In brief
Education Minister Geffray, speaking on France Inter, said he wants to scrap all end-of-year afternoon exams because of worsening heat.
Terminale students sit the philosophy paper on June 15 from 8am to 12pm; première students already took French and maths last week.
Météo France forecasts 32–36 °C across the country and up to 37 °C in Paris as a new heat episode arrives midweek.
Snes-FSU reports that 77.6 % of schools exceeded 30 °C indoors during the late-May heatwave and calls for thermal retrofits, not just schedule changes.
While written exams shift to mornings, oral components will continue to be held in the afternoon, Le Parisien notes.
- 14 JunMinister Geffray announces he wants no more afternoon exams.
- 15 JunTerminale philosophy exam begins (8am–12pm).
- 17 JunHeatwave expected to hit France with 32–36 °C, 37 °C in Paris.
Minister's Sunday announcement
On Sunday, June 14, French Education Minister Édouard Geffray told France Inter that he no longer wants any end-of-year exams held in the afternoon, citing climate change. "I simply want no more exams to take place in the afternoons," he said. The minister argued that the 2pm–6pm slot is "not possible" given the heat that regularly hits May and June. He noted that examinations held between 8am and 12pm benefit from cooler morning air if rooms are ventilated before arrival.
Exams and the forecast heat
The written baccalaureate exams for terminale students begin on Monday, June 15 with the philosophy paper, scheduled from 8am to noon. Première students sat French on Thursday and, for the first time, mathematics on Friday. Météo France forecasts a new heat episode from Wednesday onwards: temperatures are expected to reach 32–36 °C across the country and up to 37 °C in Paris. Even on Monday, several cities will already be warm, with Bordeaux and Montpellier each bracing for 33 °C, Nantes and Toulouse 32 °C, Rennes 31 °C, Alençon 30 °C and Paris 29 °C.
- Bordeaux
- 33 °C
- Montpellier
- 33 °C
- Nantes
- 32 °C
- Toulouse
- 32 °C
- Rennes
- 31 °C
- Alençon
- 30 °C
- Paris
- 29 °C
Data from the article text
Unions react: cautious welcome, deeper demands
Sophie Vénétitay, secretary general of the Snes-FSU union, described the proposal as a good step but insisted that school buildings themselves must be renovated for thermal efficiency. She recalled the late-May heatwave that saw over 77.6% of surveyed secondary schools recording classroom temperatures above 30 °C, calling the current approach "big patchwork." Bruno Bobkiewicz, head of the SNPDEN school leaders' union, welcomed the minister's intent but warned of logistical knock-ons: exam sessions spread over more days and the need for school transport operators to align their midday return schedules for collège students who still have classes in the afternoon.
“It's a period we dread because we know it will be over 30 degrees in the classrooms, making conditions extremely difficult.”
The afternoon orals and unfinished business
Despite the minister's call, oral exams will still be held in the afternoon, Le Parisien reported. The minister's immediate push is to make morning-only written exams permanent, though no formal decree has been issued. Union representatives argue that without retrofitting school buildings, morning sessions alone cannot guarantee comfortable conditions if the outside temperature continues to climb earlier in the day.