France's Minister of National Education, Edouard Geffray, has announced new guidelines for the Bac (baccalauréat) and Brevet exams, set to take effect in 2027. These changes will place greater emphasis on language skills, with more severe penalties for errors in spelling, grammar, and expression. According to an interview with Le Figaro, Geffray explained that students whose writing is judged to be of poor quality will automatically lose up to two points, regardless of the subject being tested. This means that even in subjects like mathematics, where language errors are not typically central, students could face point deductions if their written responses are unclear or poorly structured. The new rules introduce a standardized grading scale for language proficiency, ranging from "very insufficient" to "very satisfactory." This scale will be used to evaluate key aspects of written communication, including spelling, sentence structure, vocabulary, and clarity of expression. Under this system, a poorly written exam—regardless of the content—could fail to meet the minimum requirements to pass. For instance, if a student's work is judged to have significant spelling or grammatical errors, or if their ideas are not well organized, they may not be able to achieve the average score needed to pass the exam. The impact of these changes will be most pronounced in subjects that require more extensive writing, such as French and history-geography. In these disciplines, language mastery is already a critical component of the curriculum, and the new rules will make it even more central to exam success. Exams with major deficiencies in language skills may not only lose points but could also prevent students from reaching the passing threshold altogether. These updated procedures were officially published in the Official Bulletin on September 17, 2026. The goal of the new rules is to provide students and teachers with clear, consistent criteria for evaluating written work from the start of the school year. By doing so, the government aims to reduce uncertainty and better prepare students for the demands of the Bac and Brevet exams.