Lebanese Baccalaureate - Literature & Humanities (LH) common mistakes
Lebanese Baccalaureate - Literature & Humanities (LH) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In the Arabic essay (ta'bir), the candidate writes a general introduction about 'the importance of the topic in our modern age' and only states the thesis in the last line of the introduction or not at all.
School drilling rewards long, ornate openings (khutbat al-matla') and students imitate rhetorical prose models without being taught that an exam introduction must announce the problem and the plan.
What to do instead
Practise a fixed three-sentence opening: (1) a precise statement of the problem in one sentence, (2) the thesis you will defend, (3) the plan (two or three points). Draft the plan first, then write the introduction to match it.
In Arabic grammar (i'rab), the candidate parses a word by naming its function ('mubtada'', 'maf'ul bihi') but omits the case ending and the reason for it, or gives the ending without the function.
Students memorise labels separately from endings, and under time pressure they produce only the half they remember; teachers often accept partial answers in class.
What to do instead
Use a fixed two-part template for every parsed word: function + case/mood + sign and its justification (e.g., 'maf'ul bihi mansub wa-'alamat nasbihi al-fatha al-zahira'). Apply it to ten words per practice text until it is automatic.
In Arabic rhetoric (balagha), the candidate identifies a figure by naming it (e.g., 'isti'ara') without explaining the image it creates or its effect on meaning, or labels any comparison a 'tashbih'.
Rhetorical terms are learned as a vocabulary list to be matched to examples; the analytical purpose of the figure (why the writer chose it) is never practised.
What to do instead
For each figure, write a two-part answer: identify it, then state what is transferred to what and what quality or effect results. Practise distinguishing tashbih (explicit comparison with a particle) from isti'ara (metaphor with the particle suppressed) on the same sentence pair.
In French or English text comprehension, the candidate copies a whole sentence from the text as the answer to a question asking for a reformulation ('expliquez avec vos propres mots', 'in your own words'), or answers a yes/no question with only 'yes'/'no'.
Copying feels safe and saves time, and students do not realise that reformulation and justification are separately marked criteria.
What to do instead
Train the rule: quote only when the question says 'citez/quote'; otherwise paraphrase and add the line reference. For yes/no items, always add 'because...' with a reason drawn from the text. Time yourself at one minute per item to break the copying habit.
In the foreign-language written expression section, the candidate writes a long narrative or personal anecdote instead of the required text type (letter, article, argumentative essay) and ignores the word limit and the stated audience.
Students prepare one memorised story and reuse it regardless of the prompt, and they do not read the task instructions carefully under exam pressure.
What to do instead
Before writing, underline the task words (type of text, audience, purpose, word count) and write a three-line plan in the margin. Learn the conventions of each text type (salutation and closing for a letter, headline and standfirst for an article, thesis and counter-argument for an essay).
In philosophy, the candidate writes a 'catalogue' essay that lists the views of several philosophers one after another without a thesis, and ends with a vague personal opinion ('in my opinion both are right').
Revision is organised by author rather than by problem, so the exam answer reproduces the revision notes instead of answering the question asked.
What to do instead
Reorganise revision around problems (freedom vs determinism, knowledge and experience, justice). In the exam, write a one-sentence thesis, then use each philosopher as an argument for or against it, and close with a defended position, not a compromise.
In history, the candidate narrates events in strict chronological order with dates but never explains causes, consequences, or the link between them, and confuses similar periods or events (e.g., 1948 and 1967 wars, or the 1860 and 1975 Lebanese conflicts).
Chronological narration is the easiest structure to produce from memory, and dates are memorised as isolated facts without a causal map.
What to do instead
Build a cause-consequence table for each unit (trigger, actors, short-term outcome, long-term outcome) and answer essay questions with that structure. Make a dated timeline with one line of significance per event, and drill the pairs you confuse side by side.
In geography, the candidate describes a map or document ('the map shows mountains and a river') without interpreting it, and gives no located examples or figures when asked to explain a spatial phenomenon.
Map work is treated as description rather than analysis, and students lack a mental map of regions, so they cannot supply located examples.
What to do instead
Use a fixed reading grid for every document: what is shown, where, at what scale, what pattern, what explanation. Memorise a small set of anchor examples (one per continent and per Lebanese region) with figures, and practise writing one interpretive sentence per document before answering.
In sociology and economics, the candidate defines a concept by example only ('inflation is when prices go up') or confuses related concepts (growth vs development, socialisation vs acculturation), and uses no data or authors in the essay.
Definitions are memorised as one-line slogans, and the course's authors and indicators are revised passively rather than used in writing.
What to do instead
For each key concept, write a card with a formal definition, a distinguishing criterion from its neighbour concept, one example, and one author or indicator. In essays, open each paragraph with the definition and support it with a figure or a named author.
In mathematics for the literary track, the candidate substitutes numbers into a formula before checking units and conditions (percentages, compound interest, proportionality, statistics), or gives a numerical answer with no sentence of interpretation.
The formula is memorised without its conditions of use, and the 'word problem' is treated as an arithmetic exercise rather than a modelling task.
What to do instead
Adopt a four-step routine for every problem: identify the quantities and units, state the formula and check its conditions, compute, then write one sentence interpreting the result in the context. Practise percentage increase vs decrease and simple vs compound interest side by side.