Quick answer: what is the French baccalaureate exam? It is France's school-leaving diploma, built over the last two years of lycée: 40% of the final mark comes from continuous assessment and 60% from exams such as philosophy, sat on 14 June 2027. Marks are out of 20 and 10 is a pass. In Barcelona, the Lycée Français de Barcelone prepares it, including the BFI.
Last reviewed: November 2026 by Catherine from ISA. Fees and dates are indicative; always confirm with the school and the exam authority.
Key takeaways
- Continuous assessment counts for 40% of the French baccalaureate and final exams for 60%, according to the AEFE, the agency that runs French schools abroad.
- The 2027 written exams in mainland France run from 14 to 21 June and results are published on 6 July 2027, according to the official calendar relayed by the CNED.
- In June 2026, 98.8% of the 23,223 candidates from French schools abroad passed and 83.3% earned a mention, the AEFE reports.
- The University of Manchester treats 16/20 overall in the Baccalauréat Général, or 15/20 in the BFI, as equivalent to A*AA at A Level.
Families moving to Spain often meet the French baccalaureate exam for the first time at a lycée français open day, surrounded by words like spécialité, Grand oral and mention. The bac is the national diploma that closes French secondary education. Papers sat abroad are written in France, many identical to those taken in Lyon or Lille, and each country's candidates are attached to a French académie that runs the exams.
This guide covers the post-reform structure, the 2027 dates, the 20-point grading system, the BFI, recognition in the UK, the US and Spain, and where to study it in Barcelona. For the British-style alternatives, see our comparison of IB vs A Levels for your child.
How is the French baccalaureate exam structured after the reform?
The general bac is built over première and terminale (ages 16 to 18): 40% of the final mark comes from continuous assessment and 60% from exams, the AEFE explains. In première, students choose three spécialités (such as mathematics, physics-chemistry, or economics and social sciences) and keep two in terminale, alongside common subjects such as French, history-geography and modern languages, Onisep explains.
- Anticipated exams in première: written and oral French and, in the 2027 calendar, a two-hour anticipated mathematics paper.
- Final exams in terminale: a four-hour philosophy paper, one written paper for each spécialité and the Grand oral, a final oral exam.
- Continuous assessment: report-card marks across both years.
When are the 2027 bac exams?
For June 2027 in mainland France, philosophy is on 14 June, the anticipated French written paper on 15 June, the spécialité papers from 16 to 18 June and the anticipated maths paper on 21 June, according to the Bulletin officiel of 25 August 2026. The CNED, the state distance-learning body, adds that the Grand oral runs from 21 June to 2 July, results are due on 6 July and resits take place from 7 to 9 July 2027. Dates for exam centres abroad are published separately, and the AEFE confirms they can differ, so ask your lycée for its own timetable.
How does the French baccalaureate grading system work?
Every paper is marked out of 20, subjects are weighted by coefficients, and an overall average of 10 is a pass; the AEFE adds that candidates below 10 can be offered resit papers. Honours, called mentions, follow fixed bands, as the Cité scolaire internationale de Grenoble, a French state school, explains to universities abroad: assez bien from 12 to 14, bien from 14 to 16 and très bien from 16.
Mentions are frequent in French schools abroad. In June 2025, 26.4% of graduates in the AEFE network gained a très bien against 8.8% on average in France, and in June 2026 the network figure rose to 27.3%. Remember that marks out of 20 are not percentages: a 15 average is a very strong result.
What is the BFI and what happened to the OIB?
The BFI (Baccalauréat Français International) is the general bac plus extra language and culture courses, in a bilingual, trilingual or quadrilingual version. The AEFE says it opened in première in September 2022, continuing the international sections that used to lead to the OIB (Option internationale du baccalauréat), and the first cohort sat it in June 2024. Manchester and Southampton still list both in their entry requirements.
In June 2026, 1,319 BFI candidates sat the exam, 99.2% passed and 48.5% obtained a très bien, according to the AEFE.
French baccalaureate vs IB vs A Levels
All three are two-year university-entrance qualifications, but they reward different profiles.
| Feature | French bac (général) | IB Diploma | A Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects | 2 spécialités plus common subjects | 6 subjects (3 higher, 3 standard) | Usually 3 subjects |
| Common core | Philosophy and Grand oral | Theory of knowledge, extended essay, CAS | None beyond the subjects |
| Assessment | 40% continuous, 60% exams | Mostly final written exams | Exams in each subject |
| Grading | Out of 20, pass at 10 | Up to 45 points | Letter grades, A* at the top |
| St Andrews offer | 16 overall, 17 in required subjects | 36 to 38 points | AAB to A*A*A |
Bac structure from the AEFE, Onisep and the 2027 calendar; IB details from Barcelona-area IB schools; offers from the University of St Andrews entry requirements for France.
Is the French baccalaureate recognised in the UK, the US and Spain?
Yes, but each country reads it differently, so both the overall mark and the spécialité marks matter.
United Kingdom. The University of Manchester considers applicants from 12/20 overall and lists 16/20 in the Baccalauréat Général as A*AA. Warwick also asks for 16 overall for A*AA and converts subject grades: a B at A Level becomes 14/20 in the relevant spécialité taken to Year 13.
United States. There is no national conversion table: each college reads the bac as a completed secondary education and sets its own admission and credit rules, so contact admissions offices early. The Lycée Français de Barcelone says the BFI is recognised by France and 18 partner states, including Spain, the UK and the US. Our guide to how the IB helps with university entry explains how US offices read international diplomas.
Spain. Holders of a bac from an EU system need no homologation for university: UNEDasiss converts the bac into an access score from 5 to 10, under the rules of Real Decreto 534/2024 of 11 June. For selective public degrees, optional PCE tests can raise the admission score towards 14, as the Lycée Français de Barcelone explains in its university guide. Spain's Ministry of Education adds that Bachibac students (the dual Spanish and French diploma) can enter Spanish university with their French diplôme.
Where can you study the French baccalaureate in Barcelona?
The AEFE network counts 640 schools and more than 400,000 pupils in 140 countries in September 2026. In Barcelona, families usually compare the lycée with British and American schools offering the IB or A Levels.
Lycée Français de Barcelone
The main site is at Bosch i Gimpera 6 in Pedralbes. In June 2026 all 245 candidates passed: 31.8% gained a très bien and a further 9.8% a très bien with the jury's congratulations, according to its published results. Spanish and Catalan are taught by Spanish teachers, so students can also obtain the Graduado en ESO and the TĂtulo de Bachiller, and the school offers trilingual and quadrilingual BFI tracks. Places from sixième to terminale are allocated by an admissions committee.
The British School of Barcelona
The school offers both the IB Diploma and A Levels. Its 2026 IB cohort averaged 34.5 points against a world average of 30.88, the school reports. On the 2026-27 fee schedule for the Sitges, Castelldefels and Nexus campuses, Year 12 and 13 cost EUR 19,150 a year for A Levels and EUR 19,650 for the IB, plus a EUR 3,400 matriculation fee.
Benjamin Franklin International School
Every student graduates with an accredited US High School Diploma (at least 24 credits), and in recent years more than 95% have also taken the IB Diploma, useful for families eyeing American universities. Its class of 2026 had 66 IB candidates averaging 34 points, the school says. High school tuition for 2026-27 is EUR 21,720 a year, plus a one-time EUR 6,000 entrance fee.
A practical checklist for families
- Choose spécialités with the degree in mind: UK offers often name the subject and the grade.
- Ask about the BFI during seconde: it is selective and needs a high level in three or four languages.
- Get the exam centre's own dates by spring, as centres abroad can differ.
- Plan the Spanish route in parallel: request the UNEDasiss accreditation and check whether selective degrees need PCE tests.
Comparing schools in Barcelona
To weigh the bac against the IB and A Levels on fees, languages and location, see our guide to the best international schools in Barcelona.
Sources: AEFE; Bulletin officiel spécial n° 2 of 25 August 2026; CNED; Onisep; Cité scolaire internationale de Grenoble; UNEDasiss; Spanish Ministry of Education; Universities of Manchester, Warwick and St Andrews; Lycée Français de Barcelone; The British School of Barcelona; Benjamin Franklin International School.
More guides to schools in Barcelona
- Best international schools in Barcelona
- International school fees in Barcelona
- Bilingual schools in Barcelona
- International school admissions in Barcelona
- How to choose an international school in Barcelona
- best international schools in Barcelona
Frequently asked questions
Is the French baccalaureate harder than the IB?
Neither is officially harder; they test different things. The bac weights continuous assessment at 40% and examines two spécialités in depth, while the IB requires six subjects plus a core. Offers suggest a high bar for both: St Andrews asks for 16 out of 20 overall in the bac, with 17 in required subjects, or 36 to 38 IB points.
Can you take the French baccalaureate in Spain?
Yes. Schools homologated by the French Ministry of Education, such as the Lycée Français de Barcelone, prepare the bac and run it as exam centres attached to a French académie. Students who want a Spanish university then apply for a UNEDasiss accreditation, which converts their mark to the Spanish 5 to 10 access scale without homologation.
What mark do you need to pass the French baccalaureate?
You need an overall average of at least 10 out of 20, after each subject is weighted by its coefficient. Candidates below 10 can be offered resit papers, held from 7 to 9 July in the 2027 session. Mentions start at 12 (assez bien), then 14 (bien) and 16 (très bien), and UK universities often ask for 14 to 16.