European Baccalaureate Latin

Five written examinations and three oral examinations. Language 1, Language 2 and Mathematics are compulsory written papers. For the oral examinations you must take Language 1, Language 2, or a subject taught through Language 2, namely History or Geography. In practice you must therefore show written and oral proficiency in at least two languages.

Half of the final mark is a preliminary mark awarded at the end of s7, reflecting formative assessment and the summative pre-Baccalaureate examinations held during the year. The other half comes from the Baccalaureate examinations: the five written papers account for 35% of that half and the three oral examinations for 15%. The pass mark overall is 5 out of 10.

Every written and oral examination is marked by your own teacher and by an external examiner, and the final mark is the average of the two. If the two marks differ by more than two points, a third external corrector analyses both corrections and sets a final mark somewhere between the highest and the lowest of the two.

Each examination covers the entire s7 syllabus of that subject, and it also assesses the competences, meaning knowledge, skills and attitudes, acquired in earlier years, especially in s6. Do not treat s6 material as finished business: revision of it is legitimately examinable content, so build it into your revision plan rather than cramming only s7 topics.

It is criteria-referenced. Your attainment is measured against the learning objectives and required competences defined in the syllabus for that subject, not against the performance of other candidates. The inspectorate issues assessment and marking guidelines for both oral and written examinations, so ask your teacher to show you the criteria used in your subjects.

A marks record formative assessment: attention in class, quality of participation, regularity and consistency of work in class and at home, initiative and autonomy, short progress tests or oral questioning, and noted progress. B marks are summative and come from the term or semester pre-Baccalaureate examinations, held under formal conditions and time constraints. Both feed into the preliminary mark.

The published source page does not set out a retake policy, so no answer can be given here with confidence. Ask your school's Baccalaureate coordinator or the Office of the Secretary-General directly, and check the European Baccalaureate Regulations in the official texts, before making any decision that depends on a second session.

History and Geography are taught through a language different from your dominant language, either French, English or German, and they can never be taken in Language 1. That is why History or Geography taught through Language 2 is an accepted compulsory oral examination: it lets you demonstrate oral proficiency in your second language through subject content.

Start from the syllabuses for your five written and three oral subjects and check the assessment criteria in each. Because half the final mark is earned during s7, keep classwork and the pre-Baccalaureate examinations strong throughout the year. Rehearse oral answers aloud in the language of the examination, and revise s6 competences alongside the s7 syllabus.

Neglecting the preliminary mark: it is 50% of the final result and is built from daily work and the pre-Baccalaureate examinations, so a weak year cannot be rescued by the June session alone. The second frequent error is preparing only s7 content, although each examination also assesses competences acquired earlier, especially in s6.