The BEPC in Cameroon: papers, coefficients and pass rules
The Brevet d'études du premier cycle (BEPC) marks the end of lower secondary general education in the French-speaking subsystem, in the class of Troisième. Unlike the Probatoire and the Baccalauréat, it is not run by the Baccalaureate Office: it is organised by the Department of Examinations, Competitions and Certification (DECC) of the Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC), which also runs the CAP. It comes in two versions: the ordinary BEPC and the bilingual BEPC, which adds intensive English.
Information checked on
At a glance
- Class
- Troisième (end of lower secondary)
- Typical age
- Around 15 (after five years of secondary school)
- Organiser
- DECC, Ministry of Secondary Education (MINESEC)
- 2026 session
- Written 1 to 4 June, bilingual oral on 5 June; results from 6 July
- Candidates, 2025
- 217,129 (213,253 ordinary, 3,876 bilingual)
- Pass rate, 2025
- 65.58% (ordinary), 85.57% (bilingual)
- Anglophone counterpart
- GCE Ordinary Level (Form Five)
- Next step
- Seconde, then the Probatoire at the end of Première
Who runs the BEPC?
The BEPC falls under MINESEC's DECC, which also publishes the CAP results. The 2026 timetable was signed by the Minister of Secondary Education, Nalova Lyonga. The Cameroon Baccalaureate Office (OBC) only comes in from the Probatoire onwards.
Papers and coefficients (2026 session)
| Day | Paper | Duration | Coef. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 1 June | Text study | 1 hr | 1 |
| Monday 1 June | Spelling correction / dictation | 45 min | 1 |
| Monday 1 June | Computer science (theory) | 1 hr 30 | 2 |
| Monday 1 June | Citizenship education | 2 hrs | 2 |
| Tuesday 2 June | Mathematics | 2 hrs | 4 |
| Tuesday 2 June | Written expression | 2 hrs | 2 |
| Tuesday 2 June | Second foreign language | 2 hrs | 2 |
| Wednesday 3 June | Physics, chemistry and technology | 2 hrs | 3 |
| Wednesday 3 June | History and geography | 2 hrs | 2 |
| Wednesday 3 June | Physical education (written) | 2 hrs | 2 |
| Thursday 4 June | Life and earth sciences, environmental education | 2 hrs | 2 |
| Thursday 4 June | English (bilingual BEPC: intensive English, written) | 2 hrs (bilingual: 2 hrs 40) | 3 (bilingual: 4) |
| Friday 5 June | Intensive English oral (bilingual BEPC) | 20 min per candidate | — |
Optional papers are held on the afternoon of 4 June. According to Journal du Cameroun, the 2025 session introduced a spelling-correction exercise in place of the traditional dictation, which the ministry presented as one of the reasons for the improved results.
Pass requirements
In February 2025, according to Journal du Cameroun, a joint statement by the OBC and the DECC set a general average of 10/20 as the requirement to pass the BEPC, the Probatoire and the Baccalauréat, and to move up a class. For the BEPC, the article also mentions a minimum mark of 10/20 in several subjects (mathematics, physics-chemistry-technology, French, English, computer science, life sciences and history).
The official text itself could not be found online, and the ordinary BEPC pass rate actually rose in 2025: the exact scope of the subject-by-subject requirement therefore remains to be confirmed.
Figures from recent sessions
| Exam | Candidates 2025 | Pass rate 2024 | Pass rate 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary BEPC | 213,253 | 59.10% | 65.58% |
| Bilingual BEPC | 3,876 | 75.90% | 85.57% |
| BEPC and CAP combined | — | 63.41% | 69.54% |
For the 2026 session, the results of the ordinary and bilingual BEPC were released from 6 July 2026, region by region, but no national figures had been found at the time of checking. The breakdown by region and school is covered in the results page.
The BEPC's role in streaming
The BEPC marks the move into upper secondary: Seconde, where pupils enter a stream (arts or science), then Première, which ends with the Probatoire. In technical education, the first cycle ends with the CAP rather than the BEPC. Any debate about abolishing the BEPC could not be documented: none of the recent sources consulted mentions one.
Frequently asked questions
Who organises the BEPC in Cameroon?
The Department of Examinations, Competitions and Certification (DECC) of the Ministry of Secondary Education, not the Baccalaureate Office.
When did the 2026 BEPC start?
The written papers ran from Monday 1 to Thursday 4 June 2026, with the bilingual BEPC English oral on Friday 5 June.
What is the coefficient for maths in the BEPC?
4, the highest in the 2026 exam, ahead of physics-chemistry-technology and English (3 each).
What average do you need to pass the BEPC?
A general average of 10/20, according to the OBC-DECC statement of February 2025 reported by Journal du Cameroun.
How many candidates sat the BEPC in 2025?
217,129, including 213,253 for the ordinary BEPC and 3,876 for the bilingual BEPC, according to MINESEC figures quoted by Cameroon Tribune.
What is the difference between the ordinary and bilingual BEPC?
The bilingual BEPC replaces ordinary English (coefficient 3) with a written intensive English paper (coefficient 4) and adds a 20-minute English oral.
Handle with care
The 2026 results date differs between sources: the timetable planned 10 July (Infospratiques), but Journal du Cameroun and 237online report publication from 6 July. The 10/20 per-subject requirement is reported by the press; the official text is not available online. MINESEC's 2024-2025 statistical yearbook has empty tables for the 2025 BEPC. No documented debate about abolishing the BEPC was found.