🇫🇷 France ​
This page describes how schools in France grade pupils, from the first year of primary school (year 1, about age 6–7) to the end of upper secondary, and how to build the same system in MarkBook. Back to Find Your Country.
Check the current rules
This description comes from public sources (ministry pages, national laws, Eurydice) read in October 2026. Rules change with reforms, and schools often have local rules. Check the current official text for anything your school reports to the ministry.
How pupils are graded ​
Before year 1: École maternelle (ages 3-6, compulsory from age 3 since 2019) has no marks; a 'carnet de suivi des apprentissages' and an end-of-maternelle synthesis describe progress in words.
| Years | Stage | Scale | Pass | Recipe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | École élémentaire, cycles 2-3 (primary: CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2) | 4 levels of achievement of learning objectives in the periodic report (bilan périodique); no official marks | No pass mark; 'atteints' is the expected level | Words |
| 6-9 | Collège (lower secondary: 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e) | 0-20 marks in practice (20 best); no regulation fixes the scale. The periodic report may also use an alphanumeric code or a 4-level scale | 10/20 by convention (DNB is awarded at 10/20) | Number columns |
| 10-12 | Lycée général et technologique (upper secondary: seconde, première, terminale) | 0-20 (20 best) | 10/20 (baccalauréat overall average) | Number columns |
Values in École élémentaire, cycles 2-3 (primary: CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2)
| Value | Local word | English |
|---|---|---|
| Non atteints | Objectifs non atteints | Not achieved |
| Partiellement atteints | Objectifs partiellement atteints | Partly achieved |
| Atteints | Objectifs atteints | Achieved |
| Dépassés | Objectifs dépassés | Exceeded |
Values in Collège (lower secondary: 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e)
| Value | Local word | English |
|---|---|---|
| 0-20 | note sur 20 | mark out of 20 |
The year. Usually three trimesters with a class council (conseil de classe) and report card (bulletin) at the end of each; many collèges and lycées choose two semesters instead. Reports are in the digital Livret scolaire unique (LSU) from CP to 3e, and the livret scolaire du lycée in première and terminale.
Averages and rounding. No national rule for period averages. Teachers' software computes a weighted mean of marks per subject (each test has a coefficient chosen by the teacher), then a general average across subjects. No official minimum number of marks. Bac continuous assessment uses the annual averages from the première and terminale bulletins.
Passing the year. No automatic pass mark. The class council proposes promotion, orientation or repetition; the head of school decides; families may appeal to a commission chaired by the academy inspector. Repetition is exceptional (decree 2018-119) and needs written consent; in 3e it cannot be proposed. Primary: the teachers' council proposes; parents can contest within 15 days.
Conduct. No official conduct mark now; the collège 'note de vie scolaire' was removed in the 2016 reform (not confirmed by the sources opened here). Behaviour appears in teachers' written comments and class-council mentions (encouragements, compliments, félicitations, or warnings) — these mentions are local practice.
Differences between regions or school types. National system; little regional variation. Schools choose trimesters or semesters, and how the periodic positioning is shown (marks, codes or levels). Overseas departments follow the same rules.
Common practice that is not official. Marks out of 20 in collège are general practice, not regulation. Some collèges run 'classes sans notes' with competence colours (red/orange/yellow/green) mapped to the 4 socle levels. Teachers often mark tests on other totals (/10, /40) and convert to /20; test coefficients are chosen by the teacher. None of this is official.
National exams.
- DiplĂ´me national du brevet (DNB) (year 9 (3e)): 0-20 average; pass at 10/20
- Baccalauréat général / technologique (year 11-12 (1re, Tle)): 0-20; pass at average ≥10/20
- Baccalauréat professionnel / CAP (year 10-12): 0-20; pass ≥10
Words you will meet ​
note (mark), moyenne (average), trimestre / semestre (term), bulletin (report card), livret scolaire unique (digital record), conseil de classe (class council), appréciation (written comment), mention (honours)
Set it up in MarkBook ​
Primary (CP-CM2): a 4-level descriptor scale (Non atteints=1, Partiellement atteints=2, Atteints=3, Dépassés=4), one column per objective per trimester, no average. Collège and lycée: a numeric 0-20 scale, step 0.5, pass 10. Per trimester (or semester): test columns each with a coefficient; the period subject average is the weighted mean, shown to 2 decimals. Annual subject average = mean of the period averages (or of all marks, school choice). End of 6e and 3e: a 4-level socle scale (insuffisante/fragile/satisfaisante/très bonne) for the 8 socle components. 3e: an annual average per subject feeds the DNB 40% part. 1re/Tle: annual averages feed the bac continuous assessment.
The scales, ready to copy ​
These are the scales as MarkBook shows them in the scale editor. Build yours with the same grades, descriptions and weights. Each scale links to the recipe that explains it on Set Up Any Grading System.
France · Words ​
Judgement scale for years 1-5 (École élémentaire, cycles 2-3 (primary: CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2)). Build it in Configuration → Assessment → Judgement scales. Recipe: Words instead of marks.
| Grade | Description | Weight | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dépassés | Objectifs dépassés · Exceeded | 4 | yes |
| Atteints | Objectifs atteints · Achieved | 3 | yes |
| Partiellement attein | Objectifs partiellement atteints · Partly achieved | 2 | no |
| Non atteints | Objectifs non atteints · Not achieved | 1 | no |
Before you rely on this page ​
Confidence: high
Exact bac continuous-assessment subject list and coefficients not opened (education.gouv.fr returned 403). The removal of the note de vie scolaire and any reintroduction was not confirmed. Plans (2024-2025) to make the DNB a requirement for entering seconde were not confirmed; Eurydice says it is not required. The 'groupes de besoins' reform (2024) in 6e/5e changed grouping, not grading.
Sources (4)
- Eurydice France: Assessment in primary education (official)
- Eurydice France: Évaluation dans l'enseignement secondaire inférieur général (official)
- Eurydice France: Assessment in general upper secondary education (official)
- education.gouv.fr: Comment calculer votre note au baccalauréat (via search summary; direct fetch blocked) (official)