Education, Personal Lessons

Bac Philo

Dan The Camp

What is the French Bac?

NOTE: To readers from France or those who are knowledgeable about or took the baccalauréat, I would very much appreciate for you to spot out any mistakes with what I’ve written. I’m not from France so I am bound to make mistakes. Merci beaucoup pour votre aide !

The French baccalauréat is the final exam that French students take after completing their secondary education, their lyceé, to be exact. The exam is a combination of written (mostly essays), oral, and (sometimes) practical exams. From what I have watched and read, some subjects are taken at the end of première (penultimate year of lyceé). Majority, however, are taken at terminale or the last year. The exam, though not legally required, is taken by many students because it is a requirement in many higher education institutions. To pass, a score of 10/20 must be obtained, though those with 8/20 can still have an oral examination for a chance to pass.

There are three tracks for the bac.

  • The baccalauréat professionnel is for those who are on track for professional life, such as on carpentry, crafts, cooking, etc.
  • The baccalauréat technologique is for those who will be taking short and technical studies, such as on laboratory, design and applied arts, etc.
  • The baccalauréat général is for those intending to continue their studies in a university or grande école. This is the most commonly taken track and prior to the 2021 reform, it constituted of 3 streams:
    • The bac scientifique (S) prepares students for programs leaning heavily towards science, such as medicine and engineering.
    • The bac économique et social (ES) prepares students who intend to take programs on political science, law, business administration, and economics (to name a few).
    • The bac littéraire (L) prepares students for careers such as education, philosophy, and linguistics.

There have been several reforms in the bac. The 2021 reform brought a big overhaul of the bac, where the three streams for the baccalauréat général have been removed. They are replaced with specialty courses, in which a student picks 3 for première and keeps 2 in terminale. In the new system, the bac exam at the end of première will only be French. The exams in terminale will be reduced to 4: philosophy, the 2 chosen majors, and an oral exam. All of these constitute 60% of the final score. The remaining 40% will come from continuous control or assessments based on the student’s output throughout the academic year. I won’t discuss deeply about the bac because there are a lot of online articles written about it that explain it greatly.

The reformed baccalauréat général starting 2021. Photo courtesy of the Ministière de l’Éducation nationale et de la Jeuneusse of France.

We have nothing like this in the Philippines. So when I first learned about this, it found it amazing and terrifying!

Philosophy in the Bac

The philosophy subject of the bac is taken by all students regardless of the type of bac. Ever since Napoleon created the bac, the philosophy subject has always been part of it. Regardless of the reforms that the bac has experienced, philosophy is still there. It is taken at the end of terminale and is said to be one of the dreaded subjects in the bac. As far as I know, the French generally take philosophy seriously and deeply. They don’t just study about the surface of philosophy, ie, the meaning and history of philosophy, as well as the famous philosophers. Rather, they really do dive deep down into understanding each concept and teachings. These learnings can then be applied into real life to better understand the things around us. In my opinion, that is amazing because it shows that philosophy is not useless.

Some of the most well known philosophers are from Ancient Greece. Photo credit: shutterstock.com/Isogood_patrick.

From what I’ve read, the philosophy exam of the bac takes about 4 hours to answer. There are three (two before the 2021 reform) philosophical questions and a text from a famous philosopher for students to comment on. Among the four items to answer, the student only picks one. However, to answer them with a yes or no and with your own personal opinion is a no-no. There is often a pattern to answer this and it is called dissertation (not to be confused with the English dissertation). An example of which is the dissertation dialectique, where the question is turned into a problématique, where it is expounded and is explained in a manner that is more relatable and easily approached. The body of the essay contains arguments and philosophical concepts that side with the subject (thèse) as well as those that kind of contradict the first concepts in support of the subject (antithèse). There could even be a synthèse that would reconcile the two sides and to give a new view on the subject. In short, you can’t give a flat yes or no to the question. What it does is it makes you think critically and allows you to dive deep into what you know about philosophy.

To hand in the exam with 4 pages is short. From what I’ve read, students commonly pass 6 to 10 pages for their answers in this part of the exam. They even say that once you come out of the exam room, you’re not the same person anymore. You won’t take the existence of bread for granted anymore. Talk about mind-changing exams!

Here in the Philippines, sadly, philosophy is seen by many as a waste of time and something useless. I admit that I am one of those people who uses their mind to think scientifically but not philosophically. In my case, philosophy is not deeply taught in high school so I can’t even remember anything significant about it other than it is about asking questions. I guess that’s why many Filipinos lack critical thinking skills.

And no, we are not (or at least I was not) taught how to write using the dissertation method in French.

What do the questions look like?

Philosophy is all about asking the right questions. Photo courtesy of Charlotte May on Pexels.com.

These are some example questions for philosophy. Some actually come from the bac exams from different years. Not only is philosophy the first subject taken during the bac in terminale, but the questions also become a buzz around the country because they are indeed thought-provoking. I will be honest in saying that I can’t answer any of these questions. Remember that the original questions are in French. These are only English translations.

  • Can reason make sense of everything?
  • Is beauty necessary in a piece of art?
  • Does observation equal knowledge?
  • Must one pursue happiness in order to find it?
  • Does working less lead to a better life?
  • Do we always know what we want?
  • On what grounds can we oppose the state?
  • Does the subconscious control me?
  • Am I what my past has made of me?
  • Is it possible to escape time?
  • Is truth preferable to peace?
  • Does acknowledging your duties mean foregoing your freedom?

Though these questions only have one sentence and seem so simple, they are actually very thought-provoking. Again, a simple yes or no here is a big no-no. The dissertation format is often followed. Answers are often given from the point of view of famous philosophers, then expanding those views to come up with the essay. As they say, philosophy is not about finding answers but asking the right questions.

For French people or those who took the bac, I would really want to know how you actually answer the philosophy part of the exam. Also, I really want to know how much philosophy impacts/impacted your school life and everyday life.

Further Readings and Links

These are helpful articles or videos that give more information about the bac.

Published by Dan The Camp

This is just my random, messy corner of opinions and thoughts. Don't pay too much attention.

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