What will my home school grades look like after I've been an exchange student in France? Here are some guidelines to help you understand the French grading system and how they translate back into the US grading system.
You are considering doing a High School Study Abroad program in France but wonder how your grades will compare after attending a French school. This article explains the French grading system at high school level.
How are students graded in French high schools?
If you attend a French high school for a term, semester, or year you will be registered by the school in a student list, which allows you to be graded by their teachers.
You will have access to the online school system which differ from school to school. Public schools usually use the "Pronote" software application. This is where you will find the following information:
- your schedule
- details about your teachers
- useful communication tools
- your homework assignment
- your grades
French high school teachers grade students in several ways:
- Some homework is graded as a research paper - a written production. For example, you will be asked to write an essay or "dissertation".
- Class supervised exams are applied to determine your level of understanding gained from the classroom syllabus, which is called "contrôles" in middle school or "DS" for "devoirs surveillés" in high schools.
- Class presentations delivered to your classmates will also be something you need to do on specific topics, which are termed "exposés".
- Your ongoing participation in class by answering questions or commenting on subject matter is called "participation orale", which will also be graded.
When are students graded in French high schools ?
Teachers enter your grades into the school software system at the end of each period providing an official average grade much like the American GPA score.
An official grade report is also issued, which is called the "bulletin de note", and this is shared with parents.
Schools have different assessment periods. They may be organized as follows:
1. Term System: There are 3 terms in the French school year:
- Term 1 is from September to December.
- Term 2 is from December to March.
- Term 3 is from March to June.
2. Semesters System: There are 2 semesters in the French school year:
- Semester 1 is from September to January.
- Semester 2 is from January to June.
How do the grades look like in French high schools ?
French teachers grade with a scale going from 0 to 20. Zero is the lowest albeit uncommon grade, which would be considered a serious issue! Twenty is also rare being the very best so French teachers don't give out top grades to anyone but top performers. Your exam performance must be exceptional! :-)
Unlike the USA, where you may receive an A or A+, in France an A/B profile is considered very good. This grade corresponds to 16 - 20 over 20. Having a B profile from 12 - 16 over 20 is considered a quite acceptable result especially for an exchange student studying in a second language.
Scoring under 10 starts raises concerns! :-) But that is not too unusual, not just for exchange students but the French as well. Students can have more diverse grades than in American schools. For example, a top French student may be excellent, like 20 over 20 in all subjects, but that's unusual. It's more likely that students will be strong in science but weaker in literature or foreign language, or vice versa, just like in any country so don't worry.
Have a look at this table of equivalences of the French and American Grading Systems at High School level. This table was established by the French consulate in Miami.
