Presentation of the British International Section
The pupils of the British International Section have different profiles. They all have an excellent English level but they can be native English-speakers (British or other), native French speakers or other nationalities.
The linguistic level in English at the beginning of the Section is B2 (i.e., the LV1 level expected at the Baccalauréat). This is explained by the demands of OIB and expected work load. For instance, they are examined a Shakespeare play at one of their final exams.
But the pupils must have an adequate level in the other subjects and a satisfactory level of French (for non-native-speakers) so as to be able to attend the other classes in French.
The year of ‘Seconde’ is dedicated to settling into the section. Expectations are numerous and demanding both on both linguistic and literary levels. We prepare our ‘Seconde’ pupils for the English literature and language IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education).
They will also be able to take the CAE (Cambridge Advanced English) and CPE (Cambridge Proficiency English) exams. All these exams require a fee paid by the families so they are optional. Yet, the pupils ought to take at least one of them as it is good preparation for the rest of the programme.
Our pupils are also expected to take part in English extra-curriculum clubs (i.e. the Awareness club, Model United Nations club, debate club, book club, cinema club, drama club... which are open to everybody provided they have a good level in English) and international exchange programmes and projects.
During the ‘Seconde’ year, they have 9.5 hours of OIB lessons per week, 10.5 in Première and 11 in Terminale.
At the end of the Terminale year, they take the International Option of the French Baccalauréat, with two exams in English : Literature and History-Geography.The OIB is an option which will have a great impact on the final result of the baccalauréat because the coefficients of its subjects are particularly high (10 for the written exam and 5 for the oral, both in literature and HG).
At the end of the ‘Première’, the Section staff will determine the potential of each student to pass the final exam and continue in the section since we do not wish to endanger our pupils’ Baccalauréat exam in any way. For more details on the OIB option, please check the site :
https://www.asiba.fr/brevet-international/
How to apply to the British International Section at the lycée Saint Charles :
1. Pupils should send the application form downloaded from our website
2. They attend the written test for entrance.Their knowledge in vocabulary, grammar and writing skills are assessed.
3. Provided they have passed the written test, they are invited to an oral interview, where we can assess their skills at quickly analyzing a document of our choice, the quality of their oral English, and their motivation to join the Section. As these are examinations for entrance purposes, there are no annals available (written and oral).
We expect from our applicants a genuine interest in the English-speaking world and culture, a marked interest in literature, reading, history and geography, with when possible travel experience and stays abroad. It is highly recommended for our applicants to have already read a few books in English.
Once again, the entrance exam is open to everybody, and every motivated pupil should try their luck.