France to include French language mastery in all exam grades from 2027

The French Ministry of National Education has announced that starting in 2027, mastery of the French language will become an evaluation criterion across all written exams for the brevet and the baccalauréat. This change will apply to all subjects, including mathematics, history-geography, and scientific specialties.

A new common grading scale will be implemented, requiring at least two points in every exam to be dedicated to linguistic quality, including spelling, syntax, vocabulary precision, clarity of reasoning, and organization of ideas. In subjects where writing is a major component, a copy deemed significantly deficient in these areas may be unable to achieve a passing grade. The ministry noted that isolated spelling mistakes will not automatically trigger identical penalties across all subjects, as grading must account for the specific nature of each exam. This follows an initial step taken for the 2026 session, where examiners were asked to pay closer attention to grammar and legibility.