Secondary School Certificate: the results are in
On Friday 10 July, the results of the general stream of the national brevet were published. At Soualiga Secondary School in La Savane, the pass rate stood at 65 per cent.
“We are proud of the eighty-five pupils who passed this exam,” says Benjamin Mora, headteacher of Soualiga Secondary School. Among the new graduates, eight achieved a ‘very good’ grade, twenty-one a ‘good’ grade and twenty-seven a ‘satisfactory’ grade. In total, at Collège 900, 124 pupils sat the national brevet examination in the general stream and 26 in the vocational stream. “Only four pupils passed the brevet in the vocational stream,” explains the headteacher, before adding, “These are pupils facing significant academic difficulties; nevertheless, they have all been successfully placed on a vocational aptitude certificate (CAP) or a vocational baccalaureate programme and will be joining Daniella Jeffry High School at the start of the new school year.”
A step into the big league
As the first exam in French pupils’ lives, the Brevet marks an important stage in their educational journey. It comprises four written papers and one oral exam. “It’s their first large-scale written exam, their first time in an exam situation,” explains Benjamin Mora, an event “seen as something important” for secondary school pupils. The exams include a three-hour French paper, as well as an oral exam to round off the assessments. Unlike the baccalaureate, the brevet does not have a second sitting; only pupils who can provide a medical certificate to justify their absence may sit the resit session organised in September.
Results below 2025 levels
Nationally, 81.6 per cent of candidates passed the Brevet des Collèges exam, a fall of 3.9 percentage points compared with the 2025 session. 83.5 per cent of pupils in the general stream passed, representing a fall of 3.1 percentage points compared with 2025, whilst in the vocational stream, the Department for Education recorded a pass rate of 64.8 per cent, a drop of 10.6 percentage points. This is due to a change in the marking procedures. “Previously, continuous assessment accounted for 50 per cent of the overall mark, but since this year it has accounted for 40 per cent,” explains Benjamin Mora. Whilst the headteacher of Soualiga Secondary School regrets that his school’s results are below those of 2025, the teaching staff are determined to do everything they can to support the pupils during the 2027 examination session. “Our aim will be to improve results, increase the number of honours and raise pupils’ awareness of the importance of performing well in continuous assessment,” explains the headteacher. “Before the exams, we organised a revision week with workshops in all written subjects. Next year we would like to build on this initiative,” adds Benjamin Mora.
Whilst awaiting next year’s results, the successful candidates from the 2026 session will be welcomed back at the start of the new school year for a graduation ceremony. This symbolic event will take place on Tuesday 15 September at 5.00 pm. The results, meanwhile, will remain on display outside the school throughout the summer.
