Bac A4 Burkina Faso common mistakes
Bac A4 Burkina Faso · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In philosophy, the candidate writes a general essay on the topic (e.g. freedom) without first defining the terms and formulating the problem as a tension between two opposing theses, then jumps straight to personal opinion in the introduction.
Memorised essay templates and model introductions are rehearsed in class, so the candidate reproduces a ready-made plan instead of working out the specific problem posed by the wording. The introduction is treated as a formality rather than the place where the problem is built.
What to do instead
Train on a fixed introduction routine: define each key term, show why the naive answer is unsatisfying, and state the problem as a question with two opposed answers. Practise on ten different subjects, spending 15 minutes only on introductions, and have the teacher check that the problem is genuinely posed before any drafting begins.
In philosophy, the candidate quotes authors and doctrines (Plato, Descartes, Kant) as authorities to settle the question, or lists them as a catalogue, instead of using them as arguments to be examined and possibly criticised.
Revision is done by memorising author-doctrine pairs, and the candidate believes that naming more authors earns marks. There is little practice in explaining the reasoning inside a doctrine or in saying what it contributes to the specific problem.
What to do instead
For each author studied, require a three-sentence card: the thesis, the argument supporting it, and one objection. In essays, ban any reference not followed by an explanation of how it advances the argument, and practise rewriting author-listing paragraphs into argumentative ones.
In Français, the candidate produces a dissertation or commentary that paraphrases the text or narrates its content, with no thesis line, no analysis of literary devices, and no link between form and meaning.
The candidate reads for plot and treats the text as a document to summarise. Classroom time is often spent on content and authors rather than on the method of commenting on a passage, so the habit of analysing style is never built.
What to do instead
Impose the discipline of a thesis sentence in the introduction and a device-plus-effect formula for every quotation (name the device, quote precisely, explain the effect on the reader). Do weekly one-paragraph commentaries on a short passage, always answering 'how does the form produce the meaning?'.
In Français, the candidate misreads the wording of the subject (confusing 'discuter', 'commenter' and 'analyser', or ignoring the constraints such as a required genre, register or length), and writes off-topic.
Under time pressure, the candidate skims the subject and starts writing from the first association. The different verbs used in examination subjects are not explicitly taught as instructions with different expected outputs.
What to do instead
Practise a two-minute decoding step: underline the key verb, the object, any constraint, and write a one-line paraphrase of the task before planning. Build a reference table of subject verbs with the expected structure for each, and do timed off-topic drills where the plan alone is marked.
In Anglais, the candidate writes the essay or answers comprehension questions in long French-influenced sentences, translating word for word from French and confusing tenses and prepositions.
Writing is done by translating mentally from French rather than from learned English patterns, and there is little practice in fixed expressions, connectors and tense contrast. The candidate has passive knowledge but no active repertoire of sentence frames.
What to do instead
Memorise a bank of sentence frames and connectors and practise timed paragraphs using them. Do systematic tense contrast drills (present perfect versus simple past, future forms) and require self-correction of a checklist of typical calques before submission.
In Histoire-Géographie, the candidate answers with a narrative of events or a list of facts, without a structured plan, without dates and precise vocabulary, and without using documents or maps where the subject provides them.
Revision is fact-recall oriented and the candidate has not internalised the difference between a history explanation (causes, actors, consequences) and a geography answer (spatial organisation, scales, actors). Document analysis is under-practised.
What to do instead
Use a fixed plan template for each discipline (history: context, actors and causes, unfolding, consequences; geography: scales, spatial organisation, actors and issues). Require every paragraph to carry at least one precise date or figure and one explicit reference to a document, and practise document analysis weekly.
In Mathématiques, the candidate jumps to calculation without checking conditions of application (domain of validity, hypotheses of a theorem, sign of quantities) and loses marks on unjustified steps and missing conclusions.
Drill practice rewards getting the answer, so reasoning is written as a rough sketch. The candidate has memorised theorem statements but not their conditions, and does not treat justification as part of the answer.
What to do instead
Enforce a written protocol: state the hypotheses before applying a theorem, justify each transformation, and end with an explicit conclusion sentence. Mark past papers against a reasoning checklist, and redo any exercise where a condition was omitted even if the final answer was right.
In Sciences physiques, the candidate writes numerical results without units, with wrong significant figures, or with a formula applied without identifying the system and the quantities involved; in chemistry, equations are left unbalanced.
The candidate focuses on the number and treats units and balancing as decoration. Laboratory-style verification is rare, so there is no habit of checking dimensional consistency or atom counts.
What to do instead
Adopt a systematic layout: data with units, formula, substitution, result with unit and correct precision, and a sentence interpreting the value. Balance every equation and count atoms explicitly. Do short drills where only units and balancing are marked.
In Sciences de la vie et de la Terre, the candidate describes observations without linking them to a biological or geological mechanism, confuses the roles of structures (e.g. in genetics, photosynthesis or plate tectonics), and draws diagrams without labels or scale.
Learning is done by memorising diagrams and vocabulary lists rather than causal chains. The candidate reproduces a figure from the textbook without understanding what it is meant to demonstrate.
What to do instead
Practise building causal chains in writing ('structure X performs function Y, which produces effect Z') and require every diagram to be labelled and accompanied by a caption stating what it shows. Use past-paper questions that ask for reasoning from documents rather than recall.
In the second foreign language, the candidate relies on French or English cognates and false friends, produces literal translations, and answers oral or written comprehension questions by copying whole sentences from the text rather than reformulating.
The second language is studied with less time and exposure than the first, so the candidate falls back on the stronger languages. Comprehension is treated as locating words rather than constructing meaning.
What to do instead
Build a personal false-friends and collocation list per language and test it regularly. For comprehension, practise answering in one's own words with a word limit, and do short regular translation both ways to expose interference from French and English.
In Éducation physique et sportive, the candidate neglects the written and theoretical component and, in practical assessment, chooses a performance strategy that ignores pacing and rules, or cannot explain the technical and tactical choices made.
The subject is perceived as purely physical, so theory and self-analysis are ignored. In performance, the candidate goes all out early or imitates others rather than managing effort against the assessment criteria.
What to do instead
Treat the written part as a real subject: revise physiology, rules and training principles with the same method as other disciplines. In practical preparation, rehearse pacing and tactics in timed conditions and practise writing a short post-performance analysis linking choices to results.