Secondary school lasts 7 years, and it is divided into collège (middle school) and lycée (high school).
The EFB program includes learning different languages. All the middle school students learn three languages in addition to French:
- English is a mandatory living language for all students;
- The second foreign language classes start in 5ème, and the students can choose to learn German, Spanish or Italian;
- Learning Serbian is also mandatory and is carried out in groups – Serbian as a mother tongue or Serbian as a foreign language.
This mandatory language program can be supplemented with:
- Learning Latin as an optional subject starting from 5ème;
- European section starting from 2nde, which is intended for students with exceptional English language skills. Within this section, History and Geography are taught in English (non-linguistic subject), and the Baccalauréat (high school leaving certificate) diplomas of this section participants have the «Section Européenne» designation.
Pronote and reports
At the secondary school, class schedule, grades, monitoring of school behavior and homework assignments are available to students and their parents via the PRONOTE (every student and every parent have personal passwords). This platform is regularly updated and should be accessed frequently.
The quarterly report (bulletin trimestriel) is an important official document intended for safekeeping. It contains grades and detailed comments from each professor. It also contains the official decision on orientation in the third trimester. It is given to the families at parent-teacher meetings, or with a signature.
Middle school
Middle school marks students' entry into secondary education. They develop their skills and express their potential. Students benefit from personalized support that takes into account their specific needs.
Middle school ends with the obtention of a first diploma which certifies mastery of the core curriculum of knowledge, skills and culture: the National Brevet Diploma (DNB).
Middle school is organized into four levels from 6e to 3e (US equivalent: 6th to 9th grade) and structured in pedagogical cycles. 6e completes cycle 3, while 5e, 4e and 3e grades constitute cycle 4.
| Subject | 6e | 5e | 4e | 3e |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French | 4h30 | 3h30 | 3h30 | 4h |
| Mathematics | 4h30 | 4h | 4h | 4h |
| History-Geography and Civic Education | 3h | 3h | 3h | 3h |
| English | 4h | 3h | 3h | 3h |
| Serbian (native/foreign language) | 3h/2h | 3h/2h | 3h/2h | 3h/2h |
| Second Foreign Language (LV2) | – | 2h30 | 2h30 | 2h30 |
| Science and Technology (EIST) | 4h | – | – | – |
| Physics-Chemistry | – | 1h30 | 1h30 | 1h30 |
| Life and Earth Sciences (SVT) | – | 1h30 | 1h30 | 1h30 |
| Technology | – | 1h30 | 1h30 | 1h30 |
| Personalized Support | 2h | 1h | – | – |
| Art | 1h | 1h | 1h | 1h |
| Music Education | 1h | 1h | 1h | 1h |
| Physical Education & Sports | 2h | 3h | 3h | 3h |
| Latin (optional) | – | 1h | 1h | 2h |
The National Brevet Diploma (DNB)
The DNB is the first official diploma. It certifies the knowledge and skills acquired at the end of middle school (9th grade). It assesses the mastery of the core curriculum through continuous assessment and includes five compulsory final exams: French, mathematics, history-geography, science and technology, and an oral exam.
Mastery of the 8 components of the core curriculum is assessed during the class council of the 3rd trimester of 9th grade and represents a maximum of 400 points out of 800. The exams (4 written and 1 oral) taken at the end of the year represent a maximum of 400 points out of 800.
Additional points are awarded to candidates who have taken an optional course:
- 10 points if the learning objectives of the cycle are achieved,
- 20 points if the learning objectives of the cycle are exceeded.
The student obtains their diploma if they accumulate at least 400 points out of 800. Depending on the total number of points obtained, students can be awarded honors: “assez bien” (fairly good) (more than 480 cumulative points), “bien” (good) (more than 560 cumulative points) or “très bien” (very good) (more than 640 cumulative points).
High school
When they finish their 4-year middle school (collège), students continue their education at the 3-year high school (lycée).
2nde is a decisive year before the final cycle, and it is characterized by the gradual orientation of education during the 1e and Terminale.
EFB offers 7 exams within the Baccalauréat general (high school graduation evaluation):
- Humanities, Literature and Philosophy (HLP),
- Foreign Languages, Literature and Culture (LLCE),
- History and Geography, Geopolitics and Political Sciences (HGGSP),
- Economic and Social Sciences (SES),
- Mathematics,
- Physics and Chemistry (SPC),
- Life and Earth Sciences (SVT).
The Baccalauréat général opens the door to pursuing higher education at universities, preparatory studies for Grandes écoles, or both technical and business Grandes écoles. Students of the French School in Belgrade have access to higher education in France and anywhere in the world.
The Baccalauréat
The French School in Belgrade is an exam center under the auspices of the Rectorate in Lyon.
The Baccalauréat général is an official diploma issued by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of France. Students are evaluated by teachers from other schools in Terminale (final year).
The EFB prepares students for exams, whereas a special committee, independent of our school, assesses the candidate’s success.
Baccalauréat is a condition for continuing higher education in France.
In accordance with the French system, subjects of the final exams are weighted 1 to 20. In order to pass the examination, the student must score the equivalent of 10 out of 20. The students who score on average the equivalent of 8 out of 10/20, retake their exams during second exam session (rattrapage).