Presentation of the French

school system From nursery school

to high school

THE SCHOOL PRESENTATION

3 years old Maternelle (first year)

4 years old Maternelle (second year)

5 years old Maternelle (last year)

6 years old CP (preparatory period)

7 years old CE1 (first elementary period)

8 years old CE2 (second elementary period)

9 years old CM1 (first medium period)

10 years old CM2 (second medium period)

11 years old 6eme

12 years old 5eme

13 years old 4eme

*14 years old 3eme

*14 years old: school exam (brevet des colleges). It’s an exam where we get grades in history, geography, maths and French. If you don’t pass this exam it is not very important because you can go in high school. After the “3eme”, you can go in different schools. There are high school and vocational school, or apprenticeship (you work for one week and you work at school for one week)

High school15 years old Seconde

*16 years old Première

*17 years old Terminale

18 years old Further Studies

*16 years old: there is a French exam (baccalauréat)

*17 years old: there is the final exam : Baccalauréat (maths, history, geography, physical education, foreign languages

Sciences and optional subjects such as industrial science and

technology …)

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Further studies

We can make three types of further studies :• The D.U.T (technological university

degree) :The students make two years of studies after

the baccalauréat. After the two years they can go to university.

• The B.T.S (Patent of high-level technician): after the baccalauréat.• Anyway, the baccalauréat allows us to enter

university.

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The different "baccalauréats"

• The "baccalauréat“ S SVT(biology): It's a scientific baccalauréat with biology as main subject.

• The baccalauréat S SI(engineering): It’s a scientific baccalauréat too but here the main subject is engineering.

• Le baccalauréat S.T.I (industrial and technological sciences) : It’s a technological baccalauréat devoted to industrial sciences.

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The last year in high school (« Terminale »)

• The pupils enter at 17. At the end of this year the pupils take the baccalauréat.

• After the baccalauréat they can follow their further studies (B.T.S, D.U.T,…)

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The first year of the high school (« Seconde »)

• The students enter their first year at 15. They must choose two main subjects which are suggested at the end of the last year in « collège ».

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Subjects

• The subjects which permit you to choose a type of baccalauréat are : I.S.I, M.P.I, I.S.P, English, French, Spanish, German…

• They all count for the baccalauréat.

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The second year in high school (« Première »)

• The pupils enter at 16.• At the end of this year, the pupils

have a French exam.

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