FRENCH BAC SUBJECT. More than ten days before the written exams of the French baccalaureate! The oral will follow shortly after. To deepen your revisions, discover the topics that have fallen in North America!
[Mis à jour le 3 juin 2022 à 11h17] The counter is accelerating: the written test of the French bac is getting closer! In France, the advance written tests will take place on Thursday June 16, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., whether these tests are taken for the 2022 session or in advance for the 2023 session. Essay method, commentary, writing practices… The method is very important for this written test. In the same way, from “Gargantua” to “Le Rouge et le Noir”, via “Le Malade imaginaire”, the list of works to be revised for the oral which begins on June 20 is long. The revision program 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.
To prepare as well as possible for probable subjects and the course of the tests, Linternaute lists for you the essential points of your revisions. And what better way to practice than discovering the subjects that fell this year in foreign centers! First grade students in North America have already worked on comments or dissertations, based on such classic works by the Princess of Cleves, Le rouge et le Noir… Read this article to find out more more !
If it is necessary to wait until June 16 to discover the subjects of the written test of the French baccalaureate in metropolitan France, high school students can refer to the subjects submitted to candidates from French centers abroad. First grade students residing in North America take their written exams a little early. This year, the comments and essays to choose from were revealed to them on Tuesday, May 31. They had four hours to prove themselves by doing one of the topics below:
♦ If they opted for the commentary, evaluated on 20 points, a single object of study and a single subject were imposed:
- Object of study: “The theater from the 17th century to the 21st century”
The high school students had to work from the text “Lorenzaccio”, an extract from Act III, scene 3, written by Alfred de Musset in 1834. In the instructions, some additional information was given: “This dialogue takes place in Italy, in the city of Florence in the 16th century. Lorenzo is close to his cousin, Duke Alexander de’ Medici, who governs the city. The leader of the republicans Philip Strozzi asks Lorenzo to act against Duke Alexander who behaves like a tyrant. Indeed , Pierre and Thomas, the sons of Philippe, have just been arrested and risk being executed”.
♦ If they opted for the dissertation, also assessed on 20 points, they had the choice between three subjects related to the object of study “The novel and the story from the Middle Ages to the 21st century”:
- Dissertation subject 1: “La Princesse de Clèves”, a novel by Madame de Lafayette.
The choice of this work corresponded to the course “Individual, morality and society” included in the program of Première. The subject was “If you judge by appearances in this place,” replied Madame de Chartres, “you will often be deceived: what appears is almost never the truth. This remark of Madame de Chartres to her daughter enlightens she your reading of the work of Madame de Lafayette? The instruction was specified: “You will answer this question in an organized development. Your reflection will be based on Madame de Lafayette’s novel on the program, on the work carried out as part of the course associated with this work and on your personal culture”.
- Dissertation subject 2: “The Red and the Black”, a novel by Stendhal.
The choice of this work corresponded to the course “The character of the novel, aesthetics and values” included in the program of Première. The subject was “In chapter XII of the second book, Mathilde de la Mole says this about Julien: “My little Julien, on the contrary, only likes to act alone. Never, in this privileged being, the slightest idea of looking for support and help in others! “Does this statement shed light on your reading of Stendhal’s work, Le Rouge et le Noir?”. The record was: “You will answer this question in an organized development. Your reflection will be based on Stendhal’s novel on the program, on the work carried out as part of the course associated with this work and on your personal culture”.
- Dissertation subject n°3: “Memoirs of Hadrian”, a novel by Marguerite Yourcenar.
The choice of this work corresponded to the course: “Oneself as another”. The subject was: “In the chapter “Tellus stabilita” of the Memoirs of Hadrian, the emperor Hadrian evokes the marble portraits carved during his reign thus: “I only cast a glance at my own image. ” Then he adds: “But the face of another concerned me more. “Does this reflection enlighten your reading of the Memoirs of Hadrian?”. The instruction was: “You will answer this question in an organized development. Your reflection will be based on the novel by Marguerite Yourcenar on the program, on the work carried out within the framework of the course associated with this work and on your personal culture”.
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.
For first graders, the time is approaching! The first year written French tests taken in advance for the 2023 session and the final year written French tests taken for the 2022 session will take place on Thursday, June 16, 2022 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The French oral will take place a little later, during the same period as the Grand Oral. Candidates will be invited from June 20, until July 1as indicated the student and other educational sites.
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 of the technological bac, they will relate to a commentary or a contraction of 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 get to your oral, 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 which will be scored out of 12 points, you prepare the text chosen by the examiner and propose a reading of it 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.
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 general and 9 in technology. 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 explored 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.
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 story from the Middle Ages to the 21st century” and “The theater from the 17th century to the 21st century”. 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.
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.