Education in Mauritania: from primary school to the Baccalaureate
Schooling in Mauritania has three stages: the fundamental cycle (1AF to 6AF), which ends with the entrance exam to the first year of secondary school, the collège (1AS to 4AS), which ends with the BEPC, and the lycée (5AS to 7AS), which ends with the Baccalaureate in one of the streams C, D, A, O or TM.
At a glance
- Fundamental
- 1AF to 6AF, then the entrance exam to the first year of secondary
- Collège
- 1AS to 4AS, then the BEPC
- Lycée
- 5AS to 7AS, then the Baccalaureate
- Bac streams
- C, D, A, O and TM
The stages of schooling
How to read the codes 1AF, 1AS, 7AS
AF stands for the fundamental cycle and AS for secondary education. 1AF is the first year of the fundamental cycle, 1AS the first year of the collège and 7AS the last year of the lycée, the Baccalaureate year. Counted from 1AF to 7AS, the path to the Bac is thirteen school years.
The three stages in brief
- Fundamental (1AF–6AF): the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, and the entrance exam to the first year of secondary school at the end of 6AF.
- Collège (1AS–4AS): the first cycle of secondary school, ending with the BEPC exam.
- Lycée (5AS–7AS): the second cycle, organised in streams, ending with the Baccalaureate.
How BacMR helps at each stage
BacMR is an AI tutor that answers from the official Mauritanian textbooks. It was built first for lycée students: its textbook library is today based on the 7AS books, the Bac year, for streams C, D, A (modern letters) and O (original letters), plus some 6AS books.
For the fundamental cycle and the collège, BacMR describes the path and is useful to families, but its answers are not yet based on the textbooks of those grades. Each level page says exactly what is covered.
- Answers drawn from the official textbooks, with the book and page cited
- Questions in Arabic or French, by text, voice or photo
- The syllabus chapter by chapter, to ask about one chapter in particular
- Quizzes of 5, 10 or 20 questions and a study plan
Free to start, on any phone or computer.
Frequently asked questions
What are the stages of school in Mauritania?
The fundamental cycle (1AF to 6AF), the collège (1AS to 4AS) and the lycée (5AS to 7AS). Each stage ends with an exam: the entrance exam to the first year of secondary school, the BEPC, then the Baccalaureate.
What does 7AS mean?
7AS is the seventh and last year of secondary education, the Baccalaureate year.
What are the Mauritanian Baccalaureate streams?
The streams are C (mathematics), D (natural sciences), A (modern letters), O (original letters) and TM (mathematical technique).
Is BacMR an official Ministry service?
No. BacMR is an independent service, not affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. Official information is on education.gov.mr.