The American Section 

The LIEP offers a tuition free bilingual education to English speaking pupils with 6-8 hours of English language & literature per week and up to four hours of History and Geography in English. It hosts 4 international sections (American, Arabic, Brazilian, Chinese) and 1 binational section (Bachibac). This environment produces students who are not only bilingual and bicultural, but truly international.

Curriculum  

The American Section represents about 25% of a student’s class time and is guided by the Association of American International Schools and the College Board, who work closely with the French General Inspectorate of the National Ministry of Education. Two subjects are at the center of the OIB course : Literature and History-Geography : instead of the usual LVA and History Geography, they receive six–seven hours of instruction in English language & literature, and  two-four hours of Geography and History taught in English. English language is not taught as a foreign language in OIB, it is used as a means to study Literature and History Geography, and students improve their language skills through this work.

In the remaining 75%, students are taught in French according to the program directed by the French Ministry of Education and they follow the normal French secondary school curriculum.  

• 10th grade : 7h language & literature + 2h History and Geography in English (DNL),
• 11th grade : 6,5h language & literature + 2h History and Geography in English (DNL),
• 12th grade : 6h language & literature + 2h History and Geography in English (DNL).   

Profile of successful and happy students in the OIB section 

The international high school is intended for students who want to prepare for the French Baccalaureate with the International Option, and for students coming from abroad. As the American Section provides a bilingual and bicultural education, students must have near-native competence (or an excellent level in English). Following the curriculum requires considerable personal investment, and students must be capable of following a demanding academic programme and managing the additional hours (6h more than a regular course) and workload. We expect active participation on the part of students, who must be keen readers and show avid interest in anglophone literature. Browse the “summer reading” pages to discover our rich and exciting syllabus!   

For students who are not yet at native level in French, the school offers FSL (French as a Second Language) lessons, but cannot accept beginners in French

Entrance exam  

Students must take an entrance test to demonstrate their level of English and their interest in this field of studies. The test consists of a written test (listening comprehension, comprehension questions on an excerpt from a book or a poem and a short essay) and a 5-10 minute oral test  (discussion about a short  text/picture and general conversation with teachers.) 

The best way to prepare applicants for the entrance test is to ensure that they regularly read a variety of English-language texts, listen to English (films, radio broadcasts, lectures…), speak consistently in English, and write in English whenever possible. 

Baccalaureat 

All our students take the French Baccalaureate with the International Option. 

OIB candidates complete the series of examinations required for the French baccalauréat général, but they sit the OIB language & literature exam instead of the regular LVA exam and the OIB history/geography instead of the regular history/geography exam. They take oral and written exams in the language of their section in both  subjects. They sit end of year exams at the end of 12th grade in each subject.