Bac Day

Today is the day! At ten o'clock this morning Terminale pupils all over France get their results and see what two years of work has earned them. Certain subjects will have been examined last year in Première to make way for philosophy etc in Terminale.


Dependent on a final exam performance in 12 subjects which get points according to weighting, which in turn are reduced to a single final mark out of 20 (no weirder than a percentage really) the Bac has its detractors and people keep saying it is getting easier - but that isn't how those sitting it see it.


This is the culmination of their school career, you can't do much with just the Bac but you can't really do anything without it. There are three types of Bac:


The General Bac: S for science specialists, ES for economics and social science specialists, L for literature specialists


Technological Bacs (many different types) and Professional Bacs (again, many different types)


A mention Assez Bien (12 to 13.9 out of 20) Bien (14 to 15.9 out of 20) or Très Bien (16 and up) is cause for speechlessness, shrieks and/or tears - many are just happy to pass and certainly the vast majority of Bacheliers were wandering around with huge delighted grins on their faces.


I went to Lycée this morning with my daughter to see all the results posted up, collect the actual mark sheet which gives the marks for individual subjects and commiserate with or congratulate her friends, many of whom are my ex-pupils, as appropriate.


The agora was full of young people being congratulated by their teachers, some of whom had brought Champagne along for their pupils, some who were advising those who didn't get through on which two subjects they should take for a viva next week in the hope of getting those vital extra points which will get them over the magic 10 out of 20 and make them Bacheliers.


This morning we went to school a bit stressed, the sun was shining (not something we can take for granted this year) and it was all a bit of a whirl. I finally drove a very happy daughter home - after celebrating at school, there will be more celebrating tonight. She did Bac S and got mention Très Bien and an overall mark of 19 out of 20. Next year she'll be in Prépa in Paris aiming for the highest level of education France has to offer. I'm thrilled for her.




Great. We'll write to them this evening. Thank you.

http://www.institutbossuet.fr/ I think it might be this one - VIème rather than XVIème too (I thought the XVIème was a bit of a hike)

Thanks Véronique .. any ideas are very welcome :-)

Margaret there is a foyer in the XVIéme run by monks (I may have this bit wrong) where a classmate of Camilla's is going to live (he is doing MPSI at St Louis and didn't get a place in internat) I shall try to find out what it is called - Olivier is a normal lycéen and seems happy to go there so it might suit... more news as soon as I have some!

Yes, Véronique, they have a better sized internat at St Louis, but Scott has chosen Henri IV for his MPSI because he has access to a piano there :-) However, we're now deperately trying to find him accommodation :-(

Camille Jullian! Known as 'Caju' - in that nice square with 2 cafés, a blissful place to be I'd say - and Bordeaux is a fun place and that bit of the city is LOVELY. She's going to have SUCH a good time :-)

Bordeaux - Camille something or other - she went to the open day and loved the vibe !

Congratulations to both of them and you! She is off to St Louis to do BCPST (what used to be called Bio Math Sup) she got Henri IV but was waitlisted for the internat so she turned them down after a couple of days nailbiting. Where is Scott off to & to do what? What about your daughter, Catharine?

18.73 is fantastic!

Mine has also got into her prepa of choice but chose not to go to Paris ( a bit like Wadham v Christ Church - i.e. not for her) so we are chuffed to bits too!

Happy parents all around!

'Super old job', as they say where I come from. Which Prépa school has your daughter chosen in Paris? My son, Scott, is in a similar situation (however, he only got 18,73 in his Bac S). They just might be going to the same school :-)

Fantastic - well done to you BOTH (personally I think the parents deserve a 'mention' for all we do )

Très Bien and 19 is mighty impressive by the way, obviously her mother's genes... Congrats!

wow well done to your daughter very good bet you are all happy.

Could not but notice! I only look in on FaceBook once a day as a rule but there for my perusal was the Bac thing. I have no interest for some years, but OK...