Curriculum comparison
Australian vs French curriculum
The Australian Curriculum (ACARA) and the French national curriculum (administered by the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale) represent two philosophically distinct approaches to compulsory and secondary education, shaped by very different cultural traditions....
Australian
French
Fees depend on the school and city, not the curriculum alone. Ask schools for their current indicative annual tuition.
Schools teaching each curriculum
A sample of schools we list. Fees are indicative annual tuition.
Australian
18 schools
- Cranbrook School Sydney · Bellevue Hill
- SCEGGS Darlinghurst Sydney · Darlinghurst
- Sydney Grammar School Sydney · Darlinghurst
- The Scots College Sydney · Bellevue Hill
- Ascham School Sydney · Edgecliff
- Australian International School Singapore · Serangoon
French
23 schools
- Canadian International School Singapore · Jurong West
- École Jeannine Manuel Paris · 15th Arrondissement
- Lycée Français de New York New York · Upper East Side
- Toronto French School (TFS) Toronto · Lawrence Park
- Collège Stanislas Paris · 6th Arrondissement
- École Active Bilingue (EAB) Paris · 8th Arrondissement
Free for parents
Considering Australian or French schools?
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Educational philosophy
Australian
- The Australian Curriculum is grounded in a pragmatic, future-focused philosophy that seeks to equip all students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed for contemporary life and lifelong learning.
- Its eight learning areas — English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, and Languages — are interconnected through seven general capabilities that cut across disciplines.
- The curriculum explicitly values student agency, differentiated instruction, and personalised learning, encouraging teachers to adapt content delivery to meet the needs of individual students and communities.
A strong emphasis on wellbeing, intercultural understanding, and sustainability reflects Australia's multicultural identity and geographic position in the Asia-Pacific. The senior secondary years are designed to be flexible enough to accommodate diverse post-school pathways, with vocational education and training (VET) qualifications available alongside traditional academic subjects, recognising that not all students are headed to university and that trade and technical pathways are equally valued.
French
- The French educational philosophy is rooted in the Enlightenment tradition of reason, rigour, and universal republican values.
- The curriculum is highly centralised: every student in metropolitan France and in AEFE schools abroad follows the same national program, with the same textbooks, the same timetable structures, and national examinations set and marked according to uniform standards.
- French education places exceptional weight on analytical reasoning, formal written expression, and philosophical inquiry — the Baccalauréat has included a compulsory philosophy examination since 1808, a tradition that signals the central importance of structured argumentation in French intellectual culture.
From the earliest years, students are trained in dissertation writing (the formal analytical essay), commentaire de texte (close textual analysis), and oral exposition. The 2021 reform of the Baccalauréat introduced a system of specialisation (spécialités) in the final two years, allowing students to focus on three and then two chosen disciplines, while retaining a common core that includes French, history-geography, moral and civic education, and a modern language.
Assessment and examinations
Australian
- Australian assessment combines continuous school-based evaluation with external standardised testing.
- NAPLAN (National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy) tests students at Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, providing diagnostic benchmarks at a national level.
- In the senior secondary years, each state applies its own assessment model: New South Wales splits HSC marks 50/50 between school-based assessment tasks and external written examinations, while Victoria's VCE uses School-Assessed Coursework (SACs) and external exams in varying proportions by subject.
The resulting ATAR — a percentile rank ranging from 0 to 99.95 — is used for competitive university entry and is structured to allow fine-grained differentiation between high-achieving students. Vocational subjects can also contribute to the ATAR through recognised VET qualifications, reflecting the curriculum's commitment to multiple post-school pathways. Overall, the system balances teacher professional judgement with the credibility of external examination for accountability purposes.
French
- French assessment has historically been dominated by high-stakes national examinations, though the 2021 Baccalauréat reform introduced a significant continuous assessment component (contrôle continu) representing 40% of the final mark.
- The remaining 60% is assessed through national written and oral examinations, including the philosophy written exam (4 hours), the Grand Oral (a 20-minute oral examination on a topic spanning two speciality subjects), and written examinations in chosen specialties.
- The Brevet des Collèges at the end of Collège (lower secondary) combines continuous assessment (50%) with national examinations in French, Mathematics, History-Geography and Moral and Civic Education, and Sciences.
French grading uses a 20-point scale, with 10/20 as the pass mark; marks above 14 are considered very good, and 18–20 are exceptional. Universities and Grandes Écoles use Bac results alongside a competitive admissions platform (Parcoursup) for entry decisions, with Mentions (pass distinctions: Assez Bien, Bien, Très Bien) playing an important role.
University recognition
The French Baccalauréat is one of the world's most portable and internationally recognised secondary credentials. Holders are eligible for direct university entry in France (where public universities are largely open-access for Bac holders), and the qualification is accepted by universities in the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, and across the EU. Students achieving high Mention Très Bien results are competitive for leading institutions worldwide. The Australian ATAR is similarly portable and specifically recognised by UK Russell Group universities, US institutions, and increasingly by universities in Asia. For domestic university entry, the ATAR's percentile-based structure is arguably more transparent and granular than the French Mention system, making cut-off requirements clearer. Students from AEFE schools who have followed the full French curriculum, including philosophy and the Grand Oral, are often noted by international universities for their analytical writing and oral communication skills — an advantage in highly competitive liberal arts and humanities programs.
Key features
Australian curriculum
- Balanced academic and practical skills development
- Eight key learning areas with integrated general capabilities
- Strong emphasis on critical thinking and creativity
- Combination of school-based and external assessment
- Focus on sustainability and intercultural understanding
- Recognized pathway to Australian and international universities
French curriculum
- Centralized, nationally consistent curriculum standards
- French Baccalauréat — one of the world's most respected qualifications
- Strong emphasis on analytical thinking and philosophical inquiry
- Rigorous mathematical and scientific training
- Global network of AEFE schools ensuring consistency worldwide
- Bilingual (French/English) options available at many schools
Strengths and trade-offs
Australian
Strengths
- Nationally consistent yet flexible framework with genuine teacher professional autonomy
- ATAR provides a transparent, granular percentile rank for competitive university entry
- Integrates vocational education (VET) alongside academic pathways, validating diverse post-school destinations
- Strong cross-curriculum emphasis on sustainability, Indigenous perspectives, and Asia literacy
- General capabilities framework ensures all students develop critical thinking, digital literacy, and intercultural competence
Trade-offs
- ATAR pressure in Years 11–12 can be intense and narrow student focus to score-maximising subject choices
- State-by-state variation in senior secondary credentials means the Australian experience is not fully uniform
- Less emphasis on formal analytical essay writing traditions compared to French or British curricula
- Relatively limited international school network compared to the AEFE's global footprint
French
Strengths
- Globally portable Baccalauréat credential recognised by universities in over 100 countries
- Exceptional training in analytical writing, formal argumentation, and philosophical reasoning
- AEFE network of about 580 schools in some 140 countries provides unmatched continuity for internationally mobile families
- The 2021 reform's Grand Oral develops sophisticated oral communication and interdisciplinary thinking
- Specialisation tracks (spécialités) allow meaningful academic depth in chosen disciplines from age 16
Trade-offs
- Highly centralised and rigid curriculum with limited flexibility for schools or teachers to adapt content
- The French grading scale (out of 20) can be psychologically demotivating, with very high marks rarely awarded
- Strong academic track bias; vocational and technical pathways carry cultural stigma in the French system
- Language of instruction is French throughout, creating a significant barrier for non-francophone families unless enrolled early
Which suits your child?
Choose Australian if…
- The Australian Curriculum is the better choice for families seeking a balanced, future-focused education that values both academic rigour and practical skill development.
- It suits students who benefit from a range of assessment types rather than a single high-stakes examination model, and those who want the flexibility to combine academic subjects with vocational qualifications.
- Families rooted in Australia or the broader Anglophone world who are not planning frequent international relocations will find the Australian system highly effective.
The curriculum's emphasis on wellbeing, creative thinking, and real-world application makes it particularly well-suited to students with diverse interests and strengths.
Choose French if…
- The French curriculum is the right choice for families who value intellectual rigour, structured analytical thinking, and global portability.
- It is especially well-suited to students who enjoy debate, philosophy, literature, and formal essay writing, and who can thrive in a demanding, high-expectation academic environment.
- For internationally mobile families — particularly those who may relocate between Francophone countries or between any of the some 140 countries with AEFE schools — the French curriculum offers unmatched continuity and portability.
Students aspiring to Grandes Écoles (France's elite higher education institutions) or to competitive European university programs will find the Baccalauréat the most direct and recognised pathway.
Questions parents ask
Yes. Australian universities, including the Group of Eight (Melbourne, ANU, Sydney, UNSW, etc.), recognise the French Baccalauréat for undergraduate admissions. Most institutions publish specific entry requirements for Bac holders, typically requiring a minimum overall result and in some cases specific subject scores. Students are advised to check individual university admission requirements and may also need to demonstrate English language proficiency through IELTS or equivalent.
Switching is most straightforward in the primary years (ages 5–11), where content overlap is substantial. Transitioning in lower secondary (Collège, equivalent to Years 7–10) requires language acquisition support, as the French curriculum is conducted entirely in French. Transitioning in the final two years (Lycée / Years 11–12) is very difficult due to the specialisation structure of the new Baccalauréat and the importance of continuous assessment marks accumulated throughout the cycle. Families considering a switch should plan at least two years in advance.
The French curriculum has a strong historical advantage in developing formal analytical writing skills. The dissertation (structured philosophical or literary essay) and commentaire de texte are practiced from secondary school onward, and the 4-hour philosophy written exam at the end of Terminale is one of the most demanding intellectual exercises in any school-leaving qualification globally. Australian students develop essay-writing skills across the curriculum, particularly in English and Humanities, but the formal rigour and volume of structured analytical writing in the French system is comparatively higher. Students trained in the French system are consistently noted for their capacity for structured argumentation.
Yes. AEFE (Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger) schools follow the same French national curriculum as schools in metropolitan France, with the same programs, national examinations, and Baccalauréat requirements. This is precisely what makes the French system so valuable for internationally mobile families — a child who moves from Paris to Dubai to Buenos Aires can remain on the same curriculum continuum throughout their schooling. Some AEFE schools offer bilingual or host-country language programs alongside the core French curriculum.
There is no direct mathematical conversion between the French 20-point scale and the Australian ATAR percentile. However, for university admissions purposes, institutions typically provide equivalency tables. As a rough guide: a French Bac result of 16+/20 (Mention Très Bien) is broadly comparable to an ATAR in the high 90s; 14–15/20 (Mention Bien) maps approximately to an ATAR of 80–90; and 12–13/20 (Mention Assez Bien) aligns roughly with an ATAR of 65–80. Students are advised to consult the specific institution's international admissions equivalency guide rather than relying on generic conversions.
