Gradebook · France
French Baccalauréat Mention System — Très Bien, Bien, Assez Bien
The French Baccalauréat awards four Mention levels — Très Bien, Bien, Assez Bien, and Passable — based on the candidate's coefficient-weighted moyenne. These distinctions carry legal weight on the state diploma and influence admission to Classes Préparatoires and selective university programmes. OpenEduCat computes the Mention automatically from the fr_moyenne, eliminating any risk of manual assignment error on a legally binding document.
Mention Classification Bands
Four official Mention levels for the Baccalauréat général et technologique, determined by coefficient-weighted moyenne.
| Mention | Moyenne Threshold | University Admission Impact | Employer Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Très Bien | ≥ 16.0 / 20 | Strong positive signal for grandes écoles and elite university programmes. Parcoursup selection algorithms give weight to Mention Très Bien in competitive filières. | Recognised outside academia. Public-sector competitions and some employer application forms ask candidates to declare their Bac Mention. |
| Bien | ≥ 14.0 / 20 | Meets the de facto minimum expectation for competitive CPGE tracks and selective university programmes such as IUT (Institut Universitaire de Technologie). | Positive indication of academic performance. Some graduate employers ask for Bac Mention when screening entry-level candidates with no other academic qualifications yet. |
| Assez Bien | ≥ 12.0 / 20 | Opens most university Licence (L1) pathways and BTS programmes. Not sufficient for the most selective CPGE or engineering school pre-selection rounds. | Standard academic achievement at Bac level. Differentiation in job applications typically relies on higher education grades rather than Bac Mention at this level. |
| Passable | ≥ 10.0 / 20 | Qualifies for most university Licence programmes. Some selective BTS and IUT programmes have Mention thresholds in their selection criteria. | Full Bac qualification awarded. The absence of a higher Mention may matter for competitive graduate roles where employers filter on academic performance. |
Source: Ministère de l'Éducation nationale et de la Jeunesse — réglementation Baccalauréat général et technologique (réforme 2021).
What Each Mention Means in Practice
The Mention affects university and CPGE admission, and in some cases employer screening. Here is what each level means beyond the transcript.
Mention Très Bien
Highest distinction. Appears as a formal qualification on the Baccalauréat diploma. Required for admission to the most selective Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE) — notably Hypokhâgne and Khâgne (Literary), Maths Sup/Maths Spé, and preparatory classes for the ENS.
Mention Bien
High merit distinction. Strongly positive for CPGE and selective university programme admission. Students with Mention Bien who apply through Parcoursup for competitive filières are typically competitive candidates.
Mention Assez Bien
Good performance. The most common Mention band among Baccalauréat candidates. Sufficient for admission to most university Licences and many BTS (Brevet de Technicien Supérieur) programmes.
Mention Passable
Minimum pass threshold. The Baccalauréat is awarded without a higher distinction. This is still a full qualification. Candidates who pass via rattrapage also receive Mention Passable regardless of their post-oral moyenne.
How OpenEduCat Assigns Mention Automatique
Manual Mention assignment introduces the risk of a legally incorrect distinction on a state diploma. OpenEduCat eliminates this risk by computing Mention automatically from the coefficient-weighted moyenne.
fr_coeff and fr_note per Subject
Every subject record in OpenEduCat stores an fr_coeff (default 1.0, configurable per school, series, and grade level) alongside the fr_note (student grade on the 0–20 scale). Philosophy in a Terminale L class might carry fr_coeff = 8; a language elective might carry fr_coeff = 1.
Coefficient-Weighted fr_moyenne Computation
The fr_moyenne is computed as the sum of (fr_note × fr_coeff) across all subjects, divided by the total fr_coeff. This is always weighted — there is no concept of a simple arithmetic mean in the French system. The fr_moyenne updates whenever any subject note is modified.
Automatic fr_mention Assignment
The fr_mention field maps the fr_moyenne to the four Mention bands: ≥16 → Très Bien, ≥14 → Bien, ≥12 → Assez Bien, ≥10 → Passable, <10 → Insuffisant. This assignment is automatic and audit-traced — any change to a subject note updates the Mention immediately.
Mention on Bulletin de Notes and Diploma
The fr_mention appears on the per-trimester Bulletin de Notes and on the final Relevé de Notes Baccalauréat. Both documents display the Mention alongside the moyenne — in the legally required format for Éducation nationale documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the French Baccalauréat Mention system and how OpenEduCat implements it.
Eliminate Mention assignment errors on state diplomas
OpenEduCat computes the coefficient-weighted moyenne and assigns the correct Mention automatically — ensuring legally accurate Baccalauréat records without manual intervention.