Bac exams wrap up in Morocco
2008-06-06
From June 3rd through June 5th, Morocco conducted its annual round of bac exams. Now that it is finally over, students, teachers and parents react to this year's tests.
By Imane Belhaj for Magharebia in Casablanca – 06/06/08
 [Iman Belhaj] After three days of frayed nerves, students and the parents look back on this year's bac exam. |
Three days of baccalaureate exams in Morocco ended on June 5th. More than 300,000 candidates—observed by 47,000 monitors and more than 1,400 supervisors—sat for the tests in approximately 20,000 examination rooms at 1,300 centers across the Kingdom. Officials had to accommodate a greater pool of candidates this year compared to 2007: 4.9% more girls registered for the bac and 6% more students overall. Despite the magnitude of the operation, it all went off without a hitch.
Teachers who monitored exams at Casablanca's Shawki Qualifying High School told Magharebia that the exam went smoothly, no cheating was reported and questions were clear and related to the students' prior coursework.
M. A., a secondary school teacher and bac exam monitor at the Imam Ghazali School in Meknes, said the ambience on the first day of exams was all quite regular. She also said the exams were reasonable and in line with the material taught in required courses—for the students, that is, who had taken the time to prepare.
"Those who revised well managed to answer the questions. Those who did not missed their chance," she said, adding that some students handed in their answer sheets blank.
With girls representing 44.8% of the total number of candidates sitting for the June session of the baccalaureate, Magharebia wanted to learn more about their reactions to the tests.
For Nadia, Samira and Fatiha, whom we met in front the Shawki Qualifying High School after their physics exams, the questions "did not require much time to decipher", as they put it. Shadia and Thoraya, however, said they were unable to answer the questions because they were "tough".
Time ran out before they could finish.
The same variety of reactions was noted among students of the arts section. Latifa and Sarah, who took the Arabic language exam on Tuesday morning, said they managed to answer the questions, whereas Malika and Samira said the test was difficult.
Like students, parents were equally eaten up with worry over their children. One mother said she was as anxious as if she were taking the exam herself. S.S. added that she had been praying all morning for God to assist her daughter in this decisive year that determines her child's future.
According to the Ministry of National Education and Youth, candidates from public schools constituted the largest portion of students sitting for the bac; 92.7%, as compared to 5.6% for technical education students and 1.7% for students of religion. 142,745 test-takers sat for the arts section, 135,995 sat for the science section, 16,806 for the technical section and 5,127 for the religious section.
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karim Posted 2008-06-06
It would have been nice to mention the number of candidates that sat for the bac libre. Thanks. karim.
saidani miloudi Posted 2008-06-07
A paper airplane flies across room 18. My heart skips a beat out of fear: two monitors, not too bright, distribute three pages to us. I read and re-read the questions. I don’t feel too sure of myself. With my head in my hands, I hear silence sweep over my friends. I close my eyes, pray our Good God to sharpen my memory and let me obtain my baccalaureate in glory. Almost an hour passes without me having answered a single question! Suddenly, a paper airplane is thrown. I catch it fast and let if fly again. The paper-airplane saviours are flying: the monitors are superfluous! Just like the electoral campaigns, our exams are either written or oral. Whether you get your baccalaureate or not, the exam is just another step towards servitude and unemployment! Is this not a shame!? Poem written in exam-room 18, 3 June 2008, during a philosophy test.
Noureddine Boutahar Posted 2008-06-07
I wish everyone the best of luck and I hope the coming reforms will take everything and everyone - students, teachers, resourses, etc - into consideration.
HALIM Posted 2008-06-07
With the will of God he will pass, Amen Lord of the creatures.
mouhssine sbait Posted 2008-06-08
I would really like to know my grade on the baccalaureate exam. My exam number was 17976.
عزيز شكري Posted 2008-06-08
Peace, mercy and blessings of God upon you. I thank your distinguished magazine which always brings us interesting and varied news. Concerning the baccalaureate exams in Morocco this year and in spite of the attempts and efforts exerted so that the exams go in good conditions, this action should be accompanied with an additional effort to reform the educational and training system so that our evaluation of the reform is an objective evaluation and not just a consideration of figures because in my humble opinion, development is based on qualifying the human element so that he becomes capable of keeping up with coming challenges.
فريد Posted 2008-06-09
I wish success to all the students. I want to state that the cheating phenomenon is the same as before. The controllers in charge of monitoring are threatened by some students and they have no one to protect them once they are outside the walls of the institute. Therefore, they are turning a blind eye to cheating cases.
امين المغربي Posted 2008-06-09
The exams are very difficult.
fatima Posted 2008-06-10
Honestly, the exam was easy but students should just review and study.
رشيد من أكادير Posted 2008-06-11
The questions of the exam were easy in my branch at least in human sciences but despite this there was some confusion and ambiguity in the subject of the Arabic language as the answers of the students were varied as some put the literary text within the context of the experience of renaissance and revival while others put it in the context of methods (social method). This was the same for the teachers whom we interrogated after the exams. The opinions of teachers were different. I personally witnessed an example of that when the Arabic teacher, R.H, who supervised the correction of the students’ papers in one of the institutes told me that she considers that every paper inserted by its author in the context of the experimental method as wrong and she would only grant it 7 out of the 14 grades scheduled for the question of texts. This pushed us to feel some scepticism and fear, and we are expecting the results with more sourness. Finally, I hope to get a more convincing reply to my words from the experts. May God grant success to everyone.
naouma Posted 2008-06-12
Praise be to God for everything. The exam was easy but the fear surrounding it was great. Regarding the phenomenon of cheating, it still exists. Teachers' concern for their safety makes them ignore it.
بوعزة الكسول Posted 2008-06-13
May God curse the father of the person who put the exam.
sara Posted 2008-06-13
Thank you for everything.
ايمان Posted 2008-06-14
Praise be to God, everything went well but the text they gave us in Arabic and we haven’t reached it, even the programme we haven’t completed it. In my opinion, before they implement measures and that control, they should first see whether the students have completed the programme and understood it first. I wish from all my heart good luck to everyone, Ima from Tetouan.
salma Posted 2008-06-14
Salam alikoum. Is it possible please to know when the results of the baccalaureate will be published?
obn ali mohamed Posted 2008-06-14
Oh Lord success.
janet Posted 2008-06-15
where is this Sadaka High School?
خديجة Posted 2008-06-16
All the subjects were easy and the exam was very easy for those who have studied well. As for me, I regret not having studied.
asma Posted 2008-06-16
I want to know when will the results be announced on which site plz.
abdessamad Posted 2008-06-16
Salam. How are you? I wish success to all Moroccans.
MERYEM Posted 2008-06-18
Salam alikoum. I didn't pass the baccalaureate exam but I will sit for the second session. I hope that God grants success to me and everyone who will sit for the second session like me. I was wondering whether you can help me. I want the answers of the exam in which I was not successful. I hope to God that you will help me as soon as possible because time is passing quickly and I want to catch up. Please help me.
mmoujahid Posted 2008-06-18
Salam alaikoum. I think that the exam was reasonable but not for all the subjects. English for example was a little complicated in comparison to the other subjects. The easiest subjects were history and geography. I wish success to all the brothers now that the results have been announced. I will sit for the second session because my grade in the regional exam was a bit low. Salam.
fns austarlien Posted 2008-06-19
There is a big difference between developed countries in the educational system- especially the baccalaureate. Some candidates knew their grades even before the exam papers were corrected. Yes of course this is true, because they know who will be their corrector. May God bless the ministry.
عصام Posted 2008-06-19
Honestly, the national exam was reasonable by everyone. The problem for me was the grade of the continuous exams. I only got 10. Even if I had passed my grade point average 9.97. You see, what bad luck. I see it from a positive view, though- it is good to repeat the year, get good grades and pass with a satisfactory, good or even very good distinction. Anyway, if God predestines something for you, you will see it. Congratulations to the successful and good luck to the others.
rachid Posted 2008-06-19
i am studing at university. concerning the exams, some were at the level and some were really a calamity.but still i hope for the best.
fatiha/aziza Posted 2008-06-19
For us the subjects weren’t bad but Arabic was not understood whether it was an article or method. I was personally confused. I hope that they will present something easy in the second session to avoid that failure. As regards control, it was overcrowded; you couldn’t even scratch your head. I wish success to everyone.
fatatalmoustakbal Posted 2008-06-19
I hope that everyone will be happy with the results, even if this exam was a bit difficult, especially in my section of humanities and Arabic. We didn’t know how to put the topic in its context whether it is an article or method. Although I am excellent in Arabic, I was stuck. I wish success to everyone. A special greeting to the examination board. But this is the exam, there must be some difficulty. It is the baccalaureate indeed.
بوعزة الكسول Posted 2008-06-22
May God curse the father of the person who gave the exam.
afaf Posted 2008-06-28
It's good.
محمد الأصبهاني Posted 2008-07-03
I want to know my grade on the internet.
hamza el rhazi Posted 2008-07-10
The standardisation of the bac was easy for me, but my friends said it was very difficult. All the subjects were easy though, except for philosophy- it was quite difficult. Good luck!
kamko Posted 2008-07-12
Hi, Why was the number of repeats and make-ups so high even though the tests were very easy??? What is the problem for this majority??? Maybe they are quite lacking in terms of effort.
zouhir Posted 2008-07-13
Hi, how are you? The exam was a bit difficult.
nadia Posted 2008-07-13
When will the results of the second session of the 2008 bac be announced? Please reply to me immediately.
oussama Posted 2008-07-14
Thank you.
bouchaib chahid Posted 2008-07-16
the exam was very easy especialy the science exam
wiam Posted 2008-07-21
I want to know the names of the successful students in the province of Nador.
kamel Posted 2008-08-22
Salam, I found the exams super easy in spite of a few problems I had in Arabic. It is pointless to study; it is all bogus. Even just counting to ten is more difficult.
gerard Posted 2008-08-22
Salam, I found the exam very difficult, but, fortunately, I studied and I was thus able to get my bac. I wish the candidates that are doing the make-ups good luck!
oumayma Posted 2008-08-26
I address all officials to remove the exams of the first year of the baccalaureate because it influences the results of the second year of the baccalaureate. This is particularly the case because it is not rational that students of the scientific subjects take exams in literary subjects. If they don’t want to suspend it, we ask them at least to include only subjects related to the specialty of the students. Thank you to reply to my request.
chaimae kachtian Posted 2008-08-30
I hope that God will grant me success in the exams and grant success to those who will take the exam.
randa Posted 2008-09-17
We did well, my friends and I, in the exam in Paloma Blanka, Tetouan. But three failed. Thank you everyone.
soufiane Posted 2008-09-28
I want to know please where to find the corrections of the 2008 bac.
noha Posted 2008-10-04
Salam. The exam was easy. I hope that there will be no cheating.
abdelilah Posted 2008-10-11
Salam. I am happy with this achievement.
souleiman mohamed Posted 30 days ago
My name is Mohamed Suleiman. I want to know how long I can register for the open baccalaureate examinations. –Thank you
mohamed elbouzrazi Posted 24 days ago
I am a second-year baccalaureate student. Please, I would like to pose you a question: how do I prepare for the national exam (both psychologically and practically speaking)?
marouane bouzid Posted 11 days ago
I thought the exam was easy.
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