What this guide covers
- What the French Bac actually is
- The structure after the 2021 reform
- The three specialities and their combinations
- Continuous assessment versus terminal exams
- How the Bac is scored and the mentions
- Lycee internationaux and the BFI track
- University routes from the French Bac
- Frequently asked questions
What the French Bac actually is
The Baccalaureat (commonly abbreviated as the Bac) is the French national school-leaving qualification, taken at age 18 at the end of the lycee phase. It has been the gateway to French universities and grandes ecoles since the early nineteenth century, and remains so today. Beyond France, it is taken in over 500 French international schools (lycee francais) and an extensive network of Agence pour l'Enseignement Francais a l'Etranger (AEFE) schools across the world. The Bac is recognised by universities globally, with explicit conversion tables for UK, US and European admissions.
The French Bac is structurally similar to the IB Diploma in that it asks students to study a balanced range of subjects in their final two years, with terminal external examinations weighting heavily in the final assessment. It differs from the IB in being anchored in French language and literature throughout, and in the centrality of philosophy as a compulsory subject. The Bac is best understood as a coherent two-year programme that combines breadth, specialisation, and strong language and reasoning requirements. For the comparative deep dive see our IB curriculum guide.
The structure after the 2021 reform
The Bac was substantially reformed under the Blanquer reforms, with the first cohort sitting the new format in 2021. The old series-based Bac (Bac S for sciences, Bac L for literature, Bac ES for economics and social sciences) was abolished. In its place sits a single Bac general, structured around a common core taken by all students and three specialities chosen by each individual. The aim of the reform was to give students more flexibility in their subject choice while keeping the academic spine of the qualification.
The two-year programme runs across Premiere (Year 12) and Terminale (Year 13). In Premiere, students take three specialities alongside the common core. In Terminale, they continue with two of those three specialities (the third is examined at the end of Premiere) and gain a further option block. The common core, taken by all students throughout both years, includes French (Premiere only), philosophy (Terminale only), history and geography, foreign languages, scientific education, physical education, and ethics and civics.
The 2021 reform also rebalanced assessment. Under the old Bac, almost all marks came from terminal external examinations. Under the reformed Bac, 40% of the final mark comes from continuous assessment across Premiere and Terminale (the controle continu), and 60% from terminal examinations on the two surviving specialities, French, philosophy and the Grand Oral. This was meant to reduce the pressure of a single examination cycle while keeping the rigour of an external standard.
The three specialities and their combinations
The choice of three specialities in Premiere is one of the most important decisions in the reformed Bac. The official menu includes twelve specialities: mathematics, physics-chemistry, life and earth sciences, history-geography-political science, languages-literatures-cultures-foreign, languages-literatures-cultures-ancient, French literature and philosophy, economic and social sciences, digital and computer sciences, engineering sciences, biology and ecology, and arts (including theatre, music, cinema, dance and visual arts).
Students choose three of these twelve in Premiere. At the end of Premiere, they take an exam in one speciality (the one they will drop) and continue with the other two through Terminale. This means that the final-year subject combination is two specialities plus the common core. Some combinations are heavily standardised by destination: students aiming for medical school typically take maths plus physics-chemistry plus life and earth sciences. Students aiming at Sciences Po typically take history-geography-political science plus economic and social sciences plus a third. Students aiming at engineering schools take maths plus physics-chemistry plus engineering sciences or digital sciences.
Find French international schools
Browse French international schools by city in our French curriculum hub. Compare schools side by side with our compare tool. We track lycee internationaux, AEFE network schools and standalone French international schools across 80 cities.
Continuous assessment versus terminal exams
The 40% continuous assessment component of the reformed Bac is calculated from the student's marks in Premiere and Terminale across all subjects except those examined terminally. This is the controle continu. Marks are awarded by the school's own teachers based on classroom work, mock exams and continuous assessment tasks. The 40% is split: 5% for French school report grades during the two years, 30% for moderated assessment tests (the epreuves communes), and 5% for the controle continu on the third speciality dropped at the end of Premiere.
The 60% terminal examination component is split across: the two remaining specialities (16% each, taken in March of Terminale), French written and oral exams (10%, taken at the end of Premiere), philosophy (8%, taken at the end of Terminale) and the Grand Oral (10%, taken at the end of Terminale). The Grand Oral is the headline new component of the reformed Bac: a 20-minute oral examination on a topic chosen by the student in connection with their specialities.
The rebalance has had mixed reception. Schools have reported significant administrative burden in managing the moderated assessments. Students have reported that the continuous component creates persistent pressure across both years rather than concentrating stress at the terminal exams. Universities have reported that the new Bac is harder to interpret because the continuous component varies by school. Whether the reform sticks in its current form is uncertain; further changes are debated in the French education ministry as of 2026. See our piece on A-Level reform for the parallel debate in the British system.
How the Bac is scored and the mentions
The Bac is scored on a 20-point scale, where 20 is the highest possible mark. Each subject is graded out of 20, with weighting applied according to the coefficient assigned to each subject. The coefficients vary by speciality and option. The final Bac result is the weighted average of all the marks. The threshold for the Bac to be awarded is 10 out of 20. Below 10, the candidate may sit a rattrapage (oral resit) in two subjects to push the average above 10.
Beyond the threshold, the Bac awards three honours mentions which matter substantially for university admissions. Mention assez bien is awarded for an average between 12 and 14 out of 20. Mention bien is awarded for an average between 14 and 16. Mention tres bien is awarded for 16 plus. A small number of candidates each year achieve 18 plus, which results in mention tres bien with felicitations du jury. The mention is what UK and US universities convert into their offer language; mention tres bien is broadly equivalent to A*A*A at A-Level.
| Bac average | Mention | UK A-Level equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 16 plus | Tres bien | A*A*A to A*A*A* |
| 14 to 16 | Bien | AAA to AAB |
| 12 to 14 | Assez bien | ABB to BBB |
| 10 to 12 | Pass (no mention) | BBC to CCC |
| Below 10 | Not awarded | Below threshold |
Lycee internationaux and the BFI track
For non-French families considering the Bac, the lycee international network is the natural starting point. Lycee internationaux are state French schools (or affiliates abroad) that offer bilingual schooling alongside the standard French curriculum. The Bac taken at a lycee internationale can be sat as a standard Bac general, or as the Bac Francais International (BFI), formerly known as the OIB (Option Internationale du Baccalaureat).
The BFI adds additional examinations in a partner language. The most common partner languages are English, but Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Arabic and others are offered at specific schools. BFI examinations cover literature, history and geography in the partner language, alongside the standard French Bac papers. Universities outside France treat the BFI as a particularly strong international credential, equivalent to the IB Diploma in admissions terms. See our piece on American School of Paris versus International School of Paris for the parallel comparison with English-medium options.
University routes from the French Bac
For French universities, the Bac is the direct entry route. All public universities accept Bac graduates without further examination. The grandes ecoles use a separate competitive entrance examination cycle (the concours) that students prepare for through classes preparatoires aux grandes ecoles (CPGE), a two-year intensive programme after the Bac. CPGE is highly selective and academically demanding, focused on mathematics and physics for scientific grandes ecoles or on humanities for the literary grandes ecoles. The grandes ecoles route is unique to France but produces particularly well-prepared engineers and senior public administrators.
For UK universities, the Bac is converted through UCAS. A mention tres bien with strong speciality marks (16 plus in each) maps to top-tier offers. Oxford and Cambridge accept the Bac directly, often with specific speciality requirements (mathematics speciality with 17 plus for natural sciences, for example). For US universities, the Bac is accepted at all institutions with mention mapped to GPA equivalents. Selective US universities often grant credit for specialities scoring 16 plus. For European universities, the Bac is directly recognised under bilateral agreements with most EU countries. Use our school finder to locate French international schools by city.
Frequently asked questions
What is the French Baccalaureate worth in UK university terms?
UK universities convert the Bac via UCAS. A mention tres bien (above 16/20) sits at the top of the conversion, broadly equivalent to A*A*A at A-Level. A mention bien (14 to 16/20) sits around AAA to AAB. The conversion is generous because the French Bac is structurally broader than A-Levels, with three specialities plus French, philosophy, history-geography, languages and physical education.
What is the OIB and how is it different from the regular Bac?
The Option Internationale du Baccalaureat (OIB), now reformed as the BFI, is a bilingual track of the French Bac available at lycee internationaux. Students take the Bac in French alongside additional examinations in a partner language (typically English, but also Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese and others). The OIB is highly regarded by international universities and sits alongside the IB Diploma in admissions terms.
Can my child take the French Baccalaureate without strong French?
Not realistically. The Bac is taught and examined in French. Students arriving with weaker French need to attend a French immersion programme (FLE) before entering the Bac stream. Most lycee internationaux can support entries up to around age 11 with FLE. Beyond that, the volume of French required for Bac success makes late entry difficult.
Is the French Bac recognised by US universities?
Yes. The Bac is accepted by all US universities, with selective institutions often granting credit for specialities scoring 16 plus. The Bac mention is mapped to GPA equivalents (mention tres bien around 4.0 GPA). The Bac plus strong SAT scores is a credible Ivy League application profile. Lycee internationaux place students at Ivy League institutions consistently.