Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

1.
Analysez comment Cantet présente la scolarité dans ce film. Comment jugez-vous son
traitement de ce thème ?
(Total 40 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

2.
Faites le portrait de Monsieur Marin. Examinez dans quelle mesure ses méthodes d’enseigner
ses élèves sont efficaces.

Vous pouvez utiliser les points suivants :

• comment il est physiquement

• comment est son tempérament
• ses méthodes d’enseignement
• le résultat de son influence et de ses méthodes.
(Total 35 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

3.
Examinez le rôle des élèves de la classe de Monsieur Marin dans ce film. Selon vous, qui joue le
rôle le plus important ?

Vous pouvez utiliser les points suivants :

•   le rôle de Souleymane

•   le rôle de Khoumba
•   le rôle d’Esmeralda et de Louise
•   l’élève qui joue le rôle le plus important.
(Total 35 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

4.
Dans quelle mesure est-ce qu’on peut considérer Entre les murs comme un documentaire plutôt
qu’un film de fiction ?
(Total 40 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

5.
Examinez les rôles et l’importance de Khoumba et d’Esmeralda dans ce film.

Vous pouvez utiliser les points suivants :

•   leurs attitudes en classe

•   leur comportement
•   le conflit entre Khoumba et Monsieur Marin et ses conséquences
•   le conflit entre Esmeralda et Monsieur Marin et ses conséquences.
(Total 35 marks)

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 Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs
6.
Analysez comment Cantet présente Monsieur Marin et ses idées en ce qui concerne
l’enseignement. Dans quelle mesure avez-vous de la sympathie pour lui dans sa situation ?
(Total 40 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

7.
Examinez l’image de l'enseignement dans la banlieue parisienne présentée dans le film.

Vous pouvez utiliser les points suivants :

•   le milieu de l’enseignement

•   les méthodes d’enseignement
•   ce qui motive ou démotive les élèves
•   pourquoi la vie scolaire des élèves est difficile.
(Total 35 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

8.
«Grâce aux moyens que Monsieur Marin utilise pour éduquer ses élèves il connaît une réussite
totale en tant que professeur.» Dans quelle mesure êtes-vous d’accord avec ce jugement ?
(Total 40 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

9.
Examinez le comportement de Monsieur Marin envers ses élèves dans ce film.

Vous pouvez utiliser les points suivants :

•   ses méthodes d’enseignement

•   son comportement envers Khoumba, Esmeralda et Louise
•   son comportement envers Souleymane
•   son comportement envers les autres membres de la classe.
(Total 35 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

10.
Examinez comment Cantet évoque de la sympathie pour les élèves dans la classe de Monsieur
Marin.

Vous pouvez utiliser les points suivants :

•   les actions et le comportement des élèves que vous considérez dignes de sympathie
•   les difficultés auxquelles les élèves doivent faire face
•   les défauts du système éducatif en ce qui concerne ces élèves
•   la situation des élèves à la fin de l’année scolaire.
(Total 35 marks)

Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

11.
« Malgré les méthodes d’enseignement de Monsieur Marin, l’échec scolaire de ses élèves est
inévitable. » Dans quelle mesure ce jugement est-il justifié ?
(Total 40 marks)
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 Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs
12.
Analysez comment les techniques cinématographiques du réalisateur contribuent à la
représentation de la vie scolaire en France dans ce film.
(Total 40 marks)

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Mark schemes
For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
1.
Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

Possible content

Disruptive classes with poor relationships between students.

Conflict with each other as well as with teachers.
Disengagement – no purposeful working atmosphere in classroom.
Poor discipline.
Disaffected teachers.
Inappropriate / irrelevant curriculum and classroom activities.
Pointless emphasis on French grammar.
Lack of parental support in most cases.
Violent outbursts in the classroom.
Disrespect for the views of other students.
Lack of social integration.
Conflict between educational demands and life outside school.
[40]

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
2.
Possible content

• Physical description of Marin

In his thirties, ‘ordinary-looking ’, medium build, short hair, balding. Wears clothes which are
smart but casual (shirt and jacket with jeans).

• His personality / temperament

Patient, committed, caring, understanding, firm, sincere, idealistic.
Calm; generally positive in outlook; keen to see the positive side of his students and tries to
promote this above and beyond their poor behaviour.
Slow to anger – but eventually ‘snaps’ and responds to the girls with inappropriate
language.
Respects his students.

• His methods of teaching

Is in his fourth year of teaching so he is a relatively experienced teacher in the school
Establishes a routine for the students at the start of the year and ground-rules.
Uses humour and sarcasm when teaching / explaining / responding to students.
He tries to make lessons relevant; positive atmosphere.
Values the work of the students; supportive and encouraging; encouraging pride in their
achievements
Tries to promote good values: politeness, mutual respect.

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 • Result of his influence / methods.
Routines are not always followed and there are often moments of chaos as well as of calm.
The students don’t always understand his humour and they dislike his sarcasm.
Despite his best efforts some students remain inattentive in class (exemplification).
He is a lone voice in the school, where the students are punished more often than
rewarded.
Confrontational; generally unsupportive; disrespectful (with exemplification).
Has only limited success (exemplification).
[35]

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
3.
Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

Possible content

•   The role of Souleymane

The character’s contribution to the plot.

The importance of the character’s actions - Souleymane’s violent outburst generates the ‘tribunal’
and leads to his ultimate expulsion despite Marin’s best efforts.
The thematic significance of the character.

•   The role of Khoumba

The character’s contribution to the plot - Khoumba is injured during Souleymane’s outburst.
The importance of the character’s actions - Khoumba refuses to read and is reluctant to
apologise and raises issues of the need for mutual respect with Marin.
The thematic significance of the character.

•   The role of Esmeralda and Louise

Differences in the way these characters are portrayed.

Their contribution to the plot and our understanding of the film.
The importance of their actions - Esmeralda and Louise behave appallingly at the ‘conseils de
classe’ meeting, report to others what has been said about them and thereby cause conflict, are
the cause of the ‘pétasses’ incident.

•   Who plays the most important role

Decision about which character is the most important.

Justification for their choice.
Could be a character not mentioned in the bullet points.

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 For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
4.
Possible content
Candidates will primarily need to analyse how the film is constructed.
Entre les murs is filmed in a documentary style.
Camera never leaves the school.
The school is a real school.
The actors are untrained.
Real teachers and students.
Improvised situations and dialogue.
Focus on realistic and typical school events.
Unglamourised.
Natural lighting.
Natural sound effects.
Use of hand held cameras.
Objective camera.
We get the sense that the scenes are typical of a school year.
Language is natural and unrehearsed – sometimes raw and crude.
Characters wear ordinary clothing.
Make-up is used minimally.
[40]

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
5.
Possible content
Description of Khoumba including character traits.
Khoumba’s attitude towards:
School.
Classmates.
Monsieur Marin.
Her actions and their consequences.
Khoumba’s importance.
Description of Esmeralda including character traits.
Esmeralda’s attitude towards:
School.
Classmates.
Monsieur Marin.
Her actions after hearing the teacher discussions and her desire to get Marin ‘into trouble’.
Esmeralda’s importance in the film.
[35]

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 For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
6.
Possible content

• Marin’s personality

• Marin’s attitude towards the students

• Marin in comparison to the other teachers at the school

• Marin’s attempts to make teaching relevant

• Marin’s attempts to establish an atmosphere for learning in his classroom

• Marin’s support of Souleymane

• Marin’s relationship with (and actions towards) other students

• A judgement on whether or not the viewer has sympathy for Marin and his situation
[40]

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
7.
Possible content:

• description of the school

• description of the classroom and the students (and the atmosphere for learning)
• attitudes of the teachers towards students
• the teaching programme and emphasis on sanctions and punishment
• motivation of students through personalised learning (e.g. autoportraits)
• demotivation of students through an irrelevant curriculum
• poor home background of the students
• conflict between students and lack of any mutual respect
[35]

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
8.
Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

Possible content

Marin’s approach to teaching.

Attempts to provide a more relevant curriculum.
Builds students’ self-confidence and self-belief.
Listens to student views.
Fair and supportive, yet firm.
Maintains discipline.
Creates atmosphere of mutual respect.
Deals with disruption.
Supports individual students.
Creates a positive working atmosphere.
Creates better relationships between students.

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 BUT
•   Mishandles conflict with Khoumba.
•   Cannot prevent Souleymane’s outburst and subsequent expulsion from school.
•   Deals badly with Esmeralda and Louise – they want him disciplined for using inappropriate
language to address them when they behave badly.
•   What has he achieved at the end of the film? («Je n’ai rien appris»).

Candidates must decide whether they feel the evidence in the film suggests Monsieur Marin’s
methods are successful or whether they are ultimately a failure.
Candidates have a completely free choice – but MUST justify their answers with relevant
supporting evidence.
[40]

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
9.
Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

Possible content

•   Marin’s teaching methods

Marin tries to establish an atmosphere in the classroom that is one of mutual respect.
He makes the curriculum more appropriate to his students so that they can more readily engage
with the material.
He personalises the learning based on their study of the Diary of Anne Frank.

•   His behaviour towards Khoumba, Esmeralda and Louise

He shows respect and has an initially good relationship with Khoumba – until he forces her to
read.
He ruins his working relationship with both Esmeralda and Louise by calling them pétasses after
being appalled at their lack of respect and poor behaviour.
He underestimates Esmeralda – astonished that she has read Plato’s Republic.

•   His behaviour towards Souleymane

Marin tries particularly hard to encourage and engage Souleymane in class.

He is unable to prevent the violent outburst when Souleymane hits Khoumba.
He fails to support Souleymane at the tribunal.

•   His behaviour towards other members of the class

Marin fails Wei

He is helpless in the face of immigration irregularities concerning Wei’s mother.
He is powerless to intervene in the home backgrounds of any of his students.

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
10.
Possible content

•   The actions and behaviour of the pupils you consider worthy of sympathy
Classroom dynamics, behaviour, relationships between students.
Intolerance, violent outbursts (esp. Souleymane).
Antagonism towards teacher (esp. Khoumba).
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 •   The difficulties the pupils have to face
Difficult atmosphere for promoting learning.
Disengaged students.
Little parental support in most cases.
Difficult home circumstances (esp. Wei and Souleymane).

•   The shortcomings of the education system where these pupils are concerned
Inappropriate curriculum.
Pointless and irrelevant focus on grammar and literature.
Inappropriate methodology.

•   The pupils’ situation at the end of the school year

Teachers’ attitudes (for the most part they don’t seem to care).
Expulsion of Souleymane – poor outlook for his future.
What have students learned by the end of the year? (One girl claims to have learned
nothing).

Any other acceptable responses.

[35]

For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
11.
Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

Possible content

Teaching methods

•   Establishes routine and a sense of calm and purpose in his classroom.
•   Makes the curriculum more relevant to his students.
•   Allows for creativity in the classroom.
•   Praises the efforts of students and compliments their talents.
•   Makes a real effort to get to know his students.
•   Joins in the football game with students – shares time with them outside the classroom.

Inevitability of students’ failure

•   Monsieur Marin cannot prevent the violent outbursts in his classroom.
•   He ruins his relationship with Khoumba by trying to force her to read something she sees
as irrelevant.
•   His authority at the conseil de classe is undermined by the behaviour and attitude of
Esmeralda and Louise.
•   He loses the respect of Esmeralda by referring to her and Louise as pétasses.
•   He is unable to combat home-life influences and circumstances of his students.
•   His efforts amount to nothing in some cases.
[40]

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 For generic marking guidance for this writing question, please refer to the [mark scheme].
12.
Laurent Cantet : Entre les murs

Possible content

Teaching methods

•   Filmed in a documentary style – entirely focused on events in the school environment.
•   Many scenes are filmed simply using three cameras to establish location creating a sense
of intimacy.
•   Scenes are often unscripted and played out with natural dialogue.
•   Young unknown actors.
•   Improvisation from a ‘given situation’ generates the focus and drama of many scenes and
maintains realism.
•   Sound is natural and realistic – with no special effects.
•   Maintains a focus on the diversity of inner city classrooms in France.
•   Filmed entirely within the school and its precincts.
•   Presents the conflict generated in the classroom as a result of an irrelevant curriculum.
•   Offers a bleak picture of contemporary education.
•   Focuses on the difficulties of teaching students where there is little or no parental support
and where home background is far from ‘normal’.
•   Classroom scenes are intentionally provocative.
[40]

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