European Baccalaureate Physics

Candidates are pupils completing year s7 of the European Baccalaureate cycle, which comprises the last two years of secondary education (s6 and s7) in a European School or in a school accredited by the Board of Governors. The examinations are held at the end of s7 and the diploma is awarded by the Secretary-General on behalf of the Board of Governors.

The preliminary mark obtained at the end of s7 accounts for 50% of the final mark and reflects the formative and summative assessment carried out by teachers during that year, including the pre-Baccalaureate examinations. The other 50% comes from the double-corrected written and oral examinations, with the five written papers accounting for 35% of that part and the three oral examinations for 15%.

The overall pass mark for the European Baccalaureate is 5 out of 10, equivalent to 50 out of 100. Because half the final mark is already fixed by the s7 preliminary mark, a weak examination session cannot always be offset later, so consistent daily work during s7 matters as much as examination performance.

Every written and oral examination is subject to double correction by the candidate's own teachers and by external examiners, and the final mark is the average of the two marks. If the disagreement exceeds two points, a third external corrector analyses both corrections and sets a final mark between the highest and the lowest of the two.

L1, L2 and mathematics are compulsory written examinations. For the oral examinations, L1, L2 or a subject taught through L2, namely history or geography, are compulsory. Candidates must therefore demonstrate both written and oral proficiency in at least two languages, so plan your revision to keep both languages active throughout the year.

Each examination covers the entire s7 syllabus of the corresponding subject, but it also assesses the competences of knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired in earlier years, especially in s6. Revision should therefore not be limited to the final year: revisit s6 material and check that you can still apply it to unfamiliar problems.

The core curriculum is compulsory, and options and complementary subjects complete the subject package to a minimum of 31 and a maximum of 35 periods per week. Some choices carry conditions, for example advanced mathematics can only be taken together with mathematics at 5 periods, and laboratory subjects should only be taken alongside the corresponding 4-period subject.

Assessment is criteria referenced, measuring attainment against the learning objectives defined in each syllabus, and it is both formative and summative. Formative "A marks" reflect daily work such as participation, consistency, initiative and short tests, while summative "B marks" come from term or semester pre-Baccalaureate examinations held under examination conditions and time constraints.

Start from the s7 syllabus of every subject you will sit and map each topic to the competences it tests, then revisit s6 material that examinations may also assess. Practise written papers under time constraints and rehearse oral explanations in the language of the examination, since oral proficiency in at least two languages is compulsory.

The Office of the Secretary-General publishes the examination timetable for each session, a handbook of information and advice for pupils entering the Baccalaureate cycle, and the European Baccalaureate Regulations among the official texts. Equivalence and university admission documents are also listed there. This page is independent study material and is not affiliated with the European Schools.