Free Practice Questions for Bac HLP

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Exam Review

Key Facts: Bac HLP Exam

The terminale HLP written exam lasts 4 hours and carries a coefficient of 16 in the French baccalauréat général.

The exam has two parts on one shared text — an interprétation and an essai — each marked out of 10, total out of 20.

The two parts are corrected by two different teachers, one of letters and one of philosophy, on separate sheets.

Terminale HLP studies two objects of study: 'La recherche de soi' and 'L'Humanité en question', each split into three entries.

'La recherche de soi' covers the period from Romanticism to the 20th century (Éduscol programme).

HLP is co-taught 6 hours per week in terminale, split equally between a letters teacher and a philosophy teacher.

The 2026 HLP written exam is held on 16 or 17 June 2026, after the philosophy exam on 15 June.

Dropped at the end of première, HLP is assessed by contrôle continu with a coefficient of 8 instead of 16.

The Bac HLP terminale written exam is a 4-hour paper combining an interprétation and an essai on one shared text, each marked /10 for a total /20, carrying coefficient 16.

Sample Bac HLP Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Bac HLP exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1The Terminale HLP (Humanités, Littérature et Philosophie) written examination carries which coefficient in the French Baccalauréat Général?

A.8

B.10

C.16

D.5

Explanation: As a terminale specialty (spécialité) kept into the final year, HLP carries a coefficient of 16, making it one of the most heavily weighted exams in the baccalauréat. Each specialty kept to terminale is worth coefficient 16.

2How long does the written Terminale HLP examination last?

A.2 hours

B.3 hours

C.4 hours

D.5 hours

Explanation: The written HLP exam lasts 4 hours, during which the candidate must complete two separate exercises (an interpretation and an essay) based on a shared text. The 4-hour duration matches the demanding rédactionnel nature of the exam.

3The Terminale HLP written exam is divided into two parts. What are they?

A.A dissertation and an oral defence

B.A multiple-choice test and a translation

C.A commentaire composé and a contraction de texte

D.An interpretation (interprétation) and an essay (essai)

Explanation: The HLP written exam comprises two obligatory parts: an interprétation (literary or philosophical interpretation of the text) and an essai (a reasoned answer to a question raised by the text). Each is graded out of 10 and the two scores are summed.

4How are the two parts of the HLP written exam scored?

A.Each is graded out of 10, and the two are summed for a single mark out of 20

B.The interpretation is out of 14 and the essay out of 6

C.Only the higher of the two scores counts

D.Each is graded out of 20 and the average is taken

Explanation: Each question (interpretation and essay) is marked on 10 points; the sum of the two notes forms the single overall mark out of 20 for the exam. The two parts are corrected by two different teachers — one of letters, one of philosophy.

5Who corrects the two parts of the HLP written exam?

A.A single examiner corrects both parts

B.The candidate's own teachers

C.An external university jury

D.Two teachers — one of letters (lettres) and one of philosophy — each correct one part

Explanation: Because HLP is co-taught by a French (lettres) teacher and a philosophy teacher, the two parts of the exam are corrected by two different teachers according to the disciplinary orientation of each exercise. The candidate writes the two parts on separate sheets (copies distinctes).

6What are the two major objects of study (objets d'étude) of the Terminale HLP programme?

A.Les pouvoirs de la parole and Les représentations du monde

B.La liberté and La justice

C.L'art et la beauté and La nature humaine

D.La recherche de soi and L'Humanité en question

Explanation: The terminale programme is built around two objects of study: 'La recherche de soi' (semester 1) and 'L'Humanité en question' (semester 2). Each is divided into three entries (entrées).

7Which three entries (entrées) make up the object of study 'La recherche de soi'?

A.Création, continuités et ruptures; Histoire et violence; L'humain et ses limites

B.La conscience; Le désir; L'inconscient

C.Les pouvoirs de la parole; Les représentations du monde; La recherche du beau

D.Éducation, transmission et émancipation; Les expressions de la sensibilité; Les métamorphoses du moi

Explanation: 'La recherche de soi' is divided into three entries: 'Éducation, transmission et émancipation', 'Les expressions de la sensibilité', and 'Les métamorphoses du moi'. These trace the formation and transformation of the self from Romanticism to the 20th century.

8Which three entries make up the object of study 'L'Humanité en question'?

A.Éducation; Sensibilité; Métamorphoses du moi

B.La vérité; La nature; La technique

C.La parole; Le monde; Le beau

D.Création, continuités et ruptures; Histoire et violence; L'humain et ses limites

Explanation: 'L'Humanité en question' is divided into 'Création, continuités et ruptures', 'Histoire et violence', and 'L'humain et ses limites'. This object of study engages with 20th- and 21st-century ruptures, the violence of history, and the limits of the human in the face of technology.

9What is the historical reference period (période de référence) for the object of study 'La recherche de soi'?

A.From Antiquity to the Classical Age

B.From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment

C.From Romanticism to the 20th century

D.Only the 21st century

Explanation: 'La recherche de soi' takes as its reference period the era 'du romantisme au XXe siècle' (from Romanticism to the 20th century) — a period of great social, political, and intellectual mutation across Europe that placed the formation of the self at the centre of culture.

10What is the historical reference period for 'L'Humanité en question'?

A.The contemporary period (20th-21st centuries)

B.The Middle Ages

C.Antiquity

D.The Enlightenment

Explanation: 'L'Humanité en question' is anchored in the contemporary period (XXe-XXIe siècles). It addresses 20th-century ruptures in art and culture, the historical violence of the century, and contemporary questions raised by technology, genetics, and artificial intelligence.

About the Bac HLP Exam

HLP (Humanités, Littérature et Philosophie) is a terminale specialty of the French Baccalauréat Général, co-taught 6 hours a week by a letters teacher and a philosophy teacher. The terminale written exam lasts 4 hours and comprises two exercises on a single shared text: an interprétation (literary or philosophical) and an essai (the other discipline), each marked out of 10 and corrected by two different teachers. The terminale programme covers two objects of study — 'La recherche de soi' (Romanticism to the 20th century) and 'L'Humanité en question' (20th-21st centuries) — each divided into three entries. With a coefficient of 16, it is one of the most heavily weighted and demanding specialties. This free practice bank offers 100 MCQs on the named themes, key authors and philosophers, literary and rhetorical analysis, the history of ideas, and exam methodology.

Exam sponsor: Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (Éduscol / Dgesco), organised by académies. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Questions

100 questions

Time Limit

4 hours (written exam)

Passing Score

Two parts each marked /10, summed to a single /20; coefficient 16 in the baccalauréat

Exam / Certification Fees

Free — the baccalauréat général is a free, state-administered French national diploma

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (Éduscol / Dgesco), organised by académies: official exam information

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

30%

La recherche de soi

Éducation, transmission et émancipation; les expressions de la sensibilité; les métamorphoses du moi, from Romanticism to the 20th century.

25%

L'Humanité en question

Création, continuités et ruptures; histoire et violence; l'humain et ses limites, 20th-21st century, technology and anthropology.

18%

History of ideas & key thinkers

Humanism, Enlightenment, Romanticism, existentialism and major authors and philosophers.

15%

Literary and rhetorical analysis

Figures of speech, registers, versification, narratology, and literary movements.

12%

Exam methodology & structure

Interprétation vs essai, problématique, plan, grading, coefficient, and logistics.

Preparing for the Bac HLP Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Two parts each marked /10, summed to a single /20; coefficient 16 in the baccalauréat
Exam length: 100 questions
Time limit: 4 hours (written exam)
Exam / certification fees: Free — the baccalauréat général is a free, state-administered French national diploma Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Bac HLP: Suggested Study Strategy

1Build personal fiches on each of the six entries, pairing a literary work with a philosophical text and a clear notion for each.

2Learn to formulate a precise problématique fast — examiners reward depth of reasoning over the number of references.

3Practise both exercises under timed conditions, allocating roughly two hours per part since each is worth 10 points.

4Master the key thinkers (Rousseau, Kant, Freud, Nietzsche, Arendt, Camus, Sartre) and signature works rather than memorising long quotations.

5Revise literary analysis tools — figures of speech, registers, versification, focalisation — for the interprétation.

6Read widely across the period (Romanticism to the 21st century) and connect themes to contemporary debates on technology and violence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the coefficient of the HLP specialty in the bac?

If kept to terminale, HLP carries a coefficient of 16, one of the highest in the baccalauréat. If dropped at the end of première, it counts via contrôle continu with coefficient 8.

How long is the HLP written exam and how is it structured?

It lasts 4 hours and has two parts on a shared text: an interprétation (literary or philosophical) and an essai (the other discipline), each marked out of 10 and written on separate sheets corrected by two different teachers.

What themes are studied in terminale HLP?

Two objects of study: 'La recherche de soi' (éducation/transmission/émancipation; expressions de la sensibilité; métamorphoses du moi) and 'L'Humanité en question' (création, continuités et ruptures; histoire et violence; l'humain et ses limites).

Which period does the terminale programme cover?

'La recherche de soi' runs from Romanticism to the 20th century; 'L'Humanité en question' covers the contemporary period (20th-21st centuries), including technology, AI, and transhumanism.

When does the 2026 HLP exam take place?

The written specialty exams, including HLP, are held on 16 or 17 June 2026 from 8:00 to 12:00, depending on the candidate's convocation; the philosophy exam is on 15 June 2026.

Is the Bac HLP exam free to sit?

Yes. The baccalauréat général is a free, state-administered French national diploma; enrolled school students do not pay an exam fee.