The National diploma [1] is a diploma given to French pupils at the end of the (Year 10 / Ninth grade),[2] This diploma is awarded to students that are or were within French cultural influence, including France itself, Lebanon and Syria, the latter two within the scope of a League of Nations mandate to France after World War I.
To be awarded a diploma, pupils must acquire the 7 common core skills[3] and achieve a minimum of 190 points (out of 380).[4] These points are awarded via tests in each subject except in history-geography-civics (le contrôle continu) and in a final exam at the end of ninth grade, also starting from 2008, pupils must acquire the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in a foreign language (English, German, Spanish, Italian...). In other countries, primarily the UK, US, Canada, and several ex-Yugoslav and Asian states, the equivalent period covered by the diploma is middle school.
Contents |
Over the course of the ninth grade, after each chapter of a lesson is completed, all pupils take a test out of twenty. At the end of each trimester the average mark from each subject is calculated as well as a general average (the average of all the subjects' averages).[5]
Up until 2007 the averages from the two school years (six trimesters) from the start of the quatrième to the end of the ninth grade were counted towards the final result. From 2007 onwards, only the marks from the ninth grade are used.[6] A pupil may know he has a good enough average to pass the Brevet before sitting the exams. However they cannot skip the exams, as this would mean an automatic disqualification.
At the end of the ninth grade, three tests are taken, in order such that each has a score of:
French: 40
History, geography and citizenship: 40
Mathematics: 40
And as of 2011 an oral exam in cultural history[7] is mandatory for all students in the ninth grade. It is taken before before the three other tests. It consists of writing an essay (around 2000 words) about any art form and analyzing 6 to 8 paintings, then presenting them to two teachers (at least one history teacher) for 10-15 minutes then answering questions that they ask. This also has a score out of 40.
The results are calculated using a weighted total. The subjects of the final exams are weighted as follows:[8]
The subjects studied in the ninth grade[9] are given a total weighting of between 9 and 11, depending on the série taken.[10] In order to pass the Brevet, the pupil must score on average the equivalent of 10 out of 20. A higher score may result in the award of a "mention":[11]