Introduction

Quebec’s education and large-scale student assessment systems/programs, although similar to other Canadian jurisdictions in many respects, are unique in important ways. For instance, following pre-primary education (kindergarten) the education systems in most of Canada are divided into three stages: Grades 1 to 8 (primary/elementary), Grades 9 to 12 (secondary) and post-secondary (college and university). In Quebec, primary/elementary education spans Grades 1 to 6, secondary includes Grades 7 to 11, and CEGEP (collège d’enseignement général et professionel), the equivalent of Grade 12, from which students receive a diplome d’études collégiales (DEC) or enter a university.^[1] (Quebec students typically attend CEGEP instead of Grade 12, as the college education is designed to bridge the gap between completing secondary school in Grade 11 and attending university.^[2]) Quebec has publicly funded French- and English-Language schools. In publicly funded primary and secondary schools, all students must attend a French-language school, except in cases of students being eligible for instruction in English. According to the Charter of the French Language^[3], eligibility for instruction in English includes:

• students with a parent (who is a Canadian citizen) and who received most of their elementary or secondary education in English in Canada and

• students who have already received all or most of the elementary or secondary education in English in Canada, or have a sibling who has received all or most of their education in English in Canada, provided a parent is a Canadian citizen.

The province has a long-standing history of administering standardized provincial student assessments.^[4] Curriculum-based assessments, conducted by the Ministry of Education, are administered in given subjects at key stages in students’ educational learning path and serve as important gauges of their competency development. Given length constraints, the objective of this article is to describe, in a high-level way, the current status of Quebec’s English-Language, large-scale student assessments, known as ministerial examinations, as well as the province’s plans for the future of the assessment program.

Ministerial Examinations

The Ministry of Education develops and administers two types of ministerial examinations: those for students in elementary school and Secondary 2 and those for Secondary 4 and 5. In Grade 4 (Elementary 4), French-language students only write a Français, langue d’enseignement test; students in Grade 6 (Elementary 6) sit for an English-language arts test (for English students) and Français, langue d’enseignement exam (for French students), as well as mathematics, and Grade 9 (Secondary 2) French students take a Français, langue d’enseignement exam. The Elementary and Secondary 2 ministerial examinations, designed to verify that the requirements for the related curricular programs have been met, count for 20% of the student’s final course grade. The Grade 10 (Secondary 4) exams test students’ competencies, based on the related curriculum expectations, in mathematics, science and technology, applied science and technology and history of Quebec and Canada. Grade 11 (Secondary 5) exams test students on their knowledge and skills in English language arts, French as a second language (core and enriched programs) Français, langue d’enseignement (in French only), and English as a second language (core and enriched programs). All students in Grade 10 and 11 are required to take their respective tests, which count for 50% of their final course grade.^[5]

The French-only exams in Français, langue d’enseignement are intended for Elementary 4, Elementary 6, Secondary 2 and Secondary 5 French-speaking students. The Français langue seconde exams are intended for Secondary 5 English-speaking students. These exams are aligned with their own curriculum content and approaches. The English-only exams (Elementary 6, Secondary 5) have their own curriculum (English language arts for English-speaking students and English as a second language for French-speaking students) and are very different in terms of content and approach. On the other hand, the mathematics, sciences and history examinations are developed in French and then translated into English for the English-speaking students. Representatives of the English-speaking Quebec community validate the translations to ensure vocabulary aligns with what is used in the classroom.^[6]

Ministerial examinations for Elementary 4 (Français, langue d’enseignement), Elementary 6 (English language arts), and Secondary 2 (Français, langue enseignement) are administered annually in June; exams for Elementary 6 (Français, langue d’enseignement and mathematics) are taken in January and June; and all Secondary 4 and 5 tests are administered in January and June, with retake opportunities offered in August. In the following sections, high-level descriptive information is provided for English-language tests in Elementary 6, Secondary 4 and Secondary 5 to provide an awareness of large-scale student assessments in Quebec.

Elementary 6 Examinations^[7]

English Language Arts

The tasks involved in the English language arts examination include preparation of a response to literature and narrative writing. Students’ reading performance is assessed through their reading, critically analyzing and synthesizing ideas related to illustrated literature and then preparing a written response. Writing performance is assessed through their preparation of a story for their peers, that draws upon their knowledge of the structure and features of narrative writing, as well as language conventions. Although not formally assessed, students use language to communicate and learn. Throughout the examination, students participate in activities in which they discuss issues arising from the test content, providing them with opportunities to gather information and ideas to support their writing tasks. Each of the reading and writing components of the test takes approximately 3.5 hours to complete. Examples of English language arts examination materials can be accessed here.^[8]

School boards and independent schools are responsible for marking the students’ written products from the responses to literature and narrative writing. The Ministry recommends that Elementary 6 English language arts teachers gather together at a local marking centre to collaborate on the scoring of students’ work. This approach allows educators to analyze and discuss the quality of students’ writing. Such collaboration contributes to reaching a common interpretation and understanding of performance criteria and supports equity and reliability of results. The Ministry provides scoring rubrics and exemplars which describe the five performance levels: Level 5 (Advanced), Level 4 (Thorough), Level 3 (Acceptable), Level 2 (Partial) and Level 1 (Minimal), and teachers are required to determine the overall performance level of each student’s work. (Each performance level is accompanied by a detailed descriptive profile.) In addition, the Ministry requires that the performance levels assigned to students’ work be converted to percentages. For each of Levels 3 to 5 for “scoring a written response to literature” and “narrative writing,” there is a range of three scores and associated percentages for each performance level. A range of two scores is provided for Levels 1 and 2. The following chart provides the breakdown of performance scores and associated percentages.

Mathematics

The ministerial mathematics examination is administered to evaluate students’ competencies using various tasks to:

• solve situational mathematics problems and

• reason using mathematical concepts and processes.

The exam is administered over a three-day period, and the associated tasks are to be administered in the same order to all students provincewide. Each task involves a preparation and a performance component. Three situations involving applications are administered, two on the first day, and the third on the third day. Through these situations students can demonstrate their ability to “choose and apply the required mathematical concepts and processes and present a procedure that clearly demonstrates their reasoning” and “use mathematical arguments to justify a statement, check a result or procedure, take a position, provide a critical assessment, or convince others.” Teachers read the description of the situation with the students before the performance phase begins. Students have 30 minutes to complete each situational problem, with 15 minutes of extra time available to complete their work. A Question Booklet is administered on Day Three to assist teachers in evaluating students’ “knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts and processes,” and “their ability to apply acquired combinations of mathematical concepts and processes.” The booklet comprises two parts: Part A, mental computation questions, which are read aloud by the teacher, and Part B, which consists of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Examples of mathematics examination materials can be accessed here.^[9]

Like English language arts, educational institutions are responsible for marking the examination in accordance with the administration and marking guides provided by the Ministry. Results of the test are expressed numerically. Evaluation criteria are provided for each of the three situations involving applications. For each criterion, teachers must determine the level of performance demonstrated by the student; each level has a corresponding percent value; and the sum of the percentages results in a score out of 100%. The following chart illustrates how results are calculated for one of the three situations.

The result for situations involving applications is calculated by adding up the results obtained for the three situations, expressed as a mark out of 60. The results for the 19-question Question Booklet are expressed as a mark out of 40, which is the sum of the results obtained from Part A (worth 4 marks) and Part B (worth 26 marks). The marks out of 60 and 40 are then added together to derive the final score.

Secondary 4 Examinations^[10]

Mathematics

Midway through Grade 9 (Secondary 3), students choose which of three options (math levels) they will take in Secondary IV. The following chart provides information about the percentage distribution of marks for each of three math options and for each branch of mathematics. The math options are: Cultural, Social and Technical (relatively low-level math), Technical and Scientific (hands-on math) and Science (relatively high-level math).

The mathematics examination is divided into three parts. The following chart provides a breakdown, for each part: the item/task type, number of items/tasks, number of marks per item/task and the total number of marks available.

Total Marks: 100

According to the associated Information Document, “The questions in Parts A and B of the examinations are intended to evaluate mastery of mathematical concepts and processes,” and Part C requires students “to explain their mathematical reasoning and organize and apply mathematical concepts and processes in a clearly defined context.”

Three hours are allotted to the math examination with 15 minutes of extra time if needed. Examples of mathematics examination materials can be accessed here.^[11] In terms of marking responsibilities, whenever scannable answer sheets are used to record students’ responses, they are marked by the Ministry. Otherwise, school boards and schools are responsible for marking students’ work in accordance with Ministry instructions and marking guides. A five-performance-level rubric is used to mark the situations involving applications in Part C of the exams. The results for Part C are combined with those from Parts A and B to derive the student’s total examination mark.

Science and Technology and Applied Science and Technology^[12]

According to the Ministry of Education, the examinations in Science and Technology and Applied Science and Technology require students “to analyze situations and a technical object.^[13] Working alone, students must solve various problems using their knowledge of the compulsory concepts in three of the four major areas of the program.” The Science and Technology exam comprises 25 questions worth four marks each and is divided into three parts:

• Part A: 15 multiple-choice questions, evaluating students’ proficiency in or ability to use knowledge related to the compulsory concepts (worth 60% of the student’s mark)

• Part B: Five constructed-response questions (worth 20% of the student’s mark)

• Part C: Five questions on the technological analysis of a technical object (worth 20% of the student’s mark)

The following chart shows the distribution of questions in each of the major content areas in the Science and Technology Program, as well as the related weighting, for the 2025 examinations.

Like Science and Technology, the Applied Science and Technology exam consists of 25 questions, but in this instance, they are worth four marks each. The test is divided into three parts:

• Part A: 15 multiple-choice questions, evaluating students’ proficiency in or ability to use knowledge related to the compulsory concepts (worth 60% of the student’s mark)

• Part B: Four constructed-response questions (worth 16% of the student’s mark)

• Part C: Six questions on the technological analysis of a technical object (worth 24% of the student’s mark)

The following chart shows the distribution of questions in each of the major content areas in the Applied Science and Technology Program, as well as the associated weighting, for the 2025 examinations.

Since each of the three parts of the Science and Technology and Applied Science and Technology examinations are designed to be stand-alone, students can begin responding to any question(s) in any part of the examination they choose, as long as they do so independently. In analyzing a technical object, students view a video (which plays continuously during the examination) and examine diagrams to understand how it works. The time allotment for the examinations is three hours, with 15 minutes of extra time if needed. Examples of Science and Technology and Applied Science and Technology examination materials can be accessed here.^[14] With respect to marking, whenever scannable answer sheets are used to record students’ responses, they are marked by the Ministry. Otherwise, school boards and schools are responsible for marking students’ work in accordance with Ministry instructions and marking guides. Just like the other examinations, the Ministry recommends teachers form local marking committees to ensure they have a common understanding of the instructions and performance standards. For both examinations, the student’s final mark is expressed as a mark out of 100, which is derived from the sum of the marks for each of Part A, B and C.

History of Quebec and Canada^[15]

The Secondary 4 ministerial examination on the History of Quebec and Canada is a 23-question exam, which is based on the program content pertaining to four time periods and social phenomena as follows:

Students are required to analyze and interpret a variety of documents (e.g. written or illustrated historical documents, writings by historians, diagrams, tables, illustrations, maps, timelines), as well as draw on their personal knowledge, to respond to the exam questions. The test is designed to evaluate the learnings associated with evaluation criteria identified in the descriptions of the following three examination parts:

• Part A comprises 21 multiple-choice and/or short-answer questions, which are associated with the evaluation criterion: Appropriate use of knowledge

• Part B consists of one question, related to the evaluation criterion: Coherent representation of a period in the history of Quebec and Canada (which involves completing a diagram).

• Part C contains a single question that relates to the evaluation criterion: Rigour of the interpretation and requires the preparation of a written response of approximately 150 words.

The following table presents the distribution of questions for each part of the exam, time period and associated social phenomenon.

23 Questions (60 marks)

The examination takes three hours to complete, with 15 minutes of extra time available if needed. Sample questions can be accessed here.^[16] Like all provincial examinations, responsibility for marking resides with the educational institutions. Marking guides containing answer keys, scoring rubrics and an explanation of marking procedures are provided by the Ministry. As indicated in the table above, the result of the examination is out of 60 marks.

Secondary 5 Examination

English Language Arts^[17]

The English Language Arts examination evaluates students’ development in two competencies:

• Reads and listens to written, spoken and media texts

• Produces texts for personal and social purposes

The six-hour test is administered in three blocks of time over a two-day period and involves reading and writing tasks as follows:

Day 1 (Total 3 Hours)

• Part 1: Students, independently, read and interpret a literary text, make notes and organize ideas (1 hour) and then write a response to the text of approximately 500-700 words (1 hour 30 minutes).

• Part 2: In a 30-minute block, students read a collection of texts that offer different viewpoints, opinions and information on a topic, which assist them to develop a stance/opinion/position on the topic. This reading time allows students to take notes and organize ideas in advance of writing an expository text.

Day 2 (Total 3 Hours)

• Part 1: Based on the reading and preparation from the second part of Day 1, students produce a first draft an expository text of approximately 600-800 words (1 hour 20 minutes). For their writing, students may choose from a range of genres (e.g., argumentative essay, commentary article, open letter, opinion piece, persuasive essay).

• Part 2: Students revise/edit and generate a final version of their writing product (1 hour 40 minutes)

Example examination questions can be accessed here.^[18]

With reference to Ministry-provided rubrics, local teachers meet together to score students’ performances. As explained previously, educators are encouraged to collaborate at local scoring centres to develop a shared understanding of the performance standards and instructions and to select anchor papers (representative samples of each level of proficiency). Each performance category/level is divided into one, two or three possible numerical scores with their associated percentages. The following charts provide a breakdown of performance scores and associated percentages for the two written responses. (In addition to the scores and percentages, the rubrics provide detailed descriptions of each performance level.) The final mark is derived by averaging the scores from the two written responses.

Response to a Literary Text

Expository Text

Conclusion

Quebec has a long-established, province-wide program of standardized tests designed, developed and overseen by the Ministry of Education. Although similar to other Canadian jurisdictions in many respects, Quebec’s examination system is unique in important ways. Exit exams, administered in Secondary 4 and Secondary 5 are offered in a variety of courses, and all students in Elementary 6 are required to sit for exams in English language arts or Français, langue d’enseignement and mathematics. Compulsory Français, langue d’enseignement exams, administered in Elementary 4 and Secondary 2, are written by French students only. Whenever scannable sheets are used, they are scored by the Ministry; otherwise, the marking of students’ work is conducted at local scoring sites by teachers using Ministry-prepared instructions and rubrics. All exams count toward students’ final course grades: 20% in Elementary 4, 6 and Secondary 2, and 50% in Secondary 4 and 5. Results of the Elementary and Secondary 2 exams are not made public, whereas Secondary 4 and 5 results are publicly reported by school and school district.

Quebec’s examination program remains paper-based, unlike the majority of Canadian provinces and territories which have transitioned/are transitioning to digital, online assessments. Recently, the Ministry of Education has been exploring opportunities to move toward a digital, large-scale student assessment solution. In order to achieve this goal, the Ministry issued a request for information to gauge the interest and capability of service providers to offer the required tools and technological solutions.^[19] The objective of the call for interest was to conduct a market review prior to potentially issuing a call for tenders. The Ministry continues to consider next steps.

About the Author

Richard Jones has extensive experience in the fields of large-scale educational assessment and program evaluation. He has worked in the assessment and evaluation field for more than 35 years. Prior to founding RMJ Assessment, he held senior leadership positions with the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) in Ontario, as well as the Saskatchewan and British Columbia Ministries of Education. In these roles, he was responsible for initiatives related to student, program and curriculum evaluation; education quality indicators; school and school board improvement planning; school accreditation; and provincial, national and international testing.

Dr. Jones began his career as an educator at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels. Subsequently, he was a researcher and senior manager for a multi-national corporation delivering consulting services in the Middle East.

Feel free to reach out to Richard “Rick” at richard.jones@rmjassessment.com (or on LinkedIn) to inquire about best practices in large-scale and formative assessment.

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to express his appreciation to members of the Learning Assessment Department, Quebec Ministry of Education, for providing most helpful information and guidance during the preparation of this article.

References

[1] Guéhéneuc, Y-G. (January 11, 2024). Québec Education System – Explanation and Comparison. Retrieved January 28, 2025 from: https://blog.ptidej.net/quebec-education-system-explanation-and-comparison.

[2] Government of Quebec. (2025). Québec Education System. Retrieved January 29, 2025 from: https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/study-quebec/education-system.

[3] Government of Quebec. (2024). Charter of the French Language. Retrieved January 31, 2025 from: https://www.legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/document/cs/C-11?langCont=en#ga:l-gb:l_viii-h1.

[4] Standardized assessments, for the purposes of this article, refer to those taken by students at a given grade/age level, testing the same/equivalent curriculum content within a common timeframe, and administered under common conditions.

[5] Information in this section was obtained from the following sources: Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). About the ministerial examinations in elementary and secondary school. Retrieved January 28, 2025 from: https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/preschool-elementary-and-secondary-schools/ministerial-examinations-evaluation-learning/ministerial-examinations/about. Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Schedule for Ministerial Examinations and Retake of Examinations at the Elementary and Secondary Levels. Retrieved January 31, 2025 from: https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/preschool-elementary-and-secondary-schools/ministerial-examinations-evaluation-learning/ministerial-examinations/-schedule-examination-sessions#c275757. Cowley, P., & MacPherson, P. (2022). Testing Canadian K-12 Students—Regional Variability, Room for Improvement Across Canada: Comparison of K-12 Provincial Assessment Programs. Retrieved January 28, 2025 from: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/testing-canadian-k12-students-regional-variability.pdf.

[6] Information provided by the Learning Assessment Department, Quebec Ministry of Education.

[7] Information in this section was obtained from the following sources: Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Information Document: Ministerial Examination, English Language Arts, Elementary 6. Retrieved February 5, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/documents-information/ID_ELA_elem_6.pdf. Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Information Document: Ministerial Examination, Mathematics, Elementary 6. Retrieved February 5, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/documents-information/ID_Math_elem_6.pdf.

[8] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Guide for Parents: Ministerial Examination, English Language Arts, Elementary 6. Retrieved February 7, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/guides-parents/Guide_parents_ELA_Elem6.pdf.

[9] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Guide for Parents: Ministerial Examinations, Mathematics, Elementary 6. Retrieved February 7, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/guides-parents/Guide-parents-math-6e-prim-AN.pdf.

[10] Information in this section was obtained from the following source: Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Information Document: Ministerial Examinations, Mathematics, Secondary IV, Cultural, Social and Technical Option, Technical and Scientific Option, Science Option. Retrieved February 7, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/documents-information/ID_Math_sec_IV.pdf.

[11] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Guide for Parents: Ministerial Examinations, Mathematics, Secondary IV, Cultural, Social and Technical Option, Technical and Scientific Option, Science Option. Retrieved February 8, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/guides-parents/Guide_parents_Math_SecIV.pdf.

[12] Information in this section was obtained from the following source: Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Information Document: Ministerial Examinations, Secondary IV, Science and Technology, Applied Science and Technology. Retrieved February 8, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/documents-information/ID_ST_ATS_sec_IV.pdf.

[13] A technical object is an assembly of mechanical parts allowing the transmission or transformation of motion to perform an action or task (e.g., machine, tool, instrument, etc.). An example provided in the assessment materials is an automatic playing card dealer.

[14] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Guide for Parents: Ministerial Examination, Science and Technology, Secondary IV. Retrieved February 10, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/guides-parents/Guide_parents_ST_SecIV.pdf. Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Guide for Parents: Ministerial Examination, Applied Science and Technology, Secondary IV. Retrieved February 10, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/guides-parents/Guide_parents_ATS_SecIV.pdf.

[15] Information in this section was obtained from the following source: Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Information Document: Ministerial Examination, History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV. Retrieved February 10, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/documents-information/ID_HQC_sec_IV.pdf.

[16] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Guide for Parents: Ministerial Examination, History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV. Retrieved February 10, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/guides-parents/Guide-parents-HQC-SecIV.pdf.

[17] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Information Document: Ministerial Examination, English Language Arts, Secondary V. Retrieved February 12, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/documents-information/ID_ELA_sec_V.pdf

[18] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024). Guide for Parents: Ministerial Examination, English Language Arts, Secondary V. Retrieved February 12, 2025 from: https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/education/evaluation-epreuves-ministerielles/guides-parents/Guide_parents_ELA_SecV.pdf.

[19] Quebec Ministry of Education. (2024, May 13). Ministry of Education: Search For A New Solution, Digital Proof Management. Retrieved June 2, 2024 from: https://seao.gouv.qc.ca/avis-resultat-recherche/consulter?ItemId=22e96282-9182-4445-9bfa-80fd06bc80e5&prov=/recherche-avancee&search=flTxtAllWrds=1848506&isSimpleSearch=true

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