Bac Blanc Orals Start Tomorrow

TODAY DURING A break I went to the Place Bermond in Sophia to have a bit of lunch and play a game I made up called "Who doesn't smoke over here?" Anyway, I needed some time to prepare for my first baccalauréat oral exam as an examiner. This, of course, is a foreign concept to a kid like me from the States. In the French system, students complete what is called a baccalauréat -- a series of 2-4 hour exams and 15-20 minute oral exams (in each class!) at the end of their Terminal year. These exams are crucial for them as they attempt to get into the universities they want. The students at the CIV have a remarkably good record on these exams, with many scoring in the top 5 percent nationally. The oral exam that I am giving over the next three weeks is 'bac blanc' or 'practice' test. Basically, it will work like this:

Students have signed up for 20 minute slots on Wednesday afternoons. When they arrive they will pick a question from a list of 40 that have been prepared by the OIB program coordinators in Paris. They will then have 20 mintes to prepare -- in a separate room with no notes -- a 5 minute oral presentation on that topic. After the 5 minute presentation I will ask them other questions about the program for 15 minutes. During this oral exam, another student from their class will be observing (just the three of us in a big room).

From my point of view it's really just a 20 minute conversation with my students about everything we have covered this year -- basically US and European foreign and domestic policy since 1945. Somehow I don't think the students view that way. Although this is just the bac blanc, it is counted as a large part of their grade for the trimester.

And for me, this is also a 'practice' test of sorts because in June I will travel to Paris with some colleagues from the CIV to administer the real oral exam to students from one of our schools in Paris. I've got to be ready too.
CJS