Living in French society
Public services, health, school, work
A 10-question sample to revise this topic — take the full mock exam (40 questions)
Download this revision sheet (PDF)
Print it or read it offline.
Download this revision sheet (PDF)
Print it or read it offline.
Revision sheet — Living in French society
This topic has 4 of the 40 questions. The official programme (the référentiel of the decree of 10 October 2025) splits it into four sub-topics, 1 question each: settling and residing in France, access to healthcare, working in France, and parental authority and the education system. Few questions, but easy points to lock in. This sheet covers the whole of the programme.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Procedures are handled at the town hall (mairie), the prefecture or on service-public.fr.
- Social security (+ a complementary insurance / mutuelle) reimburses healthcare costs.
- Schooling is compulsory from 3 to 16.
- Key numbers: 15 (medical), 17 (police), 18 (fire), 112 (European emergency).
1. Settling and residing in France (1 question)
- Everyday procedures: taking out civil liability insurance, exchanging your driving licence, filing your tax return, reporting a change of address.
- Residence: applying for and renewing the residence permit (at the prefecture).
- Access to French nationality: by declaration or by naturalisation (decree), subject to assimilation into French society.
- Civil status (at the town hall): declarations of birth, marriage, divorce, death; access to family and social benefits (CAF).
- Housing: lease, inventory of fixtures; rights and obligations of the tenant and the landlord; housing benefits (CAF).
2. Access to healthcare (1 question)
- Where to get care: hospitals, clinics, emergency services, general practitioner (attending doctor) and specialists.
- Reimbursement: social security (carte Vitale) and a complementary health insurance (mutuelle).
- Compulsory vaccinations for young children.
- Patient rights: choice of practitioner, medical confidentiality and the right to information.
- Emergencies: 15 (SAMU) or 112.
3. Working in France (1 question)
- Employment framework: legal working hours, paid leave, the employment contract, safety rules, internal regulations.
- Pay: the SMIC is the legal minimum wage; protection against discrimination.
- Related rights: trade-union rights, training, recognition of qualifications, access to French classes.
- Job search and starting a business: dedicated bodies and procedures exist to support you.
4. Parental authority and the education system (1 question)
- Parental authority: parents have obligations towards their minor children and must protect their physical and moral integrity.
- Compulsory instruction from 3 to 16; the teaching provided at school cannot be contested.
- Organisation: nursery school, primary school, lower secondary (collège), upper secondary (lycée), higher education.
- State schooling is free, secular and co-educational; parents must follow the rules and support their child's schooling.
- 119 — Child in danger.
Useful numbers
- 15 — SAMU (medical emergencies) · 17 — Police / gendarmerie · 18 — Fire brigade
- 112 — European emergency number · 114 — Emergencies for deaf or hard-of-hearing people (SMS)
- 3919 — Violence against women · 119 — Child in danger
Common mistakes
- Confusing the emergency numbers: 15 (SAMU), 17 (police), 18 (fire).
- Thinking school is compulsory from age 6: it has been 3 since 2019.
- Thinking this topic is negligible: its points are easy to win.
Tip: learn the emergency numbers and key procedures by heart, then practise with the timed mock exam.
