We welcome applications from students taking the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI). This is your dedicated page with information about applying to Christ's College with the BFI.
The Baccalauréat Français International is an international version of the French Baccalaureate, and is taken as a set of school-leaving exams in the academic year when most students have their eighteenth birthday. Students receive an overall mark out of 20 (20 is the highest), and marks for each subject out of 20.
There are eighteen International Sections of the BFI. These are organised by a partnership between the French Ministry of Education and partner countries. For example, the British Section combines A-Level style examinations in English Language and Literature, and History-Geography with the French Baccalaureate, whereas the American Section includes English Language and Literature and History-Geography courses taught from an American perspective in combination with the French Baccalaureate.
The BFI is not to be confused with the International Baccalaureate (IB), which is a different programme (not directly associated with the French Baccalaureate).
The BFI replaces the previous Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB).
The BFI can be taken in France or in a selection of international schools outside France. If you are interested in taking the Baccalauréat Français International, please address any questions about the qualification to the school that you would like to attend.
We can't guarantee that these lists are comprehensive, but see
List of schools with a British International Section
Schools outside France with a British or other international section
We define the terms of each offer individually, but the minimum conditional BFI offer at Christ's requires 17 (mention très bien) out of 20 overall, with 17 in individual subjects, though in reality many of our students arrive with higher grades (we advise you to be academically ambitious!).
If you are applying for Maths you will also need to take STEP exams and your offer will include a requirement to achieve grades 1 or higher in each of STEP papers II and III (see the maths page).
See the subject requirements and offer information on the relevant Christ's subject page for any further information. For example, if you apply for Design, you must achieve a 17 in Mathematics. We recommend that you read the 'offers' section of our Design page.
If you are applying for a course that has significant maths content, it is likely that there will be mathematics questions at interview. Such courses include Computer Science, Economics, Engineering and Natural Sciences, as well as Mathematics.
If the course you are interested in requires or strongly recommends A-level Further Mathematics, we recommend that you familiarise yourself with a Further Mathematics syllabus (example) and mention the fact that you are “topping up” your mathematics, in your personal statement. There are a number of Mathematics resources available online, such as NRICH Mathematics, the Advanced Maths Support Programme and this Engineering website, which can provide useful preparation and practice if you are selected for interview. Mark Warner and Anson Cheung's book, A Cavendish Quantum Mechanics Primer is especially helpful for those considering Engineering and Physical Natural Sciences.
Getting involved with Mathematics competitions and programmes is a great way to stretch your wings mathematically, and many successful applicants participate in the International Mathematics Olympiad. If your maths is very strong, you might also wish to practise past papers for STEP, the advanced examination used by Cambridge, Warwick and a few other universities to test mathematical aptitude. Christ's offers for Mathematics usually include STEP 2 and STEP 3 and Cambridge University provides a free online STEP Support Programme.
For further resources, each of the Christ's subject pages has a super curricular resources section.
If you speak English as an additional language, you will be aware that a high level of English is needed to study at Cambridge. Alongside your academic ability and potential, we will look for evidence of your English language competence when selecting students for interview. Please read our page on English language requirements (including the lists in the interview selection section) in full, paying particular attention to the following two points that are relevant for many Christ's applicants taking the BFI:
> the list of qualifications accepted at all Colleges as English language proof of competence to participate in an interview includes a score of 16 in French BFI English Language and Literature.
> Christ's College accepts predicted grades for school qualifications in the qualifications listed (see link above) as evidence that you are on track to achieve the English language scores needed. If, like many of our applicants, you have not yet finished school, there is no need to worry as long as you are doing well in English.
English Language requirements are one of the topics that we discuss in our regular webinar for international applicants, if helpful.
When reading this page, note that in addition to the BFI, in most cases we would normally expect to see:
STEP papers II and III if you are applying for Mathematics, See the STEP information on the Maths page. STEP is not needed if you are applying for a subject other than maths.
An Admissions Test, if this is required for your course at Cambridge. Please check the applying information on the relevant subject page and be careful as some written assessments require registration by a deadline in September.
In all cases it is essential to read the relevant Christ's subject page for details of what is needed for the course you are applying for.
"The more demanding BFI curriculum has taught me to deal with a greater workload and organise my time, as well as allowing me to delve further into topics that I am passionate about, namely history and literature. The skill set and opportunities offered by the BFI made me feel more prepared when applying to Cambridge."
