The French General Baccalaureate is the French national examination that students can take at the end of secondary school. It is a high standard course of study with a heavy work load, each student typically taking on eight or nine courses a year. At Awty International School, students attend classes for 34 - 35 hours a week.
The estimated baccalaureate pass rate in France is about 75%, but this is deceptive because only 25% of the entire school population actually takes the "Bac Général".
OPTION INTERNATIONALE DU BACCALAURÉAT (OIB) OR THE INTERNATIONAL OPTION OF THE FRENCH BACCALUAREATE
The OIB (Option Internationale du Baccalauréat) or the International Option of the French Baccaluareate offers a bilingual/bicultural syllabus within the framework of a traditional French Curriculum. For the students studying the International Option, literature and history, which are the two subjects most closely related to language and culture, are replaced by high-level literature and history courses both taught in English. In the literature course, emphasis is placed closely on reading and the critical study of a large range of literary works. Students also work to improve their writing and speaking skills by learning how to effectively analyze literature. The history course is a two-year course, which covers world history from 1850 to the present day with particular emphasis on the United States. The result is a well-balanced education that meets a challenging curriculum offered to bilingual students and, it is hoped, that fosters international communication and understanding.
At the end of the two-year course, students sit for a four-hour written examination and write two essays in English for each subject. The oral exams last one and a half hours with questions asked about the subjects they have studied. In the United States, the tests are conducted and corrected by Advanced Placement examiners of the American College Board.
