European Baccalaureate Language 1 Advanced cheat sheet

The written Baccalaureate comprises five examinations; Language 1, Language 2 and Mathematics are compulsory for every candidate, and the remaining two come from the candidate's option set.

Written papers are graded on a 0-10 scale per subject (in 0.5 steps in most subjects); a mark below 5 is a fail in that subject but does not by itself block the diploma.

Language 1 written paper tests literary and non-literary response: typically a commentary or essay on an unseen or seen text plus a question on the prescribed works; answers must be in the target language.

Language 2 written paper assesses comprehension and production (text response, guided writing, grammar/lexis tasks) at B2-level expectations of the L2 framework; dictionaries are not permitted unless the subject grid says otherwise.

Mathematics written paper is tiered by course level (3, 5, 7 or 8 periods): the 3-period paper is shorter and more applied, the 5- and 7-period papers add proof, analysis and abstract algebra content.

Each written paper is marked by external examiners against European Schools marking grids; the subject working group sets the paper and the marking scheme centrally, so past-paper structure is stable across schools.

Duration scales with the weighting of the subject: L1 and L2 papers normally run 4 hours (plus reading time), Mathematics 4 hours at 5/7 periods and shorter at 3 periods; check the current year's subject grid.

Written papers count for the largest share of the final Baccalaureate mark; the Preliminary mark and orals together cannot compensate for a written failure above the compensation limits.

Three oral examinations are taken; Language 1 is compulsory, and either Language 2 or a non-linguistic subject taught through L2 must be one of the other two orals.

An oral is prepared in a fixed preparation room (usually 20-30 minutes) from material the candidate draws at random, then presented and defended before two examiners in about 20 minutes.

Language 1 oral: candidate prepares a commentary on an unseen text or on a prescribed work, then answers examiner questions; assessment covers content, structure, language accuracy and interaction.

Language 2 oral: preparation of a document or topic followed by presentation and discussion; the level expected corresponds to the L2 syllabus (typically B2 for the oral interaction).

Non-linguistic subject taught through L2 (e.g. History, Geography, Economics, Biology in L2 section): the oral is conducted in L2 and assesses subject content, not language as such, though clarity in L2 matters.

At least one examiner must be external to the school for each oral; the pair of examiners agrees a single mark on the 0-10 scale using the European Schools oral grid.

The candidate may not bring prepared notes into the preparation room beyond the authorised reference material specified by the subject working group; dictionaries are allowed only where the grid permits.

Oral marks feed directly into the final Baccalaureate total alongside written and preliminary marks; a weak oral in a compulsory language cannot be dropped.

The Preliminary mark is the school-based component of the Baccalaureate, built from s7 A marks (formative, continuous assessment) and B marks (summative tests and the Pre-Baccalaureate examinations).

A marks are awarded across the year for classwork, homework, oral participation and short assessments; they are recorded per subject and averaged into the Preliminary mark.

B marks come from the Pre-Baccalaureate examinations held in the second part of s7, sat under exam conditions and marked by the subject teachers against the same grids used for the Bac.

The Preliminary mark is expressed on the 0-10 scale per subject (with 0.5 steps) and is combined with the written and oral Bac marks according to the subject weighting in the assessment grid.

A marks and B marks are not equally weighted in every subject; the subject grid sets the proportion, and the Pre-Baccalaureate B marks usually carry the larger share of the Preliminary mark.

Pre-Baccalaureate examinations are compulsory and count in every subject the candidate presents; absence must be justified, otherwise the B mark is recorded as 0 for that paper.

The Preliminary mark is fixed before the written Bac session and cannot be revised afterwards; appeals on A/B marks must be lodged through the school's internal procedure before the deadline.

A failing Preliminary mark in a subject can be compensated by strong written/oral marks only within the compensation rules of the European Schools Baccalaureate.