What are the main differences between the french and british education system?
I am French and my late husband was British, so we did compare our different kinds of education systems a lot. It appears to me that in the British system for the GCSE and A-Level there are subjects you can choose whereas in France once you are in a category (3) you cannot “choose” and you have to take the whole bunch. Then for entering college it is more “open” in France (“égalité”) and therefore the rate of failure at the end of the first year is impressive. I do not agree about schools being off on Wednesdays and Saturdays in France since I had a total career as a language teacher there. It might be so in primary schools but I have worked regularly either on Wednesday or Saturday mornings (depending of the secondary school I was in) and in “lycée” (after 14) they go to school on Wednesdays (all day) and Saturday mornings. I have also noticed that the French school day often starts earlier (8 a.m.) and the days are longer. The lessons are usually 55 mn long, basically one hour minus
