baccalauréat

The national school‐leaving qualification in France, which occupies roughly the same status in the French education system as the General Certificate of EducationAdvanced Level occupies in the English system. Often cited, by those who would wish to reform the 16–19 examination system in Britain, as an example of good practice, le bac reflects a broader and less specialized post‐16 curriculum, which allows students to combine subjects from the arts, sciences, and humanities. As well as the general, or academic, baccalauréat, which prepares students for further academic studies at university, lycées also offer the less prestigious baccalauréat technologique and the baccalauréat professionel, which focus on vocational skills and knowledge and were designed to prepare the student for direct entry to the workforce. See also British Baccalaureate; International Baccalaureate; Welsh Baccalaureate.