Brevet 2025 Changes: Dates, New Requirements – What’s Mandatory This Year?

This year, eighth graders taking their brevet exams will need to adjust to several updates announced by the Ministry of National Education. Here are the expected changes along with the 2025 examination dates, which validate the skills acquired before entering high school.

What are the dates for the 2025 brevet exams?

This year, the written examinations for the brevet will take place on Thursday, June 26, and Friday, June 27, 2025, for the regular session, and Monday, September 8, and Tuesday, September 9, 2025, for the makeup session.

The foreign language exam specific to individual candidates will be held on Friday, June 27, 2025, for the regular session and on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, for the makeup session.

What’s changing in the history-geography and EMC exam?

On November 12, Anne Genetet, then the Minister of National Education, unveiled new measures as part of the brevet reform. Starting in June 2025, “the National Diploma Examination will be restructured with separate grading for history-geography and moral and civic education (EMC),” according to the ministry. Next year, in June 2026, “the final exam portion of the brevet will be given increased significance,” it was noted.

A new honor for the 2025 brevet

Similar to the baccalaureate, students can earn honors on the brevet. This year, a new honor is being introduced. It’s the “Very Good with Jury’s Congratulations” distinction. Remember, students who score an average (400 points out of 800 or just over) pass the brevet, but without any honors.

• Honors: at least 480 points out of 800.
• High Honors: at least 560 points out of 800.
• Highest Honors: if you score more than 640 points out of 800.

Will the brevet be mandatory for entering high school?

Contrary to what Anne Genetet initially stated, “The brevet will not be made mandatory for admission into tenth grade,” the Ministry of National Education clarified on January 17, 2025, stating that “when a final-year middle school council deems a student eligible to move on to tenth grade, that student will advance.” Thus, Elisabeth Borne has “reversed” the measure previously announced by her predecessor.

What is the passing score for the brevet?

For school-registered candidates, the passing score for the middle school diploma is 400 points. Indeed, the National Diploma Examination is valued at a total of 800 points: 400 points are awarded for continuous assessment of the common foundation of knowledge, skills, and culture, and 400 points for the final exams. For students in international or Franco-German sections, the brevet is valued at 900 points. As for individual candidates, the assessment is based on 400 points.

How are points calculated for the brevet?

The various brevet exams and continuous assessments are scored as follows:

Continuous assessment of the common foundation

• 10 points if the candidate achieves the level “Insufficient Mastery”
• 25 points for “Fragile Mastery”
• 40 points for “Satisfactory Mastery”
• 50 points for “Very Good Mastery”.

Final exam assessment

• French exam worth 100 points
• Mathematics exam worth 100 points
• History-Geography, moral and civic education exam worth 50 points
• Science exam (average of the first two trimesters in the three disciplines) worth 50 points.
• Oral exam of the brevet (100 points)