French Baccalaureate Pass Rate Slightly Down, New Exam Tips Released

The 2023 French Baccalauréat saw a pass rate of 90.9%, a 0.2‑point decline from the previous year, with 57.1% of candidates earning a mention. More than 672,400 students sat the exams, prompting the education ministry to stress that the slight drop reflects the selectivity of the reformed bac, as minister Pap Ndiaye noted.

Ahead of the 2026 examination session, the ministry under Édouard Geffray is emphasising orthographic quality and overall credibility of the test. Officials recommend practical writing strategies such as using short sentences, rereading copies twice—including a backward read—to catch homophone errors, avoiding repetitive wording, and ensuring clear layout and punctuation. These guidelines aim to help students improve their scores and meet the heightened expectations for spelling and grammar.