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SECONDARY

In France, secondary education is split into two distinct phases: collège and lycée. The Anglophone Section of the CSI Lyon welcomes students all through the secondary years. In France the year group that a student is placed in is determined by their age during the calendar year when the school year starts: the table below shows the age / year group equivalencies that apply. 

The secondary school day generally runs between 08h00 and 17h25, divided into ten 50-minute sequences. 

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The Anglophone Section teaching programmes are organised around subject areas: English Language & Literature and History/Geography, plus Contemporary Studies in 1ère and Terminale. Students will spend between six to eight-and-a-half sequences each week with their Anglophone Section teachers, depending on their level in the school. The distribution of hours per week / subject / year level is shown below, along with the key examinations that students will sit in secondary. 

* Sequence: 50 minutes

Subjects & teaching programmes in secondary

In secondary, three subjects are taught at different levels, beginning in collège and working, ultimately, towards the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI) in Terminal. Please see our Examinations page for more information on the various exams that students will take in the Anglophone Section. 

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English Language & Literature

From 6ème through to 4ème the Language & Literature programme is based on the learning objectives of English programmes in a range of anglophone countries and is designed to help students make progress in their reading, writing and speaking skills. Students are introduced to a variety of challenging and engaging texts, both fiction and nonfiction, as the main focus of the teaching. Not only are reading skills developed through these texts but they are also used to inspire different types of writing and to build the basic skills of grammar, punctuation and spelling.

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In 3ème and 2nde students will work towards International GCSEs in English Language and English Literature. 

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In 1ère and Terminale, in line with the framework of the BFI, Language & Literature has been renamed as approfondissement, culturel et linguistique (ACL). In practice the teaching programme is the same as that of the former Language & Literature course. 

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History / Geography

The programme is based on the content of the French national curriculum but with an approach characteristic of the learning and teaching styles in English-speaking countries. While the programme in History is roughly chronological, from the civilisations of the Ancient world up to the contemporary era, emphasis is placed on the comparison of historical themes in different periods. The Geography curriculum focuses on an exploration of the interactions between human activity and the physical environment. 

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In 1ère and Terminale, in line with the framework of the BFI, History / Geography as classed as a discipline non-linguistique (DNL). All students in the Anglophone Section will study History / Geography as their DNL. As above, the programme is shared with the French history/geography teachers. 

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Contemporary studies / Connaissances du monde

This subject has been introduced with the creation of the BFI in 2022 This subject focuses on developing students' understanding of the history of ideas, geopolitical issues, knowledge of the challenges of the contemporary world and the culture and civilisation of the Anglophone world. Connaissances du monde will be taught in the Anglophone Section by the History / Geography teachers and will be assessed in Terminale by an oral exam.

The French secondary curriculum​

The French national curricula for collège and lycée can be found here

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Bac specialité choices for 1ère students

In Première students will be required to choose which specialités they want to follow in their Bac. The options that are available at the CSI Lyon can be found here along with presentations about the course content and requirements. 

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Further information about the Bac specialités is available from the school by contacting lycée@csilyon.fr 

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