850,000 Students Tackle History-Geography and Sciences on Day Two of New-Look Brevet

Exam schedule

More than 850,000 French middle-school students are taking the diplôme national du brevet (DNB) from 26 to 30 June 2026. The written tests began on Friday with the French paper, held during an intense heatwave that prompted additional breaks for candidates. On Monday 29 June, the focus shifted to history-geography and moral and civic education (EMC) in the morning, followed by sciences in the afternoon. The exam timetable concludes on Tuesday with mathematics and, for independent candidates, a foreign language paper.

Monday morning: history-geography and EMC

From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., candidates tackled a two-hour paper combining document analysis and a longer written exercise. For the general series, geography asked about "low-density areas and their advantages," while history focused on "Europe, a major theatre of total wars (1914-1945)." The EMC component centred on "making democracy live through engagement." Professional series students received adapted topics: "territorial dynamics of contemporary France" in geography, the same history question, and "secularism in everyday life" for EMC. Since 2025, history-geography and EMC are graded separately within the same paper, with coefficients of 1.5 and 0.5 respectively.

Afternoon: sciences

At 13:30, a one-hour sciences exam followed, assessing two of the three disciplines: physics-chemistry, life and earth sciences (SVT), and technology. The paper, also carrying a coefficient of 2, forms part of the final exams that now represent 60% of the total brevet grade, up from 50% previously. The remaining 40% comes from continuous assessment throughout the school year.

New grading formula

The 2026 session introduces a revised weighting that increases the importance of final examinations. With the shift to 60% for terminal tests and 40% for coursework, the balance has tilted away from the previous equal split. The overall score is out of 800 points, with 400 required to pass. Mentions are awarded at 480 points (assez bien, equivalent to 12/20), 560 (bien, 14/20), 640 (très bien, 16/20), and 720 (très bien with jury commendations, 18/20).

Results and next steps

Candidates can expect their results between 7 and 10 July. A replacement session is scheduled for 10 and 11 September for those unable to attend the June exams. The final maths paper on Tuesday morning marks the last common written test, bringing the 2026 brevet session to a close.