In September 2025, many aspects of the school educational system are getting overhauled in France, with many innovations being introduced for the first time in schools of all levels. We have already talked about the banning of mobile devices in classrooms for students of primary school (ages 3 to 10) and collège (ages 11 to 14), and limiting their use in lycées (ages 15 to 18), as well as the new sexual and relational education program (EVAR/EVARS).

However, those are not the only changes coming to schools this fall. This next change concerns grading systems, and the evaluation processes for the students’ progress.

Grades and tests are a huge source of stress and preoccupation for school children of all ages, as well as their parents. They can make children doubt their skills, or their knowledge. Bad grades mean more work, worrying their parents, and a lower self-esteem. But grading is still a necessary evil that allows teachers, parents and other educators to understand who is retaining information properly, and who is falling behind. To make such evaluations better by balancing the positive and negative effects of grading students, the French Ministry of Education is introducing some changes for the new school year with regards to grading (notation) and evaluations.

Firstly, the grades students receive for their brevet (an evaluation students of collège ages 14 to 15 undergo to assess their acquisition of knowledge introduced to them throughout school) will now consist 60% of the grade they receive on the day of the exam and 40% of the grade they receive for continuous evaluation over the year. This come as a change from the previous 50/50 value split for the two performance indicators, and serves to valorise the students’ ability to perform under pressure.

Secondly, a new mathematics evaluation will be introduced for students of première (the second year of lycée, around age 16-17), the first of which will be held in June 2026. The test will have a coefficient of 2 and will take place over two hours. The goal of introducing it is to better understand the level of mathematics of students of both general lycées and lycées specialised in mathematics, a measure that fits neatly into the French government’s goal to become a hub of scientific development in the near future.

Finally, during the baccalauréat evaluation held at the end of lycée, at around age 18, the students who score below 9,5/20 after their second try of obtaining their diploma will no longer be able to receive additional points from the jury. This measure serves to make the evaluation more demanding and to put more value upon its acquisition.

💬What do you think? Are these measures a way to promote high achievement or do they put unnecessary stress upon the students? Let us know in the comments!