An average of 13/20 grants the mention Quite Good for both the diploma and the baccalaureate. However, on a quarterly report card from middle or high school, this same grade does not trigger any official mention. Three contexts, three different responses: confusing them distorts the understanding of the academic path.
Quarterly report card in middle and high school: no regulatory mention
The mentions Quite Good, Good, and Very Good are categories attached to a national exam, not to a periodic report card. No text from the ministry provides for a mention on a school report.
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The comments that families read at the bottom of the report (encouragements, compliments, congratulations) come from the class council of the institution. Each middle or high school sets its own thresholds. In some institutions, a general average of 13 is enough to receive compliments from the class council. In others, the same 13 only triggers encouragements, with compliments reserved for students above 14.
We regularly observe this confusion: a student who announces “mention Good with 13” is actually referring to compliments or congratulations awarded locally, without national value. The term “mention” is here a misuse of language. To better understand what mention for an average of 13 entails, one must distinguish this internal context from the final exams.
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Mention in the national diploma with an average of 13: thresholds and calculation
For the national diploma, mentions are based on the total points obtained, converted into an average out of 20. The grading scale is fixed and identical across the territory.
- Mention Quite Good: average between 12/20 and less than 14/20. A 13/20 falls within this range.
- Mention Good: average from 14/20 to less than 16/20. A student with a 13 is one whole point short of this.
- Mention Very Good: average equal to or greater than 16/20.
The total for the diploma combines two blocks: mastery of the common core (assessed through continuous assessment, capped at 400 points) and the final exams (400 points). A student who achieves a “very good mastery” level in all areas of the core earns 400 points from continuous assessment, equivalent to 10/20 even before taking the exams.
A final average of 13 means a total of about 520 points out of 800. In practice, this often corresponds to a well-validated core and final exam scores around 12-13. The main lever for moving from the mention Quite Good to Good remains the written exams, where each paper can shift the total by several dozen points.
Mention in the baccalaureate with an average of 13: same threshold, different calculation
The mention thresholds for the baccalaureate are identical to those for the diploma: 12 for Quite Good, 14 for Good, 16 for Very Good. With an average of 13, a candidate thus receives the mention Quite Good in the baccalaureate.
The calculation mechanism is more complex. The final baccalaureate grade includes continuous assessment (averages from the first and final years in the common subjects) and the final exams (French, philosophy, grand oral, two specialty subjects). Each component is assigned coefficients that vary depending on the general or technological track.
Continuous assessment and coefficients in the baccalaureate
The common subjects assessed through continuous assessment represent a significant part of the total. A student with an annual average of 13 in these subjects secures a solid base, but this base is weighted by lower coefficients than those of the final exams.
The two final year specialties each carry a high coefficient. A difference of one or two points in these exams shifts the final average more effectively than the same difference in history-geography or PE. Aiming for the mention Good from a 13 requires targeting the high coefficient exams, not just scraping half a point everywhere.
Retake and mentions: total incompatibility
A candidate who scores between 8 and 10 on the baccalaureate takes the second group exams (retake). Even if these exams allow for obtaining the diploma, no mention can be awarded after a retake. This point is often overlooked. With a 13, this question does not arise, but it concerns students close to 12 who hope for a mention Quite Good: it must be obtained in the first group.
Comparison diploma, baccalaureate, and report card: when the mention exists and when it does not
| Context | 13/20 grants | Official mention? |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly report card (middle/high school) | Variable comments depending on the institution | No |
| National diploma | Mention Quite Good | Yes |
| Baccalaureate (first group) | Mention Quite Good | Yes |
| Baccalaureate (after retake) | No mention possible | No |
This table highlights a point that most articles on the subject do not clarify: the notion of mention has legal reality only within the framework of a national exam. A 13 on a report card is neither a mention nor a label. It is an internal average, useful for Parcoursup and for the class council, but devoid of any certification.
Parcoursup and academic record: what a 13 really means in high school
On Parcoursup, programs consult the averages by subject, not the overall average. A global average of 13 can mask a 15 in mathematics specialty and a 10 in languages, or vice versa. The ranking algorithms and the wish examination commissions weigh each grade differently depending on the targeted track.
The Avenir sheets filled out by teachers and the principal add a qualitative assessment. A student with a 13 and regular progress with a “very favorable” opinion from the class council will be better positioned than a student with a 14 and a reserved opinion. The mention on the baccalaureate diploma does not factor into the Parcoursup ranking, since the wishes are processed before the baccalaureate results.
A 13 average in middle or high school corresponds to the mention Quite Good when it comes to the diploma or baccalaureate, and to nothing regulatory when it comes to a report card. Confusing these two levels leads to overestimating or underestimating an academic record. The only useful question remains the same: 13 in which subjects, with what coefficients, and for which targeted program.