Luxembourg Bac Classique key terms

The status of Luxembourgish as the country's national language and the language of administration and law, alongside French and German; candidates must know which official texts and everyday contexts use it.

Luxembourg's official trilingualism in Luxembourgish, French and German, reflected in school language progression and public administration; exam tasks may ask which language is used in which institutional setting.

The staged language plan of Luxembourgish schools: Luxembourgish in pre-school, German literacy from cycle 2, French from cycle 2.2, and English later; questions often test the timing and rationale of each switch.

Initial literacy instruction, in Luxembourg carried out in German script and sound-symbol correspondences; candidates should distinguish it from oral Luxembourgish practice and from later French literacy.

Alternating between languages within a conversation or lesson, common in Luxembourgish classrooms and media; exam items ask candidates to identify functions such as clarifying, quoting or signalling group membership.

The level of formality of language use, from familiar to formal, shaped by vocabulary, syntax and address forms; French and German composition tasks reward consistent register and appropriate vous/Sie or du/du choices.

Structuring a written or oral argument with thesis, supporting reasons, evidence and rebuttal; assessed in French, German and English essays and in Luxembourgish oral examinations through coherence and use of connectors.

A structured written analysis of a literary or non-literary extract covering context, structure, style and interpretation; French and German papers expect a clear introduction, developed body and synthesising conclusion.

A deliberate rhetorical device such as metaphor, anaphora, hyperbole or antithesis, identified and interpreted in literary commentary; candidates must name the device and explain its effect rather than merely label it.

The narrative viewpoint from which a story is told, such as first-person, omniscient or limited third-person; German and Luxembourgish literature questions ask how perspective shapes information and reader sympathy.

Extracting main ideas, details and speaker stance from recorded speech in English, French or German; exam tasks typically involve note-taking, true/false justification or short answers under time pressure.

Locating explicit information and inferring meaning, tone and purpose from a written text; candidates should practise justifying answers with quotations rather than relying on general knowledge.

Condensing a source text into its central claims in one's own words, preserving order and proportion and omitting examples; assessed for accuracy, concision and avoidance of copied phrasing.

Correct spelling according to French, German or English conventions, including accents, capitalisation of German nouns and English homophones; spelling errors are penalised in written papers across languages.

The rule system of a language covering tense, agreement, case, word order and sentence structure; grammar exercises and accuracy in production are marked in French, German, English and Luxembourgish papers.

A rule assigning exactly one output value to each permitted input value; candidates must handle domain, range, composition, inverse functions and graphical interpretation, including asymptotic behaviour near excluded values.

The instantaneous rate of change of a function, defined as a limit of difference quotients and interpreted as tangent slope; used for monotonicity, extrema, tangents and optimisation problems.

The value a function or sequence approaches as the input or index tends to a point or infinity; needed for continuity, asymptotes, convergence of sequences and the definition of the derivative.

The signed area under a curve between two bounds, computed via antiderivatives using the fundamental theorem of calculus; applied to areas between curves and accumulated quantities.

A quantity with magnitude and direction, represented by coordinates or an arrow, supporting addition, scalar multiplication and dot product; used in geometry, forces and motion problems.

A scalar obtained from two vectors by summing products of corresponding coordinates, equal to the product of magnitudes and the cosine of the angle between them; used to test perpendicularity and compute angles.

An algebraic description of a straight line in the plane or in space, such as slope-intercept, general or parametric form; candidates convert between forms and solve intersection problems.

The probability of an event given that another event has occurred, computed as the joint probability divided by the conditioning probability; underpins tree diagrams and Bayes-type reasoning.

The long-run average value of a random variable, found by summing each outcome multiplied by its probability; interpreted as a fair-game or expected-gain criterion in applied problems.

The distribution of the number of successes in a fixed number of independent trials with constant success probability; candidates use its formula, mean and variance and recognise when its assumptions hold.

The three laws relating force, mass and acceleration and stating action-reaction pairing and inertia; applied to free-body diagrams, inclined planes, pulleys and friction problems.

The sum of kinetic and potential energy of a system, conserved when only conservative forces act; used to solve motion problems without integrating forces over time.

Motion with constant acceleration, described by kinematic equations linking velocity, displacement, acceleration and time; typical tasks involve free fall, braking distances and projectile components.

The relation stating that current through a conductor is proportional to voltage across it and inversely proportional to resistance; used in series and parallel circuit analysis and in experimental graphs.

The dynamic state in which forward and reverse reaction rates are equal and concentrations remain constant; candidates interpret equilibrium constants and predict shifts using Le Chatelier's principle.

The description of acids as proton donors and bases as proton acceptors, with pH measuring hydrogen-ion concentration; used in titration calculations, buffer reasoning and neutralisation equations.

The amount of substance containing Avogadro's number of particles, linking mass, molar mass and gas volume; central to stoichiometric calculations, limiting reagents and concentration problems.

Two forms of cell division: mitosis produces genetically identical cells for growth, while meiosis halves chromosome number and generates variation through crossing-over and independent assortment; compared in genetics questions.

Inheritance patterns based on dominant and recessive alleles, segregation and independent assortment; candidates solve pedigree and test-cross problems and distinguish genotype from phenotype ratios.

The double-stranded molecule storing genetic information through base sequences, replicated before division and transcribed into RNA; questions cover structure, mutation and protein synthesis.

The light-driven conversion of carbon dioxide and water into organic matter and oxygen in chloroplasts; examined through balanced equations, limiting factors and links to respiration.

The transition from agrarian to mechanised production beginning in eighteenth-century Britain, spreading to the continent; candidates analyse causes, social consequences and the Belgian-Luxembourg steel context.

The post-1945 geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union expressed through alliances, arms races, proxy wars and ideology; examined through key crises and their consequences for Europe.

The 1957 treaties establishing the European Economic Community and Euratom among six states including the Benelux; candidates should link it to customs union, institutions and later integration.

Meeting present needs without compromising future generations, balancing economic, social and environmental dimensions; applied to resource use, urban planning and regional development questions.

A measure of the land and water area needed to supply a population's resources and absorb its waste; used to compare consumption patterns and discuss limits to growth.

The market model in which price adjusts until quantity supplied equals quantity demanded; candidates shift curves, identify new equilibria and explain effects of taxes, subsidies and price controls.

The responsiveness of one variable to changes in another, typically price elasticity of demand measuring percentage change in quantity over percentage change in price; used to predict revenue effects.

The total market value of final goods and services produced within a country in a period; candidates distinguish nominal from real GDP and use it to discuss growth and living standards.

A drawing technique using vanishing points and a horizon line to create depth on a flat surface; art questions ask candidates to identify viewpoint and analyse spatial illusion.

The arrangement of visual elements such as line, shape, balance and focal point within an artwork; assessed when candidates describe and justify the organisation of an image.

A colour opposite another on the colour wheel, producing strong contrast when paired and neutral grey when mixed; used to analyse harmony, emphasis and mood in painting.

The ability to sustain moderate-intensity exercise over time using oxygen-dependent energy supply; assessed through running tests and principles of progressive overload and recovery.

A training heart-rate range derived from maximum heart rate and intensity percentages; used to plan safe aerobic sessions and to interpret effort during testing.

A preparatory phase of light activity, mobilisation and sport-specific drills that raises body temperature and reduces injury risk; candidates justify its components and sequencing.