Bac specialty tests: from March 20 to 22, how will it go?

[Mise à jour du 14 mars 2023 à 18h15]. For the first time this year, as part of the high school reform, the specialty tests take place from March. The baccalaureate written special education examinations (EDS) take place March 20, 21 and 22, 2023 in mainland France and overseas. They have also already started on March 13 in Polynesia and in the network of French education abroad (AEFE). “Depending on the specialty, they will be supplemented by oral tests or evaluation of experimental skills“, specifies the Ministry of National Education in a press release dated March 14, 2023. This year, 536,081 candidates take the specialty education tests in France (including 8,296 individual candidates). In the general route, the ministry registers 390,710 candidates and 145,371 candidates for the technological route. How will the specialty tests go? Here’s what you need to know about the baccalaureate specialty exams.

What is a specialty education?

In the general and technological track, high school students are invited to choose, from the second class, three specialty courses according to their tastes and motivations, also according to the orientation project in higher education. They have been put in place to allow students to discover new horizons in order to see what they like and help them to better orient themselves after the baccalaureate. The three specialties are thus studied in first class, but only two specialties (of your choice) are retained in terminale, for the baccalaureate exams.

Are the baccalaureate specialty tests threatened by the strike?

THE baccalaureate specialty exams may well be disturbed by the movement of opponents of the pension reform. And for good reason, the teacher union SUD Education has called on National Education staff to “debating the exam strike” to ratchet up the pressure on the government. “The time has come to tighten the balance of power, in an interprofessional framework, to obtain the withdrawal of the pension reform project. The education sector must play its part: strong mobilization during exams would contribute to this hardening”the union said in its tweet posted on March 12. A message that was relayed on Twitter by the FIDL high school student union. If the holding of specialty tests is disrupted, this could be a disservice to future baccalaureate holders since these specialty courses count for obtaining the baccalaureate and for the Parcoursup procedure.

What are the dates and times of the 2023 baccalaureate specialty exams?

The examinations for the baccalaureate specialty courses take place on Monday March 20 to Wednesday March 22, 2023, whether for the general or technological sector. Here are the dates and times of the specialty tests for the 2023 baccalaureate session.

Each candidate has chosen two specialty courses which are the subject of one test per day. The high school student is therefore convened over two days (one day per test) to work on a written subject. “The subjects conform to the limiting program of each discipline and to the expectations of the final year class“explains the ministry.

What is the coefficient of the specialty tests?

The two baccalaureate specialty exams each have a coefficient of 16. “This therefore represents 32% of the final grade”, specify the government website.

For all the proofs, the correction of the copies is dematerialized. Before correcting the specialty exams, all the correctors meet to discuss the correction recommendations specific to each discipline. During the corrections of the copies, the latter are accompanied in the event of questioning or difficulties by the inspection bodies. “A final harmonization phase allows fair treatment of all candidates, by bringing together correctors who can thus correct any differences in rating“says the Ministry of Education.

Specialty lessons and results on Parcoursup

For the first time, these specialty tests take place in March. This organization makes it possible in particular to take into account the marks obtained by the candidates in the procedure for access to higher education courses via the Parcoursup platform. As a reminder, these specialty tests represent 32% of the final baccalaureate mark (excluding options).

What are the 12 specialties of the general baccalaureate?

• Arts: Circus arts, Visual arts, Cinema-audiovisual, Dance, History of the arts, Music, Theater
• History-geography, geopolitics, political science: in the first year, students study democracy, the international power of States, political borders, information issues and religious facts in their relationship with power.
• Humanity, literature, philosophy: Literature and languages ​​and cultures of Antiquity, Foreign and regional languages, literatures and cultures. High school students study: The powers of speech” from Antiquity to the Classical Age, “The representations of the world” to the Renaissance, the Classical Age and the Enlightenment period.
• Languages, Literatures and Foreign Cultures: high school students, in case of first can follow a specialty course “Languages, Literature and Foreign and Regional Cultures (LLCER)” in English, contemporary world English, German, Spanish, Italian and in the regional language Basque, Breton, Catalan, Corsican, Occitan – langue d’oc, tahitian or creole.
• Literature, Languages ​​and Cultures of Antiquity : this specialty teaching is common to the Latin and Greek programs, with a strong literary character.
• Math : Algebra and geometry, Analysis, Probabilities, Algorithms and programming. This program makes it possible to deepen the concepts approached in 2nd, introduces new concepts and develops the taste of mathematics.
• Numerical and computer science : this specialized teaching enables students to acquire the concepts and methods that are the basis of computer science, in its scientific and technical dimensions.
• Life and earth sciences : students study scientific culture from the fundamental concepts of biology and geology. The program addresses three major themes: the Earth, life and the evolution of living organisms; the contemporary challenges of the planet, in particular those of the environment, sustainable development, management of resources and risks; the human body and health.
• Engineering Sciences : high school students focus on the study of artificial objects and systems in order to acquire the skills necessary to innovate and materialize solutions to certain types of problems.
• Economics and social sciences: this teaching is the continuity of the second program. Students therefore continue to learn about the economic, social and political issues of contemporary societies.
• Chemical Physics : 4 themes are covered, including “Constitution and transformations of matter”, “Movement and interactions”, “Energy: conversions and transfers”, “Waves and signals”.
• Physical Education, Sports Practices and Culture: The students do not just play sports since other disciplinary fields are integrated (sciences, humanities, etc.) with, in particular, a theoretical aspect allowing them to also learn about health and well-being professions.
• In agricultural high schools only, teaching “ecology biology” is also offered.

What are the specialties for the technological baccalaureate?

ST2S

• Human Chemistry, Biology and Pathophysiology
• Health and social science and technology

STL

• Physics-chemistry and mathematics
• Biochemistry-biology- biotechnology
• Physical and chemical sciences in the laboratory

STD2A

• Analysis and methods in design
• Conception and creation in design and crafts

STI2D

• Engineering, innovation and sustainable development (2I2D)
• Physics-chemistry and mathematics

STMG

• Management, management sciences and digital
• law and economics

STHR

• Culinary Science and Technology (STC) and Services (STS)
• Scientific education in food and environment (ESAE)
• Economy – hotel management

S2TMD

• Culture and science
• Convenient

The students make their selection according to their appetite for the specialties offered, but also according to their degree of motivation. Similarly, the knowledge that the student wishes to deepen and his orientation project in higher education will guide him in his choice. Finally, of course, getting information beforehand and discussing it with their main teacher will allow them to make more informed choices. Also practical, Onisep has developed an application called Horizons21.com for second graders. These latter can “to test the combinations of specialist teaching and the fields of training and professions on which these teachings can lead”, assures the Ministry of Education on its website. Finally, be aware that the choice of a specialty does not in any way prevent access to training: specialties are used to experiment above all with what he likes or not.