This is the final stage of secondary education and consists of 3 years: 2nde (determination cycle – 1st year of high school), 1ere (2nde year of high) and terminale (senior year) (final cycle).
2nde is for students intending to continue their studies in either the general or technological tracks. This year is above all a determination class in which pupils test their tastes and aptitudes before choosing a course of study for 1ere.
1ere includes common subjects, while allowing students to begin specialising in 3 chosen majors.
In Terminale, common subjects are maintained alongside greater specialisation with a view to pursuing higher education. 2 of the 3 majors chosen in 1ere are deepened and are the subject of final exams at the Baccalauréat.
The 1ere and terminale classes lead to the Baccalauréat exam, which certifies the knowledge and skills acquired at the end of secondary education and enables students to pursue higher education.
The general track
The organisation of the general and technological lycée offers pathways chosen by each student according to their tastes and ambitions. The lycée offers three types of education:
- A broad base of common humanist and scientific culture, open to the challenges of the future.
- Specialised subjects (majors) with significant timetables, enabling ambitious curricula to be offered and giving pupils time to learn.
- Optional subjects enabling pupils to complete their studies.
Guidance is provided throughout the lycée to prepare pupils for their career choices and, ultimately, for entry to higher education.
All pupils also benefit from personalised support to help them succeed at school and adapt to the pace and objectives of the lycée.
French High Schools (lycées) offer a wide range of specialities:
- Arts: plastic arts
- History, geography, geopolitics and political science
- Humanities, literature & philosophy
- Languages (English), literature and foreign cultures
- Languages (Spanish), literature and foreign cultures
- Languages (Catalan), literature and foreign cultures
- Ancient literature, languages and cultures (Latin)
- Mathematics
- Digital and computer science
- Physics and chemistry
- Life and earth sciences
- Engineering sciences
- Economic and Social Sciences
The Baccalauréat
The Baccalauréat général is assessed in two ways :
40% continuous assessment: i.e. the annual average of the school reports for the final cycle, in each of the compulsory subjects. All subjects in the core curriculum that are not subject to final examinations are included in this continuous assessment:
- Modern languages, history and geography, science, PE, moral and civic education, etc.
- Special subject taken only in 1ère is credited with a coefficient of 8.
60% final exams:
- The French Language and Literature exams at the end of 1ère
- The two special subjects kept by the student in Terminale
- Philosophy
- The Grand oral
The technological track
The STMG (Science and Technology of Management and Administration) track prepares students mainly for higher technological studies and enables them to go on to further vocational training leading to a professional degree or an engineering diploma.
Only available at the lycée français in Barcelona.
The Bachibac
The Bachibac is a double diploma introduced in 2008 following an agreement between France and Spain. Launched in Spain in the 2010-2011 academic year, it enables students to obtain both the bachillerato and baccalauréat diplomas.
In its Spanish version, the bachibac is based on an adaptation of the two years of the bachillerato curriculum: this involves the introduction of a minimum of 30% of teaching hours in the French language, as well as a specific test in French language and literature and in the history of France and Spain.
At present, 4 establishments in the Iberian network offer this stream : the international school of Barcelona Bon Soleil, the international school of Gran Canaria, the international school of Tenerife, and the international school of Saint Louis des Français, in Madrid.
