Recently, the decision was made to cancel end of year baccalauréat written exams for high school and college students in France. The decision will also be affecting students in Monaco. Instead, end of term grades will be determined by other means.
Monaco’s Interior Minister, Patrice Cellario, confirmed the decision during a telephone press conference. Faced with the difficulty of organizing written exams in the current context, many students will receive a calculated grade based on their average grades obtained over the semester.
Oral exams will be maintained for first year pupils. The exam will probably take place at the end of June or beginning of July. The number of prepared texts will be lowered, from 20 to 15 in general, and down to 12 in technical.
According to the Interior Minister, for the sake of fairness, the calculated grades will not take into account the self-isolation period. Attendance after the self-isolation period is over will also be taken into account, assuming courses will be resumed in the near future. The Interior Minister hopes that the health crisis will be over soon so that classes can be resumed without any health risks.
For pupils who will be taking their Bac exam in 2021, February exams are still on the agenda, and May’s exams will also be replaced by an average grade.
To help teachers reach fair results for their students, an exam jury will be created. For students whose averages do not allow them to graduate (between 8 and 10 out of 20), catch-up exams will remain on schedule, in July.
Finally, the Interior Minister confirmed that summer holidays will continue as planned, saying that it is important for students to have time off. Considering the difficult circumstances, many students have accepted the decision as fair.
