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, Italian or Russian;
- 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 (collège)
When they enroll in middle school, students start their secondary education. It provides them with the opportunity to develop their skills and express their potential, while taking into account their individual needs.
Middle school ends with the acquisition of a state diploma for passing the first level of secondary education (middle school graduation) that testifies to the level of knowledge, skills and culture acquired: le Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB).
Collège program includes a 4-year education, from 6e to 3e, which are part of two different educational cycles. The 3rd cycle ends with the 6e, and 5e, 4e and 3e belong to the 4th cycle.
Subjects taught in 6e
| French | 4.5 hrs |
| Mathematics | 4.5 hrs |
| History, Geography, and Moral & Civic Education | 3 hrs |
| English (by level of knowledge) | 4 hrs |
| Serbian as a mother tongue or as a foreign language | 3 hrs / 2 hrs |
| Personalized Support | 2 hrs |
| Visual Arts | 1 hr |
| Scientific and Technological Education (EIST) | 4 hrs |
| Music | 1 hr |
| Physical and Health Education | 2 hrs |
Subjects taught in 5e
| French | 4.5 hrs |
| Mathematics | 3.5 hrs |
| History, Geography, and Moral & Civic Education | 3 hrs |
| English (by level of knowledge) | 3 hrs |
| Serbian as a mother tongue or as a foreign language | 3 hrs / 2 hrs |
| The 2nd foreign language Spanish / German / Italian | 2.5 hrs |
| Personalized Support | 1 hr |
| Visual Arts | 1 hr |
| Physics and Chemistry | 1.5 hr |
| Life and Earth Sciences | 1.5 hr |
| Technology | 1.5 hr |
| Music | 1 h |
| Physical and Health Education | 3 hrs |
Elective Course
| Latin | 1 hr |
Subjects taught in 4e
| French | 4.5 hrs |
| Mathematics | 3.5 hrs |
| History, Geography, and Moral & Civic Education | 3 hrs |
| English (by level of knowledge) | 3 hrs |
| Serbian as a mother tongue or as a foreign language | 3 hrs / 2 hrs |
| The 2nd foreign language Spanish / German / Italian | 2.5 hrs |
| Visual Arts | 1 hr |
| Physics and Chemistry | 1.5 hrs |
| Life and Earth Sciences | 1.5 hrs |
| Technology | 1.5 hrs |
| Music | 1 hr |
| Physical and Health Education | 3 hrs |
Elective Course
| Latin | 1 hr |
Subjects taught in 3e
| French | 4 hrs |
| Mathematics | 4 hrs |
| History, Geography, and Moral & Civic Education | 3 hrs |
| English (by level of knowledge) | 3 hrs |
| Serbian as a mother tongue or as a foreign language | 3 hrs / 2 hrs |
| The 2nd foreign language Spanish / German / Italian | 2.5 hrs |
| Visual Arts | 1 hrs |
| Physics and Chemistry | 1.5 hr |
| Life and Earth Sciences | 1.5 hr |
| Technology | 1.5 hr |
| Music | 1 hr |
| Physical and Health Education | 3 hrs |
Elective Course
| Latin | 2 hrs |
DNB: Le Diplôme National du Brevet (middle school graduation certificate)
Le diplôme national du brevet is the first official diploma. It testifies to the acquired knowledge at the end of middle school (i.e. 3ème) and represents evaluation of the acquired knowledge during the common cycle of education through continuous monitoring of students and 5 mandatory exams at the end of the school year: French Language, Mathematics, History and Geography, Science and Technology, and an oral examination.
The acquired 8 key competencies of the common cycle of education are assessed at the school council meeting at the end of the third trimester of the third grade, and the maximum score on the exam is set at 400/800 points.
End of year exams (4 written and 1 oral exam) also have the maximum score of 400/800 points, i.e.:
- French Language: 100 points, the exam lasts for 3 hours: based on excerpts from books and possibly some pictures, assessment of language proficiency (grammar – rewriting, vocabulary, etc.), comprehension and interpretation skills + dictation + written composition;
- Mathematics: 100 points, the exam lasts for 2 hours: assignments, some of which contain tables or graphs, and one of which is a computer science assignment;
- History and Geography: 50 points, the exam lasts for 2 hours: analysis and understanding of documents + use of historical and geographical determinants + application of skills acquired during moral and civic education classes;
- Science: 50 points, the exam lasts for 1 hour: 2 disciplines are assessed 3 (Physics and Chemistry, Life and Earth Sciences, Technology);
- Oral Exam: 100 points and is conducted at the EFB as follows: an individual 15-minute interview (5-minute exposition and a 10-minute interview) on one topic prepared with the help of a teacher.
Extra points are awarded to candidates who attended an elective subject:
- 10 points if the teaching objectives have been achieved,
- 20 points if the teaching objectives have been overachieved.
To be awarded a diploma, students must score a minimum of 400 points (out of 800). Based on the total number of accumulated points, the following descriptive grades are awarded: assez bien (more than 480 points), bien (more than 560 points) or mention très bien (more than 640 points).
Lycée
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.
Le 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).
A day at middle and high school
All classes are held from Monday to Friday. Saturday mornings are booked for remedial homework, exam preparation and, exceptionally, for detention.
The school opens its doors and welcomes students from 7:55 a.m., and closes at 6:00 p.m. Classes start at 8:15 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. The day is divided into 2-hour periods followed by a recess. The lunch break starts at 12:30 and ends at 1:25 p.m. Students can have lunch at the school cafeteria.
The pedagogical service (Vie Scolaire) is open Monday to Thursday from 8:15 a.m. to do 12:30 p.m. and from 13:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., i.e. from 8:15 a.m. to do 12:30 p.m. and from 13:30 p.m. to 3:50 on Fridays.