Nearly 96% of the 745,900 candidates for the 2020 baccalaureate were received at the end of the first remedial session, i.e. 7.6 points more than in 2019, the Ministry of National Education announced on Saturday.
98.4% success rate in general
The pupils who had the bac on the first try were 91.5%, an absolute record for this exceptional session. Due to the coronavirus crisis, the final exams were canceled and only the scores for the first and second trimesters were counted for the examination. About 40,000 students whose final mark was between 8 and 10 nevertheless had to pass a catch-up, said Friday the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer.
In detail, 98.4% of high school students in general studies have obtained their baccalaureate (compared to 91.2 in 2019). For technological baccalaureates, the number of graduates reaches 95.7% (compared to 88.1%). Finally, 90.7% of candidates for professional baccalaureate degrees obtained their diploma (against 82.3%). At least since 1995 there have never been so many candidates to obtain the baccalaureate at the end of the catch-up tests. The final results will be known in September.
What about enrollment in higher education?
Before the final results, "the proportion of high school graduates in one generation stood at 86.6% in 2020 (+ 6.9 points compared to June 2019)," said the ministry's press release. This proportion "increases most strongly in the general path (+ 3.6 points), more moderately in the technological and professional paths (respectively + 1.4 and + 1.9 points)." With this record number of bachelors, the question arises of enrollment in higher education.
"There is personalized work with each student, what are called the rector's committees," said Mr. Blanquer on Friday. "We keep with (the Minister of Higher Education) Frédérique Vidal the objective that everyone finds a solution".