lycéenne

[zippermonkeyboy]

Can any one tell me the precise nature of this word? May be what age is associated with it? I know it is a school level but what level?

[Lucas]

Lycée (masculine noun) is the place where one takes the last three years of high school education. Usually lycée pupils are 15 to 18 year(s ?) old.

Un lycéen (male), une lycéenne (female).

[zippermonkeyboy]

Originally Posted by Lucas

Lycée (masculine noun) is the place where one takes the last three years of high school education. Usually lycée pupils are 15 to 18 year(s ?) old.

Un lycéen (male), une lycéenne (female).

Um...yes. I was never very clear how the US and French systems matched up. Even after trying for two years of asking natives in Nantes, Bordeaux, and other cities.

[Lucas]

Typically, you enter « école primaire » on September of the civil year of your sixth birthday.
You stay there for five years ; each year you have a single teacher.
After that you should know :
- most grammar and spelling ;
- arithmetics and basic plane geometry ;
- basic geography, history, natural sciences... a bit of culture, all in all.

Thus you enter « collège » on the year of your eleventh birthday.
There you stay four years, and have a different teacher for each subject. The disciplines you learn are French, Mathematics, History & Geography & Civic Education, First Foreign Language (English or German mostly), Physical Sciences, Biology & Geology, Technology (sententious word compared to the content). And Sports. You begin a Second Foreign Language on the third year, and optionally Latin or additional First FL (called « renforcé »).
Then you take an exam called « Brevet des Collèges », which has practically no value.

Then you enter « Lycée », where you continue learning the same diciplines. You stay there three years. At the end of the second one, you take the French discipline part of « Baccalauréat » ; on the third year you no longer study French, but have a new Philosophy discipline.
Then you take « Baccalauréat », almost worthless except it allows you to enter University or equivalent classes.

All this is true for academic education.

[aurayfrance]

Originally Posted by Lucas

Typically, you enter « école primaire » on September of the civil year of your sixth birthday.
You stay there for five years ; each year you have a single teacher.
After that you should know :
- most grammar and spelling ;
- arithmetics and basic plane geometry ;
- basic geography, history, natural sciences... a bit of culture, all in all.

Thus you enter « collège » on the year of your eleventh birthday.
There you stay four years, and have a different teacher for each subject. The disciplines you learn are French, Mathematics, History & Geography & Civic Education, First Foreign Language (English or German mostly), Physical Sciences, Biology & Geology, Technology (sententious word compared to the content). And Sports. You begin a Second Foreign Language on the third year, and optionally Latin or additional First FL (called « renforcé »).
Then you take an exam called « Brevet des Collèges », which has practically no value.

Then you enter « Lycée », where you continue learning the same diciplines. You stay there three years. At the end of the second one, you take the French discipline part of « Baccalauréat » ; on the third year you no longer study French, but have a new Philosophy discipline.
Then you take « Baccalauréat », almost worthless except it allows you to enter University or equivalent classes.

All this is true for academic education.

What you describe is the current organization of the French educational system. But once it was different. When I left "l'école primaire" in the mid-60th, I went to a "collège" because it was the nearest school from my home. But the next year, I moved out and went to a "lycée" for the same reason. So, according to the place where you lived, you may go either to a "collège" or a "lycée" directly after "l'école primaire". "Les lycées" were more prestigious and you could attend their classes up to "le baccalauréat". "Les collèges" ended after "la 3ème" and you had to look for a "lycée" if you wanted to pursue your studies. I think the reason why it changed is that, from the 60th on, 80% of the people went on their studies up to the "baccalauréat" and "l'université" or "les écoles de commerce". But earlier, a lot of people stopped after the "brevet" and, at that time, it was a valuable diploma. So, the words "lycée", "lycéen", "collégien" doesn't necessarily have the same meaning for a French in its thirties and another one aged 60. I may be the reason why these notions are so confusing.

[David]

So, comparing école, 1-5, collège, 6-9, lycée 10-12

traditional US (before World War II),
elementary (or "grammar" school) 1-8 (often preceded by 1 year of Kindergarten starting at age 5)
high school 9-12 (each year known, as at the university, as freshman, sophomore, junior, senior year)

but nowadays--
almost always, kindergarten, age 5, followed by
primary, elementary or grade school (all the same thing) 1-6
junior high school 6-9
senior high school, 10-12

or, more commonly these days,
kindergarten,
elementary, 1-5
middle school 6-9
high school 10-12.

[Jubinell]

the vietnamese system might be similar to that of the french, for obvious historical reasons

3 years of kindergarten (3-5) yes i think we just have one teacher here
5 years of primary (6-10) and here too
4 years of secondary (11-14)
3 years of tertiary (15-17)

and the national university entrance exam, similar to le Baccalauréat ?
and some variations:
4 years university
3 years masters etc