Parents angry as whole class fails
An investigation is under way after 23 Bac students were awarded an average 6.9/20 in a French language exam
PARENTS are furious after finding out an entire lycée class failed the French paper in the Bac.
The 23 pupils in the 1ère S class (penultimate year, doing a science-based Bac) at la Ferté-Bernard (Sarthe, Pays-de-la-Loire), got an average 6.9/20 in written French.
The exam was taken at the end of their première year, and will be added to results of end-of-school exams next year to arrive at their overall marks.
Le Parisien reports that parents were initially annoyed with their children but then, on speaking to other parents, found out they had all done “catastrophically”.
Not even the best students had managed a pass (half marks or more).
The parents now allege there were mistakes in the exam procedures – one parent said no one asked the students to fold down the corners of their papers, hiding their names, so as to ensure anonymous marking. They also say it was contrary to normal procedure to have all 23 taking the exam together in the same classroom, as opposed to mixed with other students.
The local education authority in Nantes says it is investigating the situation.
One parent, La Ferté-Bernard mayor Jean-Carles Grelier, said via Facebook that this “systematic sabotage” of the pupils’ papers may have been due to bias as they were from a private school.
“Apart from the points they will have to make up at the Bac next year, there is also a risk that certain doors will shut for them in higher education,” he said.
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