On June 17, tens of thousands of French 18-year-olds participated in a rite of passage for which they had been preparing all their lives: writing the philosophy essay that kicks off the gantlet of national high school completion exams required to earn the baccalaureat.
Nothing is easy about this first hurdle. Students are handed an abstract question and given four hours to write a reasoned analysis buttressed by philosophical quotes and cultural allusions. The 2013 themes included: "Is language only a tool?" and "What do we owe the state?"
In subsequent days, students will face a battery of similarly difficult tests of their knowledge in other disciplines such as math, foreign languages and science.