Secondary cycle

After 2 years in the Nursery School cycle and 5 years in the Primary School, students at the European School Luxembourg II transition into the Secondary School cycle. This cycle includes a total of 7 years and concludes with the European Baccalaureate. 

Our secondary cycle

Teaching students in their dominant or first language is a key feature of the whole school program. Students are therefore admitted to the language section that corresponds to their dominant language. The Secondary School includes 6 language sections (see Introduction to the School/Language Instruction and Language Sections).

 

 

Read more

The Secondary School is housed in its own building designed to accommodate up to 1600 students. The building includes different classroom spaces appropriate for teaching all subjects, except for physical education classes which are held in the neighboring Sports Complex. The Secondary School is headed by an Adjunct Director.

A student may only be admitted to start the first year of Secondary School if he has completed the requirements set by his own country to advance into an equivalent grade level. An equivalency table is provided in the annex, General Rules for European Schools. Students who have successfully completed the 5th year of Primary School at ours or another European School will be allowed to matriculate into the first year of Secondary School.

Secondary School Divided into Three Cycles

The seven years of Secondary School are divided into three stages, or cycles. For the first three years of the Secondary School cycle, students follow a common curriculum referred to as the “cycle d’observation” or Observation Cycle. Most subjects are taught in the student’s first language. 

Read more

Starting in the first year of the Secondary School cycle, all students choose a second foreign language (L3) to study. In the second year of Secondary School, Latin is offered as an option. By the third year of Secondary School, humanities courses and Religion or Morals/Ethics classes are taught in the student’s first foreign language (L2). Students who chose to study Latin in their second year continue those classes. For the other students, a computer science class (ICT) is offered.

The 4th and 5th years of Secondary School form the second cycle. By this time, general science classes are subdivided into physics, biology, or chemistry. Students may also choose between regular and advanced mathematics. Other course options include economics, a third foreign language (L4) and ancient Greek.

The sixth and seventh years of Secondary School form the third cycle and work together as preparation for the Baccalaureate. There is still a mandatory core curriculum that includes first language, first foreign language (L2), math, one of the sciences, philosophy, physical education, history, and geography. Students may also choose from a wide array of elective classes that are offered for two periods, four periods, or at an advanced level.

Students are regularly evaluated, with report cards being sent home three or four times each year. Assessments are based on both class work and exam results. Official exams, however, are not given during the Observation Cycle of Secondary School. At the end of the school year, specific criteria set by the Board of Governors are used to determine a student’s eligibility to pass into the next grade level.

The European Baccalaureate Cycle

The European Baccalaureate cycle comprises the two last years of Secondary School (S6 and S7) in the European Schools or in schools accredited by the Board of Governors.

This final cycle consists of a comprehensive multilingual curriculum. Students must take a combination of language, humanities, and scientific courses, with subjects taught through more than one language. 

Read more

The core curriculum consists of the following compulsory subjects, some of which can be taken at different levels of complexity:

  • At least two language subjects (the dominant language and another one)
  • Mathematics, either 3 periods/week or 5 periods/week
  • One scientific subject, either Biology 2 periods/week or any other 4-period scientific subject in Biology, Chemistry or Physics
  • History and Geography, either 2 periods/week or 4 periods/week, which are taught through a different language from the dominant one, either in French, English or German.
  • Philosophy, either 2 periods/week or 4 periods/week
  • Physical Education
  • Morals/Ethics or Religion

In addition to the core curriculum, pupils have a wide range of options and complementary subjects they can choose from to complete their program, which must total a minimum of 31 periods per week and a maximum of 35.

S5 Work experience program

Among the essential pedagogical axes that it favors, the European School of Luxembourg II encourages the personal, social and intellectual development of its students.

For this reason, we wish to offer students a realistic and rewarding approach to the world of work and business.

Therefore, students in the 5th year of secondary education are required to participate in the Work Experience program and obtain an internship of 2 weeks.

The internship is mandatory for all students in S5.

This internship takes place during the last two weeks of the school year, right after the end of the S5 written examinations.

It will be the subject of a signed internship agreement between the parties, a report and an evaluation by the employer.

For all information regarding the procedure, we invite you to watch the PPT presentation

For any other questions, we kindly ask you to send your messages to the following email address: MAM-STAGE@EURSC.EU

Building