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France Administers First Nationwide Anticipatory Maths Bac for Première Students

Designed to test basic calculation and problem‑solving skills, the two‑hour no‑calculator exam will be reported to Parcoursup as part of a drive to raise math standards.

Overview

  • More than 500,000 première general and technological pupils sat the new mathematics paper on June 12, 2026, a two‑hour test without calculators that combined a multiple‑choice calculation section and two to three independent exercises.
  • Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the result will appear on Parcoursup and that the test is the first national measure to attest première pupils’ maths level.
  • Students and teachers told reporters the paper felt broadly manageable with simple mental calculations, but some warned the calculator ban and time pressure could increase stress and errors.
  • A dispute over regional‑language use surfaced when some Basque‑immersion pupils reportedly answered in Basque, provoking the minister’s public disapproval while rules on regional‑language specialities remain scheduled only from 2028 with implementing texts due this summer.
  • Pushed by the government’s 'choc des savoirs' response to a sharp PISA decline in maths, the anticipatory exam carries coefficient 2 for the bac and will not replace the separate terminale maths speciality exam that some students will still take next year.