French bac 2027: calculate your final average and honours

The 2027 French general and technological baccalauréat has 100 compulsory coefficients: 40 for continuous assessment and 60 for terminal examinations, including examinations taken early. Electives can add coefficients beyond that total.

To calculate the final average, identify the pathway, the retained marks and each subject’s weight. The shortcut “40% plus 60%” works only when both component averages have already been calculated correctly and electives are handled separately.

Terminal examination coefficients in 2027

The early mathematics examination enters the 2027 award. First taken in 2026, it is a two-hour written paper, marked out of 20, with coefficient 2. It belongs to terminal assessment even though it is taken in première.

Examination	General pathway	Technological pathway
Early written French	5	5
Early oral French	5	5
Early mathematics	2	2
Philosophy	8	4
Final-year specialism 1	16	16
Final-year specialism 2	16	16
Grand oral	8	12
Total	60	60

Philosophy and the Grand oral therefore have different weights between pathways. Select the correct route in the bac 2027 calculator before entering marks.

The 40 continuous-assessment coefficients

Compulsory subject	Coefficient over the final two school years
History-geography	6
Modern language A	6
Modern language B	6
Science in the general pathway or core mathematics in the technological pathway	6
Physical education	6
Civic education (EMC)	2
Specialism taken only in première	8
Total	40

For subjects studied in both première and terminale, annual averages count according to the official year-by-year allocation. Physical education follows continuous in-course assessment arrangements. The discontinued specialism is the one taken only in première.

Do not pool every school assessment into one list. Continuous-assessment marks already have rules for consolidation. Independent candidates follow specific assessment arrangements; a personal average of school reports is not a substitute.

A complete general-pathway example without electives

Suppose the correctly weighted continuous-assessment average is 13/20. It contributes 13 × 40 = 520 points. The terminal examinations are:

Examination	Mark	Coefficient	Weighted points
Written French	14	5	70
Oral French	16	5	80
Early mathematics	15	2	30
Philosophy	14	8	112
Specialism 1	16	16	256
Specialism 2	15	16	240
Grand oral	14	8	112
Terminal total		60	900

The terminal average is 900 ÷ 60 = 15/20. The final average is:

(520 + 900) ÷ 100 = 14.2/20

This matches 13 × 0.40 + 15 × 0.60 = 14.2. The table shows why the specialism marks must not receive the same weight as French or early mathematics.

Add an elective with the correct denominator

Electives count beyond the compulsory 100 coefficients. Under the relevant arrangements, an elective followed for one year may add 2 coefficients, and one followed across both final school years may add 4.

Add an elective scored at 16/20 with coefficient 2 to the example’s 1,420 points:

(1,420 + 16 × 2) ÷ (100 + 2) = 1,452 ÷ 102 ≈ 14.24/20

It would be wrong to add 32 points and still divide by 100, or to count only the points above 10 as an old-style bonus.

An elective does not necessarily raise the average. At 10/20, the same example becomes 1,440 ÷ 102 ≈ 14.12/20. Check which electives are permitted, the years followed and the actual coefficients.

Set a realistic target

With continuous assessment of 13/20 and no electives, reaching 14 overall requires a terminal average of:

(14 − 0.40 × 13) ÷ 0.60 ≈ 14.67/20

That is a component target, not the same mark required in every paper. If early examinations have already been taken, their results are fixed: calculate what is needed only over the coefficients still outstanding.

In the general pathway, adding two marks in a coefficient-16 specialism adds 32 weighted points, or 0.32 final-average points without electives. Two extra marks in the coefficient-8 Grand oral add 0.16. Weights quantify the effect of improvement; they do not predict the mark or the effort needed.

Passing, resits and honours

After the first examination group, candidates with at least 10/20 pass. Those with at least 8 but below 10 can enter the second group under the applicable rules. Below 8, the ordinary outcome is failure.

First-group average	Honours
12 to below 14	Assez bien
14 to below 16	Bien
16 to below 18	Très bien
18 or above	Très bien avec les félicitations du jury

The example at 14.2 receives bien. Passing after the second group does not carry honours.

For the general pathway, second-group assessment includes two oral examinations chosen from eligible subjects. Recalculation follows rules for replacing marks, not freely adding two new scores to the original total. The average calculator does not replace that process or the board’s decision.

Gather the inputs before projecting

Separate retained annual averages, examination results already obtained and forecasts for remaining papers. Add electives with their actual years and weights, then compare a few scenarios using precise values.

For the underlying arithmetic, read weighted grade averages. The brevet 2027 uses different rules, especially for electives and candidate status.

Common questions

Does French taken in première count towards the 2027 bac? Yes, when it is the early examination retained for that session: coefficient 5 for the written paper and 5 for the oral.

Does continuous assessment contain every mathematics mark? No. Distinguish the subject counted in continuous assessment, any specialism, and the coefficient-2 early mathematics paper.

Can the example be reused for the technological pathway? The weighted-average method remains, but philosophy and Grand oral weights change and pathway-specific subjects must be checked.

Is a partial average the predicted final average? No. It describes entered marks only. Outstanding coefficients can change the outcome; test several assumptions rather than treating them as known.