We have just celebrated the Remise de Brevet with my 16 year old daughter.
Who would have thought, only three years ago, we could have so proudly watched this moment. I was only sorry that ‘Husband à l’Etranger’ had to miss the event. In three years my daughter has gone from wordless, to literate French student and I am so proud of her achievement.
Settling next to me, some other French parents took their seats to watch the 132 strong year group receive their certificates. How did she do, they whispered. But then the proceedings were underway and there wasn’t time to answer. They didn’t have long to wait however, we are amongst the ‘A’s in the alphabet!
First, our lovely, and ‘so chic’ headmistress talked of the achievement of the year group. A 100% pass rate, 34 with Mention Très Biens, 52 with Mention Biens, and 24 with Mention Assez Bien.
And then one by one she called up the students to the award table,
Before I had time to focus the camera, my daughter was receiving hers!
There was quite a buzz when word got out that she’d passed with a Mention Bien, and the applause resounded.
Then we all settled in to watch the rest, and giggle at the new ‘lycéen’ girls’ liberated foot attire. Some could barely walk in heels that defied gravity…and the distance from seat to award table!
Having left for different Lycées, the hubub of student ‘catching up’ threatened to drown out the ceremony. But everyone was too good humoured to mind that, or the popularity cheers as each student rose in turn.
Wisely the headmistress directed the students to the alcohol-free table of refreshments before everything really got out of hand, and we parents savoured the champagne, canapés and Macarons on offer.
I’m sure my O’level certificate just got sent in the post !
Champagne and Canapés – sigh!
Secretly, I think I was shortchanged!
My Husband Drives A Lemon 
Félicitations!!!! We got ours in November. My daughter got mention assez bien. Now it’s the BAC next and that’s going to be something else. For me, I’m going to try to lower the stress levels.
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Ha, we have daughters the same age. Well done to your daughter too. Reducing stress, now there’s a thought. I’m not sure whether that is even possible. I am just so lucky that my daughter’s head of department is Irish so I can communicate on a level. You are right – the bac will be a different challenge altogether!
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Congratulations to your daughter. That’s some achievement after 3 years. you must be incredibly proud.
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Congratulations to your daughter! I think she gets extra points for passing an exam that isn’t her native language. I never had to take the brevet or the bac since I left the French-American bilingual school in 4eme. Our American SAT (the entrance exam we take for university) exam is laughably easy in comparison to the bac. I hope your daughter gets a breather before she has to start prepping for the bac.
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Congratulations to your daughter! My ones never had a ceremony for their brevets and I’m pretty sure there weren’t mentions either – the youngest did hers in 2003, they either passed or they didn’t.
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