Frequently Asked Questions

Recognised by the French Education Ministry, the International Section prepares students for the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI), a prestigious set of supplementary examinations that are part of the French baccalauréat at the end of their schooling. The British version of the BFI is an integrated Franco-British school-leaving certificate. There are three supplementary exams: one in English; one in History and Geography, which are modeled on the British A-level exams; and a new internally assessed examination, Connaissance du Monde. The BFI combines the breadth and rigour of the French baccalauréat with the extra subjects taught and examined in English to A Level standard, in a single certificate.

· It is jointly certified by University of Cambridge International Examinations and the French Ministry of Education.

· It makes academic and linguistic demands to an equal level in both English and French.

· It will provide students with an internationally-recognised university entrance qualification.

The BFI will be regarded as a plus in applying for foreign universities as recruiters are aware of the extra workload that it involves and see it as evidence of diligence and an appetite for hard work. However, some universities still ask for English language proficiency tests for proof of language level.

2017 100% success, 33% mention très bien
2018 100% success, 66% mention très bien
2019 100% success, 46% mention très bien
2020 100% success, 34% mention très bien
2021 100% success, 20% mention très bien (2 avec félicitations du jury)
2022 100% success, 54% mention très bien (3 avec félicitations du jury)
2023 100% success

English
6 to 7 hours of English as an academic subject for the first time. The pupils follow the Key Stage 3 curriculum working on exactly the same topics as they would if they were in the UK. In English we tend to study one novel or play per six week term and add in other works of literature like poems and stories, or grammar points and functional writing that cover the same theme.

In 1ère and Terminale, the International Section follows the official Baccalauréat Français International for English.
https://eduscol.education.fr/3043/le-baccalaureat-francais-international-bfi

History/Geography
In History and Geography, the syllabus for collège aims to develop the students’ analysis skills. There are additional case studies on topics, areas and events needed for a better knowledge and understanding of the British world. Topics from the French curriculum requested by the Ministère de l’Education Nationale are followed, combined with the English KS 3 & 4 syllabus.

In lycée, the students prepare for the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI) in three years. The BFI History Geography exam assesses both the French and the British curriculum, combining the breadth and rigour of the French baccalauréat and examined in English to A Level diploma standard, in a single certificate.

French Education Nationale and Cambridge inspectors work closely to establish several topics to be studied in class during Première and Terminale years, that will be assessed during both the written and oral examinations at the end of Terminale.
More information can be found on the official website (in French): http://www.education.gouv.fr/pid25535/bulletin_officiel.html?cid_bo=73092

6ème
Matilda, Roald Dahl
The Secret Garden, F.H. Burnett
Holes, Louis Sachar
Skellig, David Almond
Wonder, R.J Palacio
National Theatre version of Peter Pan
Always complete and unabridged versions

5ème
Boy, Roald Dahl
The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hobbit, J.R.R Tolkien
The Giver, Lois Lowry
National Theatre version of Treasure Island
Introduction to Shakespeare
Poetry and short stories

4ème
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda N. Adichie
Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak
Poetry and short stories

3ème
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Macbeth, William Shakespeare, National Theatre version of Macbeth
Work on Shakespeare’s time (Elizabethan, Jacobean)
Beowulf
Poetry

2nde
The Tempest, William Shakespeare
Fireman’s Daughter, Angeline Boulley (with a meeting with the author at the Festival America)
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Modernism (celebrating the centenary of Ulysses and The Waste Land by studying extracts from the both works, To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf)
Poetry and short stories
Presentations on Famous British authors and poets

1er and Terminale
Written:
Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare/ As You Like It, William Shakespeare/
A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams
Selected Poems, Keats/ Selected Poems, Percy Bysshe Shelley
Orals:
Gothic writing: Dracula, Bram Stoker; The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter
6 set poems

College: 6 to 7 hours in English and 2 to 4 hours of History/Geography in English

Seconde: 7 hours of English and 4 hours of History/Geography in English

Première: 6,5 hours of English (Literature, Language, Connaissance du Monde) and 2 to 4 hours of History/ Geography in English.

Terminale: 6 hours of English (Literature, Language, Connaissance du Monde) + 2 to 4 hours of History/Geography in English

Options are not limited in the International Section: the students preparing for the BFI attend the same classes as those students taking the French baccalauréat program but with additional hours in English, History and Geography.

In collège no – the IS class stays together for all classes, apart from some mixing for the additional language options from 5ème (Spanish, Italian, Latin, and later Greek). In lycée, commencing in 1er, the students in the IS class are only together for the subjects taught in English, French literature classes, and enseignement moral et civique (EMC).

Mrs Popa-Jones, the coordinator of the Section is British; Mrs Joubert is South African and Mme Murray is American. All have extensive experience in teaching International section classes, either in France or abroad. Our history and geography teachers are bilingual and also have extensive experience teaching international college and lycée students. All the professeurs are ‘agrégés