AEFE curriculum, Stanislas & Marie de France

The Quebec Supplements at Lycée, Year by Year

At Collège Stanislas and Lycée Marie de France, students of the French curriculum can take Quebec supplements spread across Seconde, Première and Terminale. This page details each course, year by year, and explains when it is better to take it at lycée rather than as a preparatory course at Polytechnique Montreal. I prepare these supplements, first of all as a mathematics tutor in Montreal.

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The Quebec supplements are coded courses, close to CEGEP courses, that Montreal's French lycées add to the Baccalaureate path. The ones that count for university admission are three mathematics courses, the physics courses and the chemistry courses. They do not all fall in the same year: they are built up from Seconde to Terminale.

The codes NYA, NYB and NYC are Quebec course identifiers, replaced by SN codes in the revised program. In mathematics, 201-SN2-RE, formerly 201-NYA, is differential calculus, 201-SN3-RE, formerly 201-NYB, integral calculus and 201-SN4-RE, formerly 201-NYC, vector algebra. In physics, 203-SN1-RE, formerly 203-NYA, is mechanics, 203-SN2-RE, formerly 203-NYB, electricity and magnetism, and 203-SN3-RE, formerly 203-NYC, waves, optics and modern physics. In chemistry, 202-SN1-RE, formerly 202-NYA, is general chemistry and 202-SN2-RE, formerly 202-NYB, solution chemistry. Collège International Marie de France still announces these courses under their NY codes.

The exact organisation varies between Collège Stanislas and Lycée Marie de France, and can change from one cohort to the next. What follows describes a common pattern: always confirm the list and the calendar with your child's school. For the overview, see the page on the Quebec supplements in Montreal.

Year 1, laying the foundations

Seconde

Seconde does not yet carry the coded scientific supplements, but it sets the Quebec bearings. It is the year in which a family avoids discovering the Quebec system at application time. Four courses build that base.

Maths SN5

Sciences naturelles mathematics (Secondary 5)

The Quebec Secondary 5 mathematics course, SN sequence: functions (square root, absolute value, exponential, logarithm), trigonometry, systems, optimisation and analytic geometry. It bridges toward CEGEP calculus and, later, toward the 201-SN2-RE supplement.

Why early: the Quebec logic and vocabulary (functions in canonical form, interval notation, contextualised problems) differ from the French syllabus. Getting used to them in Seconde avoids a shock of method later.

The SN5 syllabus in detail →

Physics 5

Physics (Secondary 5)

The Quebec Secondary 5 physics course: straight-line kinematics and projectiles, forces and Newton's laws, work, power and energy, then geometric optics with reflection, refraction and thin lenses. It is the first contact with the quantitative mechanics taken up again in 203-SN1-RE.

Why early: Quebec physics reasons with vectors resolved into components and with explicit sign conventions (oriented axes, signed distances in optics), where French Seconde physics-chemistry stays mostly qualitative. Building those habits in Seconde prepares Première mechanics directly.

The Physics 5 syllabus in detail →

Chemistry 5

Chemistry (Secondary 5)

The Quebec Secondary 5 chemistry course: the mole and stoichiometry, gas laws, the energy of reactions and Hess's law, reaction rate, then chemical equilibrium, qualitative (Le Chatelier) and quantitative (equilibrium constant, pH). These chapters come back, in more depth, in 202-SN1-RE and 202-SN2-RE.

Why early: enthalpy, ideal gases and the equilibrium constant arrive in Quebec chemistry well before the French syllabus. Meeting them in Seconde, with the calculations that go with them, avoids learning them at the same time as CEGEP general chemistry.

The Chemistry 5 syllabus in detail →

History

History of Quebec and Canada

A Quebec history course required for equivalence with the Quebec secondary school diploma. It is not part of the scientific prerequisites, but it belongs to the Quebec file and is naturally handled at lycée, at no cost in time to the sciences.

Year 2, the first coded supplements

Première

Première opens the supplements that count for university. It is also the year the speciality choices start having visible consequences on the Quebec file. The student still has slack in their timetable, which makes this the best window to absorb these courses in depth. With the physics-chemistry speciality, Collège International Marie de France opens a physical sciences course listed under the old codes 203-NYC, 203-NYA, 203-NYB and 202-NYA (now 203-SN3-RE, 203-SN1-RE, 203-SN2-RE and 202-SN1-RE), which runs on into Terminale; the blocks below follow a common order across the two years.

201-SN4-RE

Vector algebra (sometimes Maths 105)

formerly 201-NYC

Systems of linear equations, matrices and determinants, Gauss-Jordan elimination, vectors in the plane and in space, dot product, cross product and triple product, lines and planes in space.

Gap with the French syllabus: the cross product and the triple product do not exist in the French curriculum, and lines and planes in space are handled with more systematic tools than in the Terminale mathematics speciality. It is a course in its own right, often underestimated because it looks close to the matrices seen in the mathematics speciality.

Exercises: matrices and systems → Exercises: vectors in space → Exercises: lines and planes →

203-SN1-RE

Physics: mechanics (dynamics)

Kinematics, Newton's laws, forces and friction, the inclined plane, work and energy, momentum, circular motion and gravitation. It is the base of all engineering physics.

Why work it early: mechanics partly overlaps the physics-chemistry speciality, but at a higher level of demand and calculation. Starting in Première leaves time to build solid reflexes before the Terminale overload.

Exercises: kinematics → Exercises: dynamics → Exercises: work and energy → Exercises: momentum → Physics preparation →

202-SN1-RE

General chemistry

Atomic structure and electron configuration, the periodic table and periodicity, chemical bonding and molecular geometry (VSEPR), stoichiometry, limiting reagent and yield.

Note: the quantum model and molecular geometry go deeper than the French lycée syllabus. General chemistry is 202-SN1-RE, formerly 202-NYA; solution chemistry, 202-SN2-RE, formerly 202-NYB, follows it.

Exercises: atomic structure → Exercises: bonding and geometry → Exercises: stoichiometry →

Year 3, securing the last validations

Terminale

Terminale has to secure the remaining supplements, usually the heaviest ones. It is also the busiest year: speciality papers, the Grand oral, philosophy and the Parcoursup application. The supplements are added to all of that with a small weekly allocation, which makes this the period where the risk of skimming is highest.

201-SN2-RE

Differential calculus

formerly 201-NYA

Limits and continuity, the rigorous definition of the derivative, differentiation rules and the chain rule, related rates, optimisation, curve sketching and complete analysis of functions.

Gap with the French syllabus: the rigour on limits and continuity, and related rates, go further than the mathematics speciality. It is a direct prerequisite of integral calculus.

Exercises: limits and continuity → Exercises: differentiation rules → Exercises: related rates → Exercises: optimisation →

201-SN3-RE

Integral calculus

formerly 201-NYB

Antiderivatives and the definite integral, integration techniques (substitution, integration by parts, partial fractions), applications to areas and volumes, then sequences and series.

Gap with the French syllabus: the advanced integration techniques and above all series go well beyond the French curriculum. It is one of the most demanding supplements to take at the end of Terminale.

Exercises: integration techniques → Exercises: areas and volumes → Exercises: series →

203-SN2-RE / SN3-RE

Physics: electricity and magnetism, then waves and modern physics

Electricity and magnetism (203-SN2-RE, formerly 203-NYB): charge and electric field, potential, capacitors, direct current circuits, magnetic field, the Laplace force and electromagnetic induction. Then waves, optics and modern physics (203-SN3-RE, formerly 203-NYC): oscillations and waves, wave optics, photons and the atom. A dense block that assumes mechanics is already solid.

Exercises: field and potential → Exercises: circuits → Exercises: magnetism and induction → Exercises: SHM and waves → Exercises: wave optics → Exercises: modern physics →

202-SN2-RE

Solution chemistry

formerly 202-NYB

Properties of solutions, thermochemistry, kinetics, chemical equilibrium and acid-base ideas. It follows 202-SN1-RE general chemistry, and the two together cover the chemistry universities expect.

Exercises: kinetics → Exercises: equilibrium → Exercises: acids and bases →

The exercise sets above are written in French, which is the language of the supplement itself.

The real decision

Supplements at lycée, or preparatory courses at Polytechnique?

This is the question that actually matters. Both routes cover the same scientific prerequisites, even if the teaching approach and the assessment differ. What really changes is the conditions under which they are learned. Here are the two logics, without spin.

Taking the supplements at lycée

+Direct entry to university, with no preparatory year.
+A stronger file for competitive programs.
+A term saved, sometimes a whole year.
−In Terminale students are overwhelmed: the Bac, the specialities, the Grand oral, Parcoursup. The supplements slip into second place.
−For lack of time, they move through the material superficially without anchoring it. The supplements are then skimmed, or failed.

Taking the preparatory courses at Polytechnique

+A dedicated pace: time to understand the concepts rather than run past them.
+Cleaner foundations entering the program, which helps for the rest of an engineering degree.
−It lengthens the path by a term or a year.
−At Polytechnique and ETS, lycée students sit with students from CEGEP who already command this material and start ahead.

My role in that choice

The best of both worlds exists: passing the supplements at lycée without skimming them. That is where I come in. By freeing up time in Première, while the timetable still allows it, and working the supplements in depth rather than in the Terminale rush, you get direct admission without sacrificing command of the concepts. And for a student going through Polytechnique's preparatory courses, the goal is not to be left behind by the former CEGEP students.

See Polytechnique's preparatory courses in detail →

Stanislas and Marie de France: close, not identical

Both lycees follow the same official French curriculum and offer Quebec supplements, but the calendar, the weekly hours and which course falls in which year can differ. So the exact list has to be checked with the school, and the preparation built around its real organisation.

Collège Stanislas

Outremont. A demanding rhythm of graded tests. Tutoring for Stanislas students →

Lycée Marie de France

Cote-des-Neiges. The largest French lycée in Montreal. Tutoring for Marie de France students →

Frequently asked questions

Which Quebec supplements are taken in Seconde, Première and Terminale?

Seconde lays the Quebec foundations (Secondary 5 SN mathematics, physics and chemistry, history of Quebec and Canada). Première opens the first coded supplements: vector algebra (201-SN4-RE, formerly 201-NYC, sometimes called Maths 105) with the mathematics speciality, and the physical sciences course with the physics-chemistry speciality, which Collège International Marie de France lists under the old codes 203-NYC, 203-NYA, 203-NYB and 202-NYA (now 203-SN3-RE, 203-SN1-RE, 203-SN2-RE and 202-SN1-RE) and which continues in Terminale. Terminale secures the rest: differential calculus (201-SN2-RE, formerly 201-NYA, Maths 103), integral calculus (201-SN3-RE, formerly 201-NYB, Maths 203), the second year of the physical sciences course and organic chemistry. The exact organisation varies between Collège Stanislas and Lycée Marie de France and from one cohort to the next.

Is it better to take the supplements at lycée or the preparatory courses at Polytechnique?

Taking the supplements at lycée allows direct entry to university with no preparatory year and strengthens the file. But in Terminale students are often overwhelmed by the Baccalaureate, the specialities and Parcoursup: the supplements slip into second place and are sometimes skimmed or failed. Polytechnique's preparatory courses offer a dedicated pace to absorb the concepts properly. The counterweight: at Polytechnique and ETS, lycée students sit alongside students from CEGEP, who are usually more comfortable with material they have already mastered.

Why are the supplements often failed in Terminale?

In Terminale the load is at its maximum: speciality papers, the Grand oral, the Parcoursup application and philosophy. The Quebec supplements are added to all of that with a small weekly allocation. For lack of time, many students move through them superficially, without consolidating the foundations in calculus, physics and chemistry. Targeted support lets the supplements be treated in depth rather than skimmed.