Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours
Curriculum development
The curricula of the "lycée général et technologique" are defined nationally by the "Conseil Supérieur des Programmes" (CSP - High Council for Curricula). This council is composed of legislators, representatives of the "Conseil Économique, Social et environnemental" (CESE - Economic, Social and Environmental Council) and ten qualified persons appointed by the Minister of National Education for their expertise in the education field. The CSP is consulted by the Minister and makes proposals on the general design of the teaching provided in secondary schools, as well as on the introduction of digital technology into teaching methods and the construction of knowledge. The proposals, reworked if necessary by the Ministry's services, are submitted for consultation to teachers and inspectors, then for the endorsement of the "Conseil Supérieur de l'Éducation" (CSE – Higher Council for Education). Finally, the proposals are validated by the Minister herself/himself. According to Article L311- 3 of the Education Code, the programmes define for each cycle the knowledge and methods that must be assimilated.
The current programmes were defined by decree during the reform of the general and technological "lycée" in 2018 and were implemented at the start of the September 2019 school year.
Content of the curriculum
In the "lycée", teaching is divided into cycles: determination cycle ("seconde" class) and terminal cycle ("première" and "terminale" classes), as well as by stream (general or technological) from the "première" class onwards. The timetables for instruction are defined nationally and there is no horizontal or vertical flexibility for schools.
Determination cycle ("seconde générale et technologique" - 10th grade)
The "seconde générale et technologique" (GT) class is a determination class which includes common lessons for all students and optional lessons to choose from.
The timetable and syllabus for the common lessons are identical for all students in the Seconde GT. They total 28h per week (i.e. 1008 hours per school year) in the following subjects:
- French;
- History and geography;
- Modern languages A and B;
- Economic and social sciences;
- Mathematics;
- Physics and Chemistry;
- Life and Earth Sciences;
- Physical and sports education;
- Moral and civic education;
- Digital sciences and technology.
In addition, 54 hours per year (as an indication and according to the needs of the pupils) are dedicated to guidance in choosing a career. These hours are devoted to the development of a project leading to the choice of a course of study and the specialised courses of the final cycle, and then to the pursuit of higher education. In grade 10, the compulsory curriculum includes form time (vie de classe) – no additional time is mentioned – and accompagnement personnalisé – time determined according to the students’ need.
In addition to the common lessons, pupils have the possibility of choosing up to two optional lessons. These courses allow students to discover new fields of study and prepare them to choose a speciality in "première".
The optional courses include in particular:
- Scientific and technological subjects (engineering sciences, science and laboratory, etc.);
- Literary courses (Ancient languages and cultures: Latin; Ancient languages and cultures: Greek; Modern language C);
- Artistic subjects (plastic arts, music, circus arts, etc.).
Details of the timetables for the determination cycle of the general and technological route (compulsory and optional courses) are available in the annex to the order of 16 July 2018.
Source: Recommended annual instruction time in full-time compulsory education in Europe 2022/2023
Final cycle of the general track ("première" and "terminale" - 11th and 12th grade)
Since the start of the school year in September 2019, there are no longer streams(series) in the general track. A common core curriculum is followed by all students. This core curriculum consists of the following subjects:
"Première" "Terminale"
French ; Philosophy ;
History and geography History and geography
Modern languages A and B; Modern languages A and B;
Scientific education ; Scientific education ;
Physical and sports education; Physical and sports education;
Moral and civic education. Moral and civic education.
Total per week: 18 hours Total per week: 18 hours
In the final cycle of the general stream, in addition to the common lessons, pupils follow compulsory specialised lessons of their choice. In "première", students must choose their 3 specialities from a list of 12 possible specialities. In the final year, students choose to keep two of the three specialities from the first year, depending on their interests and their plans for higher education.
The possible specialities are as follows:
- Arts;
- Biology-ecology (agricultural lycées only);
- History-geography, geopolitics and political science;
- Humanities, literature and philosophy;
- Foreign and regional languages, literature and cultures;
- Literatures and languages and cultures of Antiquity;
- Mathematics;
- Digital technology and computer science;
- Physics and Chemistry;
- Life and Earth Sciences;
- Engineering Sciences;
- Economic and Social Sciences.
The instructional time allocated to the speciality courses is the same for each subject but changes between the "première" and "terminale": 4 hours per speciality course in "première", 6 hours in "terminale". In "première" and "terminale", specialised teaching therefore represents 432 hours per year.
Finally, in addition to the common and specialised courses, students can choose optional courses. Pupils in "première" may choose an optional course of 3 hours per week (i.e. 108 hours per year) from a list of 9 possible courses:
- Modern language C (foreign or regional);
- Ancient languages and cultures: Latin;
- Ancient languages and cultures: Greek;
- Physical and sports education;
- Arts (choose from visual arts, audiovisual cinema, dance, history of the arts, music or drama);
- French sign language;
- Hippology and horse riding (agricultural lycées only);
- Agronomy, economy, territories (agricultural lycées only);
- Social and cultural practices (agricultural lycées only).
In the final year, three new optional courses of 3 hours each are added. These courses are
- Complementary mathematics (for students who have not taken the mathematics speciality);
- Expert mathematics (for students who have taken the mathematics speciality);
- Rights and major issues of the contemporary world.
"Terminale" students may choose up to two optional subjects, one from the list already offered in "première" and one from the list offered in "terminale".
Details of the timetables for the final cycle of the general stream (common or specialised compulsory subjects and optional subjects) are available in the annex to the Order of 16 July 2018.
Final cycle of the technological route ("première" and "terminale" - 11th and 12th grade)
Unlike the general route, the technological route has retained its different streams (séries). There are 7 of them:
- série STMG (management sciences and management)
- série ST2S (health and social sciences and technologies)
- série STI2D (sciences and technologies of industry and sustainable development)
- série STL (laboratory sciences and technologies)
- série STD2A (sciences and technologies of design and applied arts)
- série STHR (hotel and restaurant science and technology)
- série S2TMD (sciences and techniques of theatre, music and dance)
However, since the start of the school year in September 2019, all students in the final cycle of the technological route follow common lessons with identical instruction times. These lessons are as follows:
"Première" "Terminale"
French ; Philosophy ;
Mathematics ; Mathematics ;
History and geography ; History and geography ;
Modern languages A and B + Modern languages A and B +
Technological teaching in modern Technological teaching in modern
language A; language A;
Physical and sports education; Physical and sports education;
Moral and civic education. Moral and civic education.
Total per week: 14 hours (i.e. 504 hours per year) Total per week: 13 hours (468 hours per year)
In each série, students follow specialised courses specific to each série (there is no choice). As in the general stream, they take three in "première" and two in "terminale". The timetables for specialised courses vary greatly depending on the série (see the order below).
Finally, in "première" and "terminale", students may choose up to 2 optional courses from among:
- Modern language C (foreign or regional);
- Physical education and sport;
- Arts (choose from visual arts, audiovisual cinema, dance, history of the arts, music or drama);
Details of the timetables for the final cycle of the technological route (common or specialised compulsory subjects and optional subjects) are available in the appendix to the Order of 16 July 2018.
Teaching Methods and Materials
The programmes make proposals for teaching methods and tools to be used by teachers for each cycle, route and stream (series) from general and technological education to high school. Numerous resources are also made available to teachers. All these elements are presented on ‘éduscol’, the Ministry's dedicated website.
There is no formal obligation to use textbooks. The accessibility of digital textbooks depends on the regions, which are responsible for the equipment at secondary school level. Many regions have put in place measures to help families (free distribution to pupils, grants to schools, direct subsidies to pupils, etc.).
Finally, there are no official recommendations on homework.