CAPES, literature essay
Written, 5 h, literary question on the syllabus · Coef 2.5Frame a problem and defend a reading of the works. A mark of 5/20 or less eliminates.
School, bac and university · competitive exam
CAPES and agrégation 2027: two neighbouring competitions, two levels
The written papers fall on 17 February 2027 for the agrégation, 9 March for the CAPES. Registrations close on 25 November 2026, and in modern literature the CAPES orals weigh more than the written papers.
- 2027 registrations
- Closes on 25 Nov. 2026, 12:00
- 2027 written papers
- Agrégation 17 Feb., CAPES 9 March
- Required diploma
- Degree (CAPES bachelor's), master's (agrégation)
What you need to understand.
The real format of the exam, and what actually decides it.
Two neighbouring competitions, two levels. The agrégation opens its written papers on 17 February 2027, the CAPES on 9 March. Registrations are shared: from 1 October to 25 November 2026, at 12:00, Paris time. The CAPES (secondary-school teaching certificate) leads to the corps of certified teachers, the agrégation (the higher-level teaching competition) to that of agrégés. The dates of the 2027 orals are not published.
What decides is the distribution of coefficients and the eliminatory marks. In modern literature, the CAPES orals weigh 8 points, the two written papers 5. At the agrégation, written papers and orals share 40 and 40, and the lesson, coefficient 13, weighs the most. These scales apply to this section: elsewhere, they change.
The papers, competition by competition (modern literature)
The format and weight of each paper, without the noise around it.
CAPES, grammatical and stylistic analysis
Written, 4 h, two texts from different centuries · Coef 2.5Use grammar to shed light on a text, with a stylistic study. No paraphrase.
CAPES, presentation on a corpus
3 h preparation, 1 h paper, including 30 min of exchange · Coef 5Bring a text and a document from the field chosen at registration into dialogue: literature, cinema, theatre, Latin, French as a foreign language.
CAPES, interview with the jury
35 min: 5 min presentation, 10 min exchange, 20 min interview · Coef 3Values of the Republic and secularism, projection into the job, situational exercise. A zero eliminates.
Agrégation, six written papers
Six papers of 3 to 7 h: two 7-hour compositions, two grammatical studies, two translations · Coef 12, 10, 5, 5, 4 and 4Latin, Greek and modern-language translations included. The erudition expected exceeds that of the CAPES.
Agrégation, four orals
Lesson (6 h preparation, 40 min), explanation with grammar, explanation, commentary · Coef 13, 12, 7 and 8The lesson covers the works on the syllabus and weighs the most. Each oral is followed by 10 min of interview.
The calendar.
The dates that matter, with their status.
- Nov 25, 2026Registration closes, 2027 session
Official date. 25 November 2026 at noon, Paris time: last moment to validate the file on devenirenseignant.gouv.fr, open since 1 October 2026.
- Feb 17, 2027 → Mar 5, 2027Agrégation admissibility
External and external special. The internal competition takes place earlier, from 25 to 29 January 2027.
- Mar 9, 2027 → Mar 19, 2027CAPES admissibility
External bachelor's, external master's and third competition. The CAPES with local assignment in Mayotte: 1 and 2 April 2027.
- Jun 2027 → Jul 2027Admission papers
Usual period, not an official date: the detailed calendar of the orals is not published. Invitations arrive in Cyclades.
- to be confirmedPublication of results
Results and transcripts in Cyclades, candidate area. No date announced for the 2027 session.
Dates checked on October 28, 2026. Any date that hasn’t been published is flagged as such.
What actually blocks you.
The obstacles that cost you points, not the clichés.
The orals weigh more than the written papers
In modern literature, the two CAPES written papers total 5 coefficient points, the two orals 8. At the agrégation, written papers and orals share 40 and 40, and the lesson weighs 13. A good admissibility does not save a rushed presentation.
A 5 or a zero stops everything
In the external CAPES at bachelor's level, a mark of 5/20 or less in a written paper eliminates, and so does a zero in an oral. At the agrégation, a zero is eliminatory in every paper. Blank script or absence: same effect.
The lesson treated as a presentation
40 minutes after 6 hours of preparation, on the works on the syllabus, coefficient 13. A sheet learned by heart does not hold: you need a problem and a plan held out loud.
Missing the orals window
The 2027 admission dates are not set and everything arrives in Cyclades. A file or information sheet uploaded late means elimination.
The method, in 3 steps.
A course goes in. Ready-made materials come out. You study.
- 01
The timed lesson
A work on the syllabus, 6 h preparation, 40 min oral, 10 min interview. Do the exercise as a dry run before attempting it in conditions.
- 02
One full written paper per week
A 5-hour essay and a 4-hour analysis: whole subjects, not plans. It is the only way to hold the pace and avoid the 5/20 that eliminates.
- 03
The field corpus, built early
The presentation lasts 1 h after 3 h of preparation and covers the field chosen at registration. Build your text-document pairs over the year.
What Summry does for this exam.
Study materials, not a promise you’ll pass.
One sheet per work on the syllabus
The 5-hour essay and the lesson cover the works on the syllabus: upload the text, your reading notes or photos of classes, and keep one sheet per work with the quotations you have noted.
Quizzes on the grammar of analysis
The grammatical and stylistic analysis lasts 4 h and compares two texts from different centuries: quizzes generated from your course test the concepts and functions before you write.
A chat that quotes your documents
An approximate quotation is costly: the chat quotes only your files, so you find the exact quotation. The account is free.
A sheet for the 35-minute interview
The CAPES interview covers the values of the Republic and secularism: upload your preparation notes as PDF, Word or photos, and review one sheet per concept before the oral.
Summry does not mark a 5-hour essay, does not deliver the agrégation lesson for you and does not train you to speak for 40 minutes: the works and the orals are worked on by writing and speaking.
Frequently asked questions.
The questions we get asked most often about CAPES et agrégation.
Can you take the CAPES during the degree?
Yes, since the 2026 session. You must be enrolled in the third year or hold a degree by the date of publication of the admissibility results. In 2027, the external CAPES at master's level remains open in parallel: it is the last transitional session. Once admitted, you follow the M2E master's, two years of alternating study, before being confirmed in post.
Do you need a master's for the agrégation?
Yes. The external competition requires a master's or an equivalent qualification (level 7) by the date of the admissibility results. The external special competition is reserved for doctoral graduates. The internal competition requires five years of public service and a master's. Exemptions exist, for example for parents of three children.
Are the coefficients the same in every section?
No. The lengths and coefficients cited here are those of modern literature. In mathematics, the two written papers of the external CAPES at bachelor's level are coefficients 3 and 2, the orals 5 and 3. Check your section's scale before building a revision plan: the hierarchy of papers changes.
How many places and admissions in 2026?
No figure is published for 2027 as of 28 October 2026. For reference, in 2026: 3,697 places in the external CAPES at bachelor's level, 3,643 admitted out of 12,547 present (29.03%); 1,628 places in the external agrégation, 1,544 admitted out of 8,783 present (17.58%). Not all places were filled.
When do the 2027 orals take place?
No date is published as of 28 October 2026: the detailed calendar of the orals will be communicated later. June and July remain the usual period, with no official value. Invitations arrive in your Cyclades area. Until then, build the corpus of your field and the lesson rather than waiting for a date.
Sources.
Information gathered from official websites, checked on October 28, 2026. The links open the original source.
- Devenir enseignant — Calendar of secondary-school recruitment competitions, 2027 session (registration, written papers, orals)
- Devenir enseignant — Papers of the external CAPES at bachelor's level, modern literature section (lengths, coefficients, eliminatory mark)
- Devenir enseignant — Papers of the external agrégation, modern literature section (six written papers, four orals, coefficients)
- Devenir enseignant — Statistics of the CAPES competitions, 2026 session (places, present, admitted)
- Devenir enseignant — Statistics of the agrégation competitions, 2026 session (places, present, admitted)
See also.
Other exams you can prepare with the same method.
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