automated production techniques, and computer science for industrial and management applications).
- To respond to the development of new maintenance techniques for personal electronic and computer equipment (such as video recorders, personal computers, and video disks).23
The technological Baccalauréat aims more at continuing studies in higher education, more particularly, training as a higher technician.26
BEP/CAP
Students holding a BEP or CAP qualification can either seek employment or continue their studies on a vocational Baccalauréat (Baccalauréat professionnel) course, which requires two further years of schooling (première and terminale classes). The BEP or CAP qualification is also required if students wish to study on a two-year technological Baccalauréat course. Holders of a BEP can improve their chances of success in the technological Baccalauréat and beyond by following an "adapted" première class (première d'adaptation) beforehand. 23, 26, 40
The BEP and CAP diplomas constitute a professional qualification corresponding to the level of worker or skilled worker, as defined in scales of qualification established by collective labour agreements.26
Mass diagnostic national assessment
The previous system of mass diagnostic national assessment on entry into the seconde was not intended to evaluate a student's achievements on completion of collège, rather to provide a diagnostic assessment to assist the student in his/her future educational career, by allowing teachers to identify students' difficulties and skills and organise their teaching accordingly. It was also intended to ensure that appropriate study modules were available to suit students. 86
6.4.3 Participation
Baccalauréat
Study beyond completion of the seconde class of the lycée (age 16) is not compulsory; only students intending to take the Baccalauréat examination continue studying at a lycée. To register to take the Baccalauréat examination, in whichever series, students enrol at the inspection académie of the département in which their school is located. Open candidates (those not attending school, but who wish to take the examination) enrol at the inspection académie of the département in which they reside.26
In the academic year 2001-2002, 628,875 candidates were registered to take the Baccalauréat, of those 52.21 per cent were registered for the general Baccalauréat, 29.32 per cent for the technological Baccalauréat, and 18.48 per cent for the vocational Baccalauréat. There were 29,887 independent candidates (4.57 per cent of all candidates).154
Proportions of students registered for the various types of Baccalauréat remained similar in the 2002-2003 academic year (just over 52 per cent for the general Baccalauréat, almost 30 per cent for the technological Baccalauréat and 18.35 per cent for the vocational examination).
National mass diagnostic testing
Previously mass diagnostic national testing was compulsory for all students entering the seconde class of the lycée (aged 15+).23
Continuous assessment/attainment targets
Attainment targets are set for all students for each cycle of compulsory education (which usually ends in the seconde class of the lycée). Assessment is seen in France as a fundamental part of work in cycles, as it enables the teacher to follow the development of a student's skills and thereby plan their own teaching strategies. Teachers are expected to record whether specific notions (attainment targets set for each cycle) have been acquired, are in the process of being acquired, or have not (yet) been acquired. 10, 19
6.4.4 Nature
Baccalauréat examination
The Baccalauréat examinations relate to the official curricula of the terminale classes in lycées and are set nationally by the Ministry of Education. For all Baccalauréat types, there is a single examination session organised each year, on a date set by the Minister for National Education. This is usually in June. The Minister appoints a recteur to select the examination themes/topics.26
An examination session is organised under the same conditions in September for candidates who were unable, for reasons beyond their control, to sit either all or part of the examination at the end of the previous school year.26
Depending on the specific type of Baccalauréat chosen by the candidate, the examinations include compulsory written papers and oral tests and, in some subjects, practical examinations.26
The final assessment for the vocational Baccalauréat takes the form of seven examination papers and each test is composed of one or several units (written, and possibly also oral and practical, depending on the subject). There is also a test on an optional subject such as a language or first aid. In addition, three tests taken during continous assessment count towards the final result, and account is also taken of student performance during the course and during vocational training in industry. 24
CAP and BEP tests/examinations
The final assessment for CAP and BEP students is a series of tests including practice and theory characteristics of the profession and general education tests in the following subjects:
- For the CAP, French expression, mathematics, a modern language, initiation into civic and professional life, knowledge of the contemporary world, family and social economy, and physical education and sports.
- For the BEP, French, mathematics and physics, history and geography, a modern language, and physical education and sports.26
In addition to these compulsory examinations, there is an optional one from a list of three subjects in the CAP and two in the BEP, one of which is a modern language.26
Dates of examinations are fixed by the recteur and the inspector of the académie. Their length and content are dictated by the rules of each diploma.26
Brevet informatique et internet
The brevet informatique et internet (B2i ®) (ICT and Internet certificate) was introduced into primary and lower secondary schools in 2000, as a means of validating students' knowledge of information and communication technology. In 2002, it was experimentally introduced in upper secondary education, by the end of which students would normally be expected to achieve a level 3 B2i certificate. (Level 3 has been specifically developed to provide a link to the ICT and Internet certificate [known as C2i] recently introduced to higher education.) There are no formal examinations for the optional B2i certificate; students are continually assessed on their abilitiy to use ICT in their school work, for example by producing work electronically or using the Internet for research purposes. Decisions on awarding the certificate are taken by the headteacher. 163 Further information is available online: http://www.eduscol.education.fr/D0053/default.htm
National mass diagnostic national testing
Previously, students entering the seconde 'générale et technologique' - the seconde class of the general and technological lycée (age 15+) - were tested in French, maths, history-geography and their first modern foreign language (usually English, German or Spanish); those entering the seconde 'professionnelle' (seconde class of the vocational lycée) took one interdisciplinary test covering French, maths, industrial science and technology, and economics and management. 52, 26
End of year sampling
Compulsory end of year sampling is carried out from time to time (at the end of the academic year and under Ministry instruction) for use in the course of national or international surveys or for international comparisons.15
During their years in the lycée, students are also required to do independent and written work for assessment at home and in class. The Teachers' Council (which usually comprises all the teachers of a specific cycle) determines the importance of, and adjusts the length of these assignments. In class, students take timed tests.23
6.4.5 Administration
With respect to student assessment generally, the national Ministry of Education is responsible for deciding the nature of assessment procedures, arranging sampling, devising and developing tests, supervising their administration and analysing and publishing the findings. In practice, groups of teachers, academics and inspectors from a number of régions, together with Ministry officials meet in the Ministry throughout the year to devise, develop and test national assessment material. Much emphasis is laid on the principle of participation, that is, involving all interested parties in designing such tests. Schools, however, are not involved in this process; individual teachers are. They are drawn from as many different régions and schools as possible to involve as many people as possible. They serve for a few years and are then replaced by others.15
Baccalauréat
The Baccalauréat examinations relate to the official curricula of the terminale classes in lycées and are set nationally, by the Ministry of Education. For all Baccalauréat types, there is a single examination session organised each year on a date set by the Minister for National Education. This is usually in June. The Minister appoints a recteur to select the examination themes/topics.26
(An examination session is organised under the same conditions in September for candidates who were unable, for reasons beyond their control, to sit either all or part of the examination at the end of the previous school year.)26
The chairman of each examining board is a teacher in higher education, the vice-chairman is a professeur agrégé from secondary school. They must satisfy certain conditions as regards title, seniority and teaching in terminale classes.26
Vocational Baccalauréat
The vocational Baccalauréat was created in close collaboration with employers and takes into account specific vocational requirements in order to lead directly to employment.23
CAP and BEP
Dates of examinations are fixed by the recteur and the inspector of the académie. Their length and content are dictated by the rules of each diploma.26
6.4.6 Grading process
Baccalauréat
Marks for the Baccalauréat are usually numerical, out of 20. Comparisons between standards in the different types of Baccalauréat are difficult. The examination is marked according to a complicated system, which gives different weightings to results, according to the subject and the type of Baccalauréat (general, technological, or vocational and the specific examination course selected within these types). There is no grading system from A to E for example.68
Candidates who receive an average mark equal to or over 10 out of 20 in the final examination session and continuous assessment are awarded a Baccalauréat.24 Those who receive overall marks of less than 8 out of 20 fail. Students who receive average marks of between 8 and 10 for the final examination session and continuous assessment are invited to attend an oral examination at which examiners make the decision as to whether students should pass or fail.35
All candidates who pass the Baccalauréat with marks equal to or above 12 receive a special grade, called a "mention". These are further divided into three levels; "assez bien" (quite good) for candidates with average marks between 12 and 14, "bien" (good) for average marks between 14 and 16, and "très bien" (very good) for average marks over 16. This marking scheme is common to the general, technological and vocational Baccalauréats. 154
BEP/CAP
Candidates scoring an average mark of 10 out of 20 in all the general and vocational subjects examined are awarded the BEP or CAP diploma.26
6.4.7 Consequences
Baccalauréat
In principle, students who successfully complete Baccalauréat courses may enter higher education (see section 6.4.2 for further information). Students who do not pass the Baccalauréat examination but whose average marks are equivalent to at least 8 out of 20, can obtain a secondary school leaving certificate (certificat de fin d'études secondaires). This certificate, awarded by the recteur, states that the student has completed secondary education in its entirety (cf. the diplôme national du brevet which refers only to lower secondary education, see 6.3.1). The certificat de fin d'études secondaires does not entitle the student to enter higher education.23
For entry to one of the grandes écoles - prestigious, selective institutions of higher education, students have to pass the Baccalauréat with good marks and then must usually study for a further two years, at the end of which they take a competitive examination. Students also have to provide a dossier which includes details of their school record, and copies of their school report (livret (scolaire)) for the previous two years.83
6.4.8 Use of results
Livret scolaire
Report books (livrets scolaires) were introduced as part of the 1989 Framework Law on Education 7 and one is kept for each student during compulsory education (and therefore includes the first year of upper secondary education). Parents receive the report card at least three times a year to inform them of their children's progress. It contains:
- The results of periodic evaluations designed by the teacher or by all the teachers of the cycle meeting as a teachers' council.
- Specific indications of the student's learning.
- Recommendations made by the teacher and the teachers of the cycle concerning how long the student should spend in the cycle and where promotion is not recommended, after consultation with the family.19
It is also:
- Regularly communicated to parents who sign it.
- Used as a liaison instrument between teachers and between teachers and parents.
- Sent with the student if they change school.19
Each student's progress is recorded in his/her livret scolaire, which follows him/her throughout school. It is explicitly stated that the livret should contain no social or medical information about the student. The aim is to allow the teacher to gain a perspective on the educational level of each individual student. Both schools and local authorities are free to design their own formats for the livrets.19
As well as providing parents with information about their child's performance, many schools also set aside time for the discussion of results with parents.19 Some schools also use two-way homework diaries as a means of ensuring communication with parents.86
Baccalauréat results
Baccalauréat results are published annually for every school. The results present three indicators in the hope that these will help remove inequalities between lycées and allow comparisons to be made between like and like. The reports takes account of the selection practised by the most prestigious lycées, diversity between schools (not all of which offer every option for the Baccalauréat), the difference between deprived and privileged areas, students' social origins and the age at which they take the Baccalauréat, thus reflecting the numbers who have had to repeat a year or more during their school career. They calculate an 'added value' for each establishment which demonstrates whether the individual school has performed better or worse than expected. It is intended that publishing the Baccalauréat results in this way should help schools improve the effectiveness of their actions. 77, 73
The performance indicators for the Baccalauréat indicate, for all lycées:
- The overall pass rate for the Baccalauréat in the session for which the results are being published - the success rate.
- The proportion of students proceeding from the seconde to the Baccalauréat and who are expected to leave lycée having successfully completed the Baccalauréat - the rate of access.
- The proportion of all those leaving the lycée (for whatever reason), who leave with the Baccalauréat (the proportion for the school).109
The Baccalauréat 'performance tables' now take into account students' relative affluence, as well as the proportion of students who drop out before taking the exam or who take it late. It is intended that these will mean that some lycées in poorer areas are able to demonstrate that they are performing better than it might at first appear.108
6.4.9 Output statistics
Percentage of a cohort obtaining a Baccalauréat (by Baccalauréat series) 145
| Year | Total | General Baccalauréat | Technological Baccalauréat | Vocational Baccalauréat * |
|
1970 |
20.6 |
16.7 |
3.9 |
- |
|
1980 |
26.4 |
18.6 |
7.8 |
- |
|
1985 |
30.2 |
19.8 |
10.4 |
- |
|
1990 |
45.0 |
28.3 |
13.9 |
2.8 |
|
1995 |
62.7 |
36.4 |
17.6 |
8.7 |
|
1999 |
61.1 |
32.4 |
18.3 |
10.4 |
* The vocational Baccalauréat did not become available until 1989.
In the June 2005 Baccalauréat session, of those students taking one of the types of available Baccalauréat, the overall pass rate was 80.2 per cent. This represented an increase of 0.5 per cent over the 2004 session; and of 17.5 per cent since 1995. There were 8,300 more candidates in the 2005 session than in the previous year. The table below shows the success rate for the different types of Baccalauréat in the 2005 session:
|
Type of Baccalauréat |
Pass rate |
| All Baccalauréats | 80.2 per cent |
|
General Baccalauréat |
84.1 per cent |
|
Technological Baccalauréat |
76.3 per cent |
|
Vocational Baccalauréat |
75.4 per cent |
Of those students successfully completing (all forms of) the Baccalauréat in 2002, 87.6 per cent proceeded directly to some form of higher education or training. Of those completing a general or technological Baccalauréat, 94.2 per cent went on to some form of higher education or training. This percentage was considerably lower for the increasing numbers of students successfully completing the vocational Baccalauréat. Of these, only 44.4 per cent went on to higher education or other training, and although this is a considerable increase of 27.1 per cent, the vast majority proceeded directly to some form of employment. 110 183
Results for the CAP/BEP in 2003 in France and the French overseas departments (all candidates)
| Examination | Number of students taking the examination | Percentage of students successfully completing the examination |
| CAP |
227,843 |
73.8 |
| BEP |
259,731 |
72.0 |
