The baccalauréat
France's upper secondary diploma: the exams in première and terminale, and how the final result is made.
The bac ends the lycée years in France. Part of the result comes from continuous assessment through première and terminale, and part from national exams. Since the 2021 reform, students choose specialities instead of the old S, ES and L series.
From the 2027 session (première students sitting it in June 2026) the general track has an anticipated maths exam and a lower coefficient for the grand oral. Check the official pages for your session.
Overview
The baccalauréat is both the diploma that ends secondary school in France and the main key to higher education there. Since the reform, students in the general track keep two specialities in terminale, chosen at the end of première, and these carry the heaviest weight in the final result. Alongside them come French in première, philosophy and the grand oral in terminale, and continuous assessment across both years.
Because part of the result is built up over two years, the bac rewards steady work as much as a strong exam week. The written exams each have their own method, from the French commentary to the philosophy dissertation, and learning those methods early makes a big difference. The grand oral is new to many students: a short talk followed by questions, where clear structure and confidence count. From the 2027 session, première students also take an anticipated maths exam, so maths now matters in both the general and technological tracks.
The exams (general track)
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French Written: 4 hours
A written and an oral exam at the end of première, coefficient 5 each.
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Maths 2 hours
New: an anticipated maths exam in première, first held in June 2026 for the 2027 session. No calculator, coefficient 2.
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Two specialities About 4 hours each
The two specialities kept in terminale, coefficient 16 each.
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Philosophy 4 hours
A written exam in terminale, coefficient 8.
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Grand oral 20 minutes
A talk on a question linked to your specialities, then questions from the jury. Coefficient 10, and 8 from the 2027 session.
How it's scored
Each exam is marked out of 20 and weighted by its coefficient. With continuous assessment, the weighted average decides the result: 10 or more is a pass, 12, 14 and 16 bring honours, and from 8 to just under 10 you can take the oral resit.
How to prepare
- Start the French exam texts early in première: the oral is built on the texts you studied in class.
- Train the method for philosophy (dissertation and text commentary): the exam rewards structure as much as ideas.
- Prepare the grand oral out loud, in front of someone, with a timer.
- Look at past papers for your two specialities to learn their exact format.
Official pages
Dates, registration and fees change from year to year, so check them on the official pages.
