FRENCH BAC SUBJECT. The baccalaureate French oral is approaching! This year, it will take place on Thursday, June 16. Arrangements and information, but also potential subjects and progress of the written French baccalaureate… Linternaute takes stock.
Written and oral French, it’s coming soon! The anticipated French oral exams will take place on Thursday, June 16, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and whether these tests are taken for the 2022 session or in advance for the 2023 session. From “Gargantua” to “Le Rouge et le Noir”, via “Le Malade imaginaire”, the list of works to revise is long. In the same way, it is interesting to master the method of the dissertation and the commentary… Without neglecting the oral presentation! If the revision schedule seems heavy, don’t panic! Amenities are planned. While the health crisis has not disrupted the monitoring of the program as much as in 2021, its effects on the schooling of students have nevertheless been felt. To take this into account, the number of texts to be presented orally will be reduced to 16 in the general track and to 9 in the technological track. From probable subjects to the course of the tests, Linternaute lists for you the essential points of your revisions.
This year, the written French exams for the general baccalaureate will focus on a text commentary or an essay. The test will last 4 hours and will be marked out of 20 points. As for the tests for the technological baccalaureate, they will relate to a commentary or a contraction of a text followed by a test. The test will last 4 hours and will be marked out of 20 points, or 10 points + 10 points.
When you arrive for your oral on June 16, you will have 30 minutes of preparation time. Then, you will start the first part of the test, whether you are in a general or technological baccalaureate. During this first part, which will last 12 minutes and will be scored out of 12 points, you prepare the text retained by the examiner and propose a reading aloud, before giving a linear explanation of a passage of about twenty lines. . The jury will also ask you a grammar question on the chosen text. Then, in the second part of the oral, you will present a work of your choice, among those you have studied during the year. This presentation will last 8 minutes and will be scored out of 8 points.
In order to take into account the effects of the health situation on the schooling of pupils, the number of texts to be presented orally will be reduced to 16 in the general track and to 9 in the technological track. What are these texts studied this year? The list is long. Among them are notably “Gargantua”, “The Red and Black”, but also “The Imaginary Invalid”. The students will work on “the literature of ideas from the 16th century to the 18th century”, “Poetry from the 19th century to the 21st century”, “The novel and the narrative from the Middle Ages to the 21st century” and “The theater from the 17th century to the 21st century”.
In 2021, in the midst of a health crisis, the number of texts had been reduced to 14 texts instead of 20 texts in the general track, and 7 texts instead of 12 in the technological track. The oral test of the French baccalaureate had also been adapted: the points of the program which had not been addressed in class due to the health crisis had been mentioned on the description of each candidate. Since the reform of the baccalaureate, creative writing is no longer part of the exercises offered to students during the written French test. Instead, students in general streams have the choice of composing on a text commentary or on one of the three essay topics. For the 2021 session, the ministry has authorized the duplication of subjects to ensure that each high school student has time to study at least one of the subjects during the school year. Pupils in the first general could therefore choose from two text commentaries and six essay topics, all related to a literary work included in the program. For students in technological courses, the layout of the test also doubled the subjects offered. The candidates had the choice between two comments and two contractions of texts followed by an essay. Whatever the candidate’s sector and the exercise chosen, the French test lasted four hours.
This year, the anticipated French tests at the end of first year have equivalent coefficients in writing and speaking: 5 in writing, 5 in speaking.
No, the French oral does indeed take place on June 16. But here again the Ministry of Education showed indulgence and reduced the list of texts to be studied to prepare for the oral exam to 16 in the general course and 9 in the technological course. To give the students every chance of succeeding, the sworn teacher will preselect two works and let the candidate choose the one he will have seen or deepened in class. As in 2021, the high school student will then have thirty minutes to prepare the analysis of his text and his twelve-minute presentation. This will be followed by the presentation of a work chosen by the candidate for eight minutes. Depending on the juror’s wishes, the test may end with a five-minute interview on the candidate, his professional project or his personality. This last part is optional.
Each object of study contains three compulsory works to be read in full throughout the school year. Teachers are free to add additional texts to this list. Here are the twelve obligatory works:
The literature of ideas from the 16th century to the 18th century
Poetry from the 19th century to the 21st century
- Victor-Hugo, Contemplationsbooks I to IV / course: the memories of a soul.
- Charles Baudelaire, The evil flowers / route: poetic alchemy: mud and gold.
- Guillaume Apollinaire, Alcohols / itinerary: poetic modernity?
The novel and narrative from the Middle Ages to the 21st century
Theater from the 17th century to the 21st century
The best way to train for the Bac exams is to practice from the annals and corrected from previous years. In 2021, after an eventful year between face-to-face and distance learning, the students of Première took the anticipated written test of the French baccalaureate on June 17. For the general baccalaureate, the Commentary (out of 20 points) was either on “Poetry from the 19th to the 21st century”, or on “The novel and the story from the Middle Ages to the 21st century”. As for the dissertation, three subjects were to be chosen on the object of study “Poetry from the 19th to the 21st century”, and three other subjects on “The theater from the 17th century to the 21st century”. If you are interested in the 2021 annals, you can consult the details of the subjects and the complete official answers here and here.