Bac: the results, already known for the most part, delivered in a few hours

Most of the 740,000 candidates for the bac are already fixed, but in a few hours they will officially know their results, which could prove better than usual due to generous ratings this year, upset by the coronavirus crisis. From 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, high school students in Terminale will be able to consult their results online and sometimes by posting, in establishments that have managed to establish bearings in order to respect a physical distance. "I will look on the Internet then I will go to high school" , explains Hugo, in Terminale in Châtellerault (Vienne) who, in doubt, has revised for the remedial oral.

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This latest edition of the bac in its current form will have been completely new. Initially, the reform planned by Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer was to give pride of place to continuous monitoring from next year. The coronavirus epidemic will have precipitated things: this year, only counted the scores of the first and second trimesters for the delivery of the exam. Once these rules were known, it was enough for the high school students to take out their calculator and apply the correct coefficients to know if they had the bac on the first try (with an average higher than 10/20), the catch-up (with a between 08 and 10/20) or failed. Adèle, in Terminale S at Vaucresson (Hauts-de-Seine), did not plan to wake up on Tuesday. With "13/20 average approximately" , she is sure to have won the sesame. His only surprise will be the mention obtained. But "it will not change anything because I am already accepted in medical school next year ," said the girl, who feels "on vacation" for several weeks.

"Spirit of benevolence"

To prevent any student from being penalized by the closure of all schools in mid-March and the absence of a final exam, the ministry called for a "spirit of benevolence" . For example, annual averages have been rounded up. This is what allowed Pierre-Louis, in Terminale at Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine), to have seen his come back to 10 stack. "My main teacher told me that a priori it was good for me" , he reassures himself. Harmonization juries also had access to the students' marks, their assessments and the statistical elements of the lycées over the last three years, such as the results in the baccalaureate or the rate of mentions. Armed with this data, they could decide to “revalue the annual average” of a candidate. And, exceptionally, high school students who fail to catch up due to special circumstances (bereavement of a loved one, illness ...) will be able to retake the tests in September.

Several notes, entered manually, did not correspond to those written on the school books but were in fact much higher.

Has benevolence been taken to the extreme for this exceptional edition? This is what many teachers noted during the harmonization juries, according to Sophie Vénétitay, from Snes-FSU, the first secondary union. "Several notes, entered manually, did not correspond to those written on the school books but were in fact much higher," she says. A small internal kitchen practiced by establishments wishing not to harm their students, for this session upset by the coronavirus crisis. "Several high schools have excessively inflated the grades of their students," also reports a philosophy teacher from the Lyon region, who participated in a jury.

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In the entourage of Jean-Michel Blanquer, it is estimated that this scenario could have occurred "very punctually" . To remedy this, "juries were instructed to stick to the notes that appear in the school books," he explains. It remains to be seen whether these small arrangements, if they have taken place, will vary the success rate this year. "I do not expect a huge difference upon arrival," said Philippe Vincent, secretary general of SNPDEN, the first union of school leaders. "Maybe a few more points than usual ..." Last year 77.7% of the candidates were received immediately (before a final success rate of 88%). The success rate before the oral exams must be known Tuesday evening.