Lycée Internationale De Grenoble- Grenoble International High School

Lycée Internationale de Grenoble- Grenoble International High School

4 place de Sfax B.P. 1570 38012 Grenoble Cedex 1 (33) 4 38 12 25 00 fax (33) 4 38 12 25 20

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT

Name: Date of Birth:Sex: Male Female Address: Phone: international access code + 33 + Email:

Freshman year /Year 10 academic year 2011-2012absences:

3ème / Teacher / Hrs/
wk / Trimestrial Grades (French system)

Overall

/ Overall equiv.:
U.K.
1st / 2nd / 3rd / 1+2+3/3 / class ave. / class min / class max / (see table)**
French (honours) / 4
Mathematics (honours) / 4
Physics and Chemistry (honours) / 1.5
Earth and Life Science (SVT) (honours) / 1.5
History/Geography (honours) in French* / 2.5
History/Geography (honours) in English* / 2.5
Physical Education / 3
Art / 1
Music / 1
Technology / 1.5
English Language and Literature (for native speakers) (honours) / 3
German/Spanish/Italian/ (honours) / 3

---= no grade given

Overall Average Year 10, French system:

* the two separate history courses in two different languages deal with different parts of the overall history program

**7=E 8=D 9=D+/C- 10=C 11=B-/C+ 12=B 13= A-/B+ 14= A, marks of 15 and above are all A* as the top six points in France are reserved for distinguishing between levels of achievements in this elite group. (see school and system profile enclosed)

Name: Seconde /Year 11 academic year 2012-2013 Absences:

Subject and Level / Teacher / Hrs/
wk / Trimestrial Grades (French system) / Overall Equiv:
UK

Taught in French

/ 1st / 2nd / 3rd /

Overall

/ class ave. / Class min / Class max / (see table)**
French (honours) / 4
Mathematics (honours) / 4
Economics and Social Sciences (honours) / 1.5
Physics and Chemistry (honours) / 3
Earth and Life Science (honours) / 1.5
History + Geography (in French) (honours)* / 2
Physical Education / 2
Option

Taught in English

History + Geography (in English) (honours)* / 2
English Language and Literature (honours) / 6

Taught in another language

Spanish/German/Italian foreign language 1 / 2.5
Literature and Society / 1.5
Latin (honours) / 2

---= no grade given

Overall Average French system Year 11:

*the two separate history courses in two different languages deal with different parts of the overall history program

Starting in the Year 12, courses are weighted in accordance with their relative weight on the graduation exam, the Baccalaureat.

Name: Première/Year 12 ECONOMICS-SOCIAL SCIENCES BRANCH with OIB academic year 2013-2014 Absences:

Subject and Level / Teacher / Hrs/
wk / Trimestrial Grades (French system) / Overall Equiv
U.K. / Coefficient
Weighting / Points for Average

Taught in French

/ H
total / 1st / 2nd / 3rd /

Overall

/ class ave. / Class min / Class max / (see table)**
French (honours) / 4 / 4
Mathematics (honours) / 4 / 5
Physics and Chemistry (honours) / .75 / 1
Earth and Life Science (honours) / .75 / 1
History and Geography OIB (in French) (honours)* / 3 / 4
Economics and Social Sciences (honours) / 5 / 7
Physical Education / 2 / 2
Art, Music, Sports Option / 2 / score-10 x2

Taught in another language

German/Spanish/Italian foreign language 2 (honours) / 3 / 3
German/Spanish/Italian/Chinese/Greek/Arabic/Latin foreign language 3 (honors) / score-10 x2

Taught in English

History and Geography OIB (in English) (honours)* / 3 / 5
English Language and Literature OIB (honours) / 6 / 9

---=no grade given

French average Year 12 before coefficients: coefficient divider: 41 points: French average after coefficients:

*the two separate history courses in two different languages deal with different parts of the overall history program

Cumulative averageYears 11 and 12: In French =

is enrolled in the Economics and Social Science branch of the French Bac with the International Option (OIB program) managed by Cambridge Assessment in conjunction with French National Education. Designed for the best bilingual/bicultural pupils in France, unlike the Geneva IB, the OIB always tests TWO native languages/cultures with each subject marked out of 20. The heavy workload, often more than 38 hours of class a week with considerable homework to prepare for all the normal French Bac subjects plus demanding genuine British A level exams for both Language and Literature as well as History and Geography, makes this one of the most difficult secondary education diplomas in the world. To succeed, students have to develop rigorous methods, time management and organisational skills as well as a very broad cultural background.

Like all the students admitted into the International Option of the French bac in the English section of our school, is FULLY bilingual, having received overall on IELTS in June 2012, on the Edexcel version of the IGCSE in English Language A, so we ask you to waive any language requirement.
___Forecasts for French Bac Series ES with OIB for(4 A levels with the equivalentU.K.. mark in brackets):
OIB English Literature British A levels: written: oral: (*)OIB History/Geog British A levels:written: oral: (*)

Mathematics A-level equivalent(with specialty): (*)Economics and Social Sciences A level equivalent (with specialty)

Philosophy(*)German/Spanish/Italian 2nd foreign language: (*) German/Spanish/Italian/Greek/Latin/Chinese 3rd foreign language: (*) Gym/Sports: (*)

Art/Music Option: (*)

___Tests taken at the end of 11th grad

French Literature: written: () oral: (*) Science: (*) Personal Research Project: (*)

___Overall weighted average: (* British A levels: A*, A, B, C )

(French research shows, roughly speaking, that among all 12th grade high school students, for those taking a general bac with OIB , above 14=top 4%, above 15=top 1%, above 16=top 0.5%, above 17= top 0.3%, above 18= top 0.1%)

*7=E 8=D 9=D+/C- 10=C 11=B-/C+ 12=B 13= A-/B+ 14= A, marks of 15 and above are all A* as the top six points in France are reserved for distinguishing between levels of achievements in this elite group. (see school and system profile enclosed)

student profile: Before preparing this reference, I consulted all of

* The above results are hereby certified accurate and complete. We will send further records as they become available.

Gregg West, English section coordinator for university applications abroad

(School and diploma profile on pages that follow):

C i t é S c o l a i r e I n t e r n a t i o n a l e

4 place de Sfax B.P. 1570

38012 Grenoble Cedex 1 F R A N C E

telephone : 33 4 38 12 25 00 fax : 33 4 38 12 25 20

counselor: Gregg West

A brief explanation of the French National Education system, its exams, and our own school profile

to help your university understand our candidates' applications

A system that focuses on qualifications

French high schools prepare students for a battery of exams administered by the university system called the Baccalaureat or BAC. There are several versions of these exams. Just under 80% of students who take the exams pass them, but they represent only about 61% of their age group, because 39% have opted for lower qualifications following orientation with a counsellor, or have attained no qualification. Among the 61% who get a BAC, just under half (28.5% of the age group) have studied for a degree which will allow them to enter professional life directly (vocational, technical and professional BACs), most often because they are not university material. The other half of these BAC recipients (32.4% of the age group) have obtained a general BAC, far more difficult academically, in one of three branches: scientific, literary and economic/social studies. Over 80% of those who take this exam pass it due to prior streaming and selection. The exam includes separate tests, each several hours long, in every subject area studied (please see "academic program" below). Scores are multiplied by coefficients, then added and averaged to get the overall score which must be above 10 out of 20 to pass. (see "grading system" below) (for example, on the literary Bac, French scores are multiplied by 9, Philosophy scores by 7 and science scores only by 2. In contrast, on the scientific Bac, Math scores are multiplied by 7, science scores by 6 and French by 4.)

A very heavy academic program

Whichever branch college-bound students opt for, all face a class schedule in high school with 28 hours MINIMUM of obligatory classes weekly in French, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Earth and Life Science, History and Geography, Physical Education, one foreign language, PLUS extra classes in Economics and Social Sciences, Extra math and science, or extra foreign languages, depending on their branch, as well as optional classes like music, dance, theatre, art, etc. exams (as opposed to vocational-technical high schools that prepare students for easier exams). All students have at least 8 subjects a week; many take options which add extra hours and work. In their senior year, all students are additionally required to take Philosophy. Compared with a British comprehensive school, these classes usually demand more of these students in terms of time in class, memory work, analysis and synthesis ability, reasoning, organisation, quantity of homework, and writing skills. Indeed, with school from 8 to 6 four days a week and half days on Wednesdays and Saturdays with several hours of homework every night, students who manage to do the work well deserve enormous credit. The material is studied here in substantial depth, much more like the work of university students in years 12 and 13. As a consequence, much course work itself can be considered as honours in every year.

International Exams

The "Option Internationale Baccalaureat" or International High School Graduation Exams (OIB exams) take place in June each year. The OIB was created by the French Ministry of Education in collaboration with Cambridge Assessment of Cambridge University (Admissions Testing Service) for bilingual high school students like those in our school. It aims at building a rich curriculum through teaching different languages and cultures within the context of the academic program of the French BAC. Variants of the OIB exist in a variety of languages. (N.B. There is no connection between the OIB and the IB or International Baccalaureat. The latter is overseen by the BAC of Geneva and, unlike the OIB, does not test a fully bilingual culture.)

Characteristics of the OIB

1. The OIB is an option and not a branch of study and is therefore open to students enrolled in the three branches of the general BAC. It means preparing for these exams in addition to all the general BAC exams.

2. The OIB option is an especially challenging diploma which requires two years of intense preparation. Students must follow the OIB courses in Years 12 and 13 to gain eligibility to present the international option at the BAC. Doing the OIB means adding 6 hours to the weekly schedules of the students described in the previous section (school profile.)

3. The OIB test is comprised of English, plus History and Geography combined. The History/Geography syllabus, however, is that of the French national curriculum, taught in both English and French, with a special British emphasis on themes and subject areas.

4. The OIB is equivalent to choosing three A levels in the British educational system in English literature, history and geography. This corresponds to an AP level or higher in these subjects. Only students with an excellent level in English (oral and written) are encouraged to present this option at the BAC, yet all of the students in our English section do so. Last year our success rate was 100%. The OIB is heavily weighted (coefficient 9-10 in English Literature and 7-9 in History/Geography), which contributes to the overall result of a student’s BAC.

5. The written OIB examination lasts four hours for English and four more for History/Geography. There is also an oral examination in each of the subjects. The choice of essay and oral questions, and the correction of these examinations, are overseen by Cambridge Assessment (Admissions Testing Service) in affiliation with the French Ministry of Education.

Grading

It is difficult to translate the French grading system into the British system. First, a grade in a vocational-technical program or a general BAC program does not at all mean the same thing. Second, a student studying the literary branch (chosen in 11th grade) has a much easier mathematics program to learn than one in social sciences whose math program is a bit easier than the scientific branch, while the French literature program for the literary branch is far heavier than that faced by students in the scientific branch. So, a student who gets quite a good grade in math or literature in a branch where that is not emphasized still may know far less about the subject than one whose grade was much lower but who has studied in a branch where the subject is developed more fully. Third, the higher general level of difficulty in classes, though substantiated by general statistics, is variable according to the subjects involved, and manifests itself differently depending on the quality of particular schools and the severity of particular teachers.

Students doing the challenging OIBprogram (International Option of the French Baccalaureat, which has nothing to do with the much less demanding IB, cannot be graded on the same scale as other students as their exams tests true bilingual and bicultural students with a much heavier class schedule (6 hours more a week) and large amounts of homework above and beyond all the normal bac subjects which they ALSO take exams for.

Conversions are based on comparing numerous statistics: average performance by our students who have gone abroad and returned or vice versa, SAT and IGCSE scores correlated to class grades and percentiles, French general Bac scores and percentages of students they represent, etc.

In grading, the French use a 20 point system where the top five points are given only to the exceptionally talented student for the general bac without OIB (and the top 6 points for the general bac with OIB), except in more subjective artistic disciplines. The bottom 4 points are usually given only to students who have done almost no work or are, unhappily, quite lost. Let it be clear that in the chart below we are referring to: a. general BAC students and b. a composite, average grade that might be awarded across the whole spectrum of subjects and branches, knowing that in one branch and subject area a "10", for example, might represent a higher standard of achievement than it would in another branch and subject area.

French grade
average, in
general bac branches / British equivalent, using grade average as an overall evaluator for non OIB Students / British
equivalent
for OIB students / Approximate ranking equivalent among all year 13 students based on a weighted average (including coefficients)
bac without OIB bac with OIB
0-6.99 / E / E / 0-30% ile / 0-48.8%ile
7-7.99 / E / D-/E+ / 30-48.8%ile / 50.0-59.9%ile
8-8.99 / D-/E+ / D / 50.0-59.9%ile / 60-69.9%ile
9-9.99 / D / C-/D+ / 60-69.9%ile / 70-77.9%ile
10-10.99 / C-/D+ / C / 70-77.9%ile / 78-84.9%ile
11-11.99 / C / B-/C+ / 78-84.9%ile / 85-89.9%ile
12-12.99 / B-/C+ / B / 85-89.9%ile / 90-92.9%ile
13-13.99 / B / A-/B+ / 90-92.9%ile / 93-95.9%ile
14-14.99 / A-/B+ / A / 93-95.9%ile / 96-98.9%ile
15-15.99 / A / A* / 96-98.9%ile / 99-99.49%ile
16-16.99 / A* / A* / 99-99.49%ile / 99.5-99.69%ile
17-17.99 / A* / A* / 99.5-99.69%ile / 99.7-99.89%ile
18-18.99 / A* / A* / 99.7-99.89%ile / 99.900-99.989%ile
19-19.99 / A* / A* / 99.900-99.989%ile / 99.990-99.999%ile
20 / A* / A* / 99.990-99.999%ile / over 99.999%ile

Class Ranking

In explanation of the percentiles used above, I should explain that the French system doesn't run comparative statistics for class ranking for some of the same reasons it is hard to translate French grades into the U.K. system. One can only compare a student to the 30 (or possibly if there are two classes in the same branch, taking the same OIB, 60) or so other students who take exactly the same program, not all those who are seniors in the same high school, and statistically, such a group is too small to make ranking very meaningful.

Nevertheless, it is clear that general BAC branches already exclude all the students who chose vocational-technical-professional BAC options and don't intend to pursue their education further after high school. Among students who chose a general BAC, students with an overall weighted average (considering the higher coefficients applied to subjects that are emphasized in each branch) of over 16 (who get a citation for "with highest distinction" or "très bien") would comprise about 4% of their class without OIB or 1.6% of their class with OIB, but in fact, compared with all high school seniors, this means they represent only 1% without OIB or 0.4% with OIB: above 99.5%ile. Adjusted this way, those getting from 14 -16 (with a citation of "with great distinction" or "bien") make up only about 7% in non-OIB or 3.35% in OIB (above 96.65.%ile ), and those receiving 12-14 (with the citation "honourable mention" or "assez bien") compose 15% in non OIB and only 10% in OIB (above 90%ile).

In Conclusion

We hope these explanations will help you interpret the performance of our students fairly. I remain at your disposal for any additional information you might wish to have.

Gregg West* English Section Coordinator for University Applications Abroad

*Gregg West only counsels part time, also teaching History and Geography, Business English, and Interpersonal Communications in the English section. He received his B.A. in Humanities in 1974, Magna Cum Laude, and a B.S. in Secondary Education with majors in English and History in 1978, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. A National Merit Finalist, member of Phi Beta Kappa, and Fulbright Assistant to France, Mr. West worked in Kansas schools for 4 years before moving to France where he has lived and worked since 1983.