Abitur 2025: Students struggle with explosive history questions!

Abitur 2025: Students struggle with explosive history questions!

There is a lot going on in French schools on June 18, 2025: the second half of the students who have chosen the HGGSP (Histoire-Géographie, Géopolitique et Sciences Politiques) specialty will begin their exams in history and geography today at 2 p.m. The first students had already completed their exams the day before. The topics covered on June 17th are quite exciting and current: a dissertation on the use of heritage in Europe and the power of states in maritime and extraterritorial areas was on the examination schedule. In addition to the dissertation, a document study dealing with the assessment of genocides was also important. This exam is graded with a coefficient of 16 and lasts a total of four hours, divided into two tasks, each graded with 10 points.

One thing is clear: the requirements are high. Students had to select a dissertation from six broad topic areas and conduct a critical analysis of one or more documents. In doing so, they not only demonstrate their specialist knowledge, but also have to demonstrate their analytical skills. A second day of exams is already in the starting blocks: written exams in the subjects of biology, ecology and literature, languages ​​and ancient cultures will follow on June 19th, which will also attract great attention.

A look at the exam content

It is also interesting that the examination documents in the subject HGGSP are listed on the sujetdebac.fr website. A total of nine different exam papers were available to students at different exam centers, all based on the same syllabus, which corresponds to the Abitur. This promises uniform levels of difficulty, which should create a fair basis for everyone involved. These materials are often used in tutoring and individual lessons, especially in the context of exams held in the metropolis.

The distribution of topics is diverse: For example, different topics are offered for North America, Asia or foreign examination centers in Africa. This clearly shows how comprehensive and differentiated the lessons in the subject HGGSP are. This is despite the fact that the French education system is largely public and relies on all-day facilities. The compulsory education includes attending school, although this is not mandatory as some families also rely on home schooling.

A brief overview of the education system

The French education system has a lot to offer, from the École maternelle for the very young to the lycée for students aged 15 and over. Here, young people can choose between different training courses: general Abitur, technical Abitur or vocational Abitur. A high percentage of students, almost 80%, stay in school until the end of the lyceum. The entire educational process is designed to prepare students well for the challenges of life.

The large oral part of the Baccalauréat will take place in the next few weeks, from June 23rd to July 2nd for over 387,000 registered general school students. Here, too, the coefficient of 10 should not be underestimated, because the oral exams demand everything from the students as they prepare for their next educational step.

In any case, one thing is certain: the 2025 graduating class will have a lot to do in the coming days and weeks. Their performance in these exams will mark a significant step in their academic careers - and they can be proud of the challenges they each take on.

For more information about the exam content and the education system in France, visit the pages of Huffington Post, sujetdebac.fr and france-info.de.