Sujet du Bac Anglais, monde contemporain 2026 · Métropole

SUJET 1 — Thématique « Faire société »

Prenez connaissance du dossier proposé, composé des documents A, B, et C non hiérarchisés, et traitez en anglais le sujet suivant (500 mots environ):

Document A

Gen Zers are forced to redefine their own American dream

The traditional American Dream of Baby Boomers 1 is dramatically different from the experiences of Gen Zers. When it comes to jobs, careers, and lifestyles, the much younger cohort prioritizes purpose and social causes over climbing the ladder to the C-suite. 2 [...]

The break from tradition is due, in part, to the new harsh realities that Gen Zs need to cope with. The Boomers' American Dream of working hard will provide for a nice house with a white picket fence, new cars, a family, financial security, and pensions.

So far, by comparison, this hasn't worked out too well for Gen Zs. This cohort faces very different economic equations. They need to carry the burden of college student debt. Housing costs are out of reach. Inflation and high costs are hurting this generation financially.

Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, face an economic landscape far more daunting than that of previous generations. This entails skyrocketing housing costs, cumbersome student debt, a tough time finding and keeping a job, relegated to gig type jobs. 3 These travails contribute to derailing them from the traditional American Dream path.

In the current economy, it's harder for them to secure safe jobs. Many have lost faith in America's institutions, and feel somewhat cheated, compared to the older generations who seemed to have had it much easier.

They witnessed their parents getting laid off in the financial crisis of 2008, with some losing their homes. The Gen Zs came of age during the Covid crisis. Many young adults had to leave college and move back home for health safety reasons. These and other factors led to the Gen Zs feeling that their lives will be much different than their parents'. This may be the first generation in recent history that may not do better than their parents.

Psychologically, they're wired differently too. Growing up with smartphones and social media, they are constantly seeing the struggles of peers. They're not necessarily rejecting the American Dream out of laziness. They just can't catch a break. 4 [...]

Their adaptability offers hope. Culturally, they're poised to redefine the American Dream, focusing less on their parents' benchmarks 5 and more on sustainable, flexible paths that fit their realities. This generation could turn their skepticism into a new vision of success—one built on their terms rather than inherited expectation.

Forbes Magazine, March 5, 2025

1 people born between 1946 and 1964

2 the most important positions in a company

3 temporary jobs

4 They are not given every opportunity to succeed.

5 standards

Document B

Why dual citizenship is the new American dream

A growing number of Americans are looking at dual citizenship as a fallback 1 plan in times of widespread uncertainty and deepening political divisions, with young people leading the change. [...]

“For most of modern history, the American Dream was rooted in one place: America. But that's shifting,” Tim Osiecki, director of thought leadership and trends at The Harris Poll, told Newsweek.

“While dual citizenship used to be reserved for retirees, the wealthy, or those with strong family ties abroad, it's now a growing goal for middle-class Americans who want more control over their future,” he said. “It marks a real mindset shift—less about pledging allegiance to one nation, more about staying agile in a world that feels increasingly unstable.”

The American dream, which has fueled migration to the U.S. for the past century and more, was built on the idea that the U.S. was a land of opportunity offering freedom, financial stability, upward mobility, and personal success, as long as you were willing to work for it.

For many ordinary Americans, especially younger ones, that dream has died. It has been killed by the near impossibility of buying a home in the current market and the economic challenges that force them to scramble to keep up with the cost of living and delay their plans to form their own families. [...]

[Osiecki added:] “For these younger generations, dual citizenship isn't a luxury—it's a form of empowerment, a way to unlock better healthcare, more affordable living, and greater freedom to live life on their own terms.” [...]

“It's not about abandoning the U.S.—it's about creating options. A second passport gives people mobility, security, and the freedom to build a life on their own terms—wherever that may lead.” [...]

Experts agree that growing interest in dual citizenship won't bring forward a mass exodus of Americans any time soon.

Newsweek, May 24, 2025

1 de repli

Document C

How seriously have you considered moving out of the U.S. in the next 2 years?

The Harris Poll, February 2025

1 people born between 1980 and 1995

2 people born between 1965 and 1980

Taking into account the three documents, show how the perception of the American Dream has evolved for younger generations. [16 pts]

Document A

Gen Zers are forced to redefine their own American dream

The traditional American Dream of Baby Boomers 1 is dramatically different from the experiences of Gen Zers. When it comes to jobs, careers, and lifestyles, the much younger cohort prioritizes purpose and social causes over climbing the ladder to the C-suite. 2 [...]

The break from tradition is due, in part, to the new harsh realities that Gen Zs need to cope with. The Boomers' American Dream of working hard will provide for a nice house with a white picket fence, new cars, a family, financial security, and pensions.

So far, by comparison, this hasn't worked out too well for Gen Zs. This cohort faces very different economic equations. They need to carry the burden of college student debt. Housing costs are out of reach. Inflation and high costs are hurting this generation financially.

Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, face an economic landscape far more daunting than that of previous generations. This entails skyrocketing housing costs, cumbersome student debt, a tough time finding and keeping a job, relegated to gig type jobs. 3 These travails contribute to derailing them from the traditional American Dream path.

In the current economy, it's harder for them to secure safe jobs. Many have lost faith in America's institutions, and feel somewhat cheated, compared to the older generations who seemed to have had it much easier.

They witnessed their parents getting laid off in the financial crisis of 2008, with some losing their homes. The Gen Zs came of age during the Covid crisis. Many young adults had to leave college and move back home for health safety reasons. These and other factors led to the Gen Zs feeling that their lives will be much different than their parents'. This may be the first generation in recent history that may not do better than their parents.

Psychologically, they're wired differently too. Growing up with smartphones and social media, they are constantly seeing the struggles of peers. They're not necessarily rejecting the American Dream out of laziness. They just can't catch a break. 4 [...]

Their adaptability offers hope. Culturally, they're poised to redefine the American Dream, focusing less on their parents' benchmarks 5 and more on sustainable, flexible paths that fit their realities. This generation could turn their skepticism into a new vision of success—one built on their terms rather than inherited expectation.

Forbes Magazine, March 5, 2025

1 people born between 1946 and 1964

2 the most important positions in a company

3 temporary jobs

4 They are not given every opportunity to succeed.

5 standards

Document B

Why dual citizenship is the new American dream

A growing number of Americans are looking at dual citizenship as a fallback 1 plan in times of widespread uncertainty and deepening political divisions, with young people leading the change. [...]

“For most of modern history, the American Dream was rooted in one place: America. But that's shifting,” Tim Osiecki, director of thought leadership and trends at The Harris Poll, told Newsweek.

“While dual citizenship used to be reserved for retirees, the wealthy, or those with strong family ties abroad, it's now a growing goal for middle-class Americans who want more control over their future,” he said. “It marks a real mindset shift—less about pledging allegiance to one nation, more about staying agile in a world that feels increasingly unstable.”

The American dream, which has fueled migration to the U.S. for the past century and more, was built on the idea that the U.S. was a land of opportunity offering freedom, financial stability, upward mobility, and personal success, as long as you were willing to work for it.

For many ordinary Americans, especially younger ones, that dream has died. It has been killed by the near impossibility of buying a home in the current market and the economic challenges that force them to scramble to keep up with the cost of living and delay their plans to form their own families. [...]

[Osiecki added:] “For these younger generations, dual citizenship isn't a luxury—it's a form of empowerment, a way to unlock better healthcare, more affordable living, and greater freedom to live life on their own terms.” [...]

“It's not about abandoning the U.S.—it's about creating options. A second passport gives people mobility, security, and the freedom to build a life on their own terms—wherever that may lead.” [...]

Experts agree that growing interest in dual citizenship won't bring forward a mass exodus of Americans any time soon.

Newsweek, May 24, 2025

1 de repli

Document C

How seriously have you considered moving out of the U.S. in the next 2 years?

The Harris Poll, February 2025

1 people born between 1980 and 1995

2 people born between 1965 and 1980

Partie 2 (4 pts)

Traduisez en français le passage suivant du document B (l. 16-22):

« For many ordinary Americans, especially younger ones, that dream has died. It has been killed by the near impossibility of buying a home in the current market and the economic challenges that force them to scramble to keep up with the cost of living and delay their plans to form their own families.

“For these younger generations, dual citizenship isn't a luxury—it's a form of empowerment, a way to unlock better healthcare, more affordable living, and greater freedom to live life on their own terms.” »

SUJET 2

Le sujet porte sur la thématique « Relation au monde ».

Partie 1 (16 pts)

Prenez connaissance du dossier proposé, composé des documents A, B, C et D non hiérarchisés, et traitez en anglais le sujet suivant (500 mots environ):

Say what the documents reveal about the tensions between the UK and other countries over the return of ancient objects.

Document A

British museums weigh the cost of repatriating exhibits

Dozens of institutions across the UK are reported to be considering plans to repatriate some of their objects, typically items "acquired" during the period of the British Empire. Some curators 1 have started the process, which could prove costly.

Late last year, Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, South London, transferred the titles to 72 ancient objects, including a series of plaques called Benin Bronzes, back to their country of origin, Nigeria.

"They came from the looting of Benin City by British forces in February 1897," said the Horniman's Director Nick Merriman. "Our trustees 2 went through a process and concluded that they were acquired illegally and therefore that they should be returned." [...]

But cultural commentator Tiffany Jenkins, a critic of repatriation, said that it betrays what should be the main purpose of a museum.

"It's about knowledge, about understanding, about preservation, about audiences. And it's not about righting the wrongs of history."

marketplace.org, 3 April 11, 2023

1 persons in charge of a museum's collection

2 membres du Conseil d'Administration

3 nonprofit media outlet

Document B

Former UK Prime Minister signs letter criticising campaign to return Parthenon Marbles to Greece

A group of high-profile figures, including the former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, has written a letter criticising what it claims is an "accelerating" campaign to return the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Greece.

The letter, which is addressed to the trustees of the British Museum and the UK government, calls for an end to any negotiations to send back the sculptures. [...]

The marbles have been housed in the British Museum since 1817, arriving there after being removed from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Athens by the Scottish nobleman Lord Elgin, the then ambassador to the Ottoman court. In 2022, George Osborne, the chairman of the British Museum, said there is a "deal to be done" over sharing the Parthenon Marbles with Greece. [...]

Dan Hicks, a curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum and professor of contemporary archaeology at the University of Oxford, told The Guardian: "This letter is a desperate culture-warrior exercise in scaremongering and intimidation [...]. International loans 1 have been a normal part of the operation of museum exhibitions for more than a century. To give just one example, the British Museum itself will be the recipient of a high-profile loan from France next year when the Bayeux tapestry will be put on display."

Speaking to The Art Newspaper, the archaeologist Mario Trabucco della Torretta, one of the letter organisers, alleges that restitution claims such as the one surrounding the Marbles are "animated" by "distortions of the historical evidence. [...] That the Marbles were acquired legally is an uncontestable historical fact." [...]

The most recent statement on the Parthenon Marbles posted on the British Museum website says: "The trustees of the British Museum believe that there's a great public benefit to seeing the sculptures within the context of the world collection of the British Museum, in order to deepen our understanding of their significance within world cultural history. This provides the ideal complement to the display in the Acropolis Museum."

The Art Newspaper, 11 July 2025

1 prêts

Document C

Elgin Marbles could be loaned to Greece indefinitely under MPs' plans 1

Athens and the British Museum are locked in a stalemate 2 in talks over a potential deal that would see the ancient sculptures returned to Athens.

Limited by legislation, the best the British Museum chairman George Osborne can offer the Greek government is a three-year loan.

This will not be countenanced 3 by Greek leaders who claim that the Marbles were stolen by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, and are in effect illegally held in the UK.

Parliamentarians sympathetic to the Greek cause are hoping to alter existing laws to pave the way for an "indefinite loan" currently barred by UK law.

This would allow the British Museum to "loan" the Marbles to Greece without having to renounce ownership of the sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon.

The British Museum is prevented by British Museum Act 1963 from disposing of objects in its collection, which is held for the public, and it therefore lacks the power to hand over the Elgin Marbles. [...]

The UK government has said it will not change the British Museum act, resulting in a stalemate between all parties. [...]

However, MPs [...] hope that they can push for changes to the Export Control Act 2002 [which] limits the loan of cultural artefacts to three years.

The Telegraph, 19 July 2025

1 Members of Parliament's plans

2 impasse

3 tolerated

Document D

Document A

British museums weigh the cost of repatriating exhibits

Dozens of institutions across the UK are reported to be considering plans to repatriate some of their objects, typically items "acquired" during the period of the British Empire. Some curators 1 have started the process, which could prove costly.

Late last year, Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, South London, transferred the titles to 72 ancient objects, including a series of plaques called Benin Bronzes, back to their country of origin, Nigeria.

"They came from the looting of Benin City by British forces in February 1897," said the Horniman's Director Nick Merriman. "Our trustees 2 went through a process and concluded that they were acquired illegally and therefore that they should be returned." [...]

But cultural commentator Tiffany Jenkins, a critic of repatriation, said that it betrays what should be the main purpose of a museum.

"It's about knowledge, about understanding, about preservation, about audiences. And it's not about righting the wrongs of history."

marketplace.org, 3 April 11, 2023

1 persons in charge of a museum's collection

2 membres du Conseil d'Administration

3 nonprofit media outlet

Document B

Former UK Prime Minister signs letter criticising campaign to return Parthenon Marbles to Greece

A group of high-profile figures, including the former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, has written a letter criticising what it claims is an "accelerating" campaign to return the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Greece.

The letter, which is addressed to the trustees of the British Museum and the UK government, calls for an end to any negotiations to send back the sculptures. [...]

The marbles have been housed in the British Museum since 1817, arriving there after being removed from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Athens by the Scottish nobleman Lord Elgin, the then ambassador to the Ottoman court. In 2022, George Osborne, the chairman of the British Museum, said there is a "deal to be done" over sharing the Parthenon Marbles with Greece. [...]

Dan Hicks, a curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum and professor of contemporary archaeology at the University of Oxford, told The Guardian: "This letter is a desperate culture-warrior exercise in scaremongering and intimidation [...]. International loans 1 have been a normal part of the operation of museum exhibitions for more than a century. To give just one example, the British Museum itself will be the recipient of a high-profile loan from France next year when the Bayeux tapestry will be put on display."

Speaking to The Art Newspaper, the archaeologist Mario Trabucco della Torretta, one of the letter organisers, alleges that restitution claims such as the one surrounding the Marbles are "animated" by "distortions of the historical evidence. [...] That the Marbles were acquired legally is an uncontestable historical fact." [...]

The most recent statement on the Parthenon Marbles posted on the British Museum website says: "The trustees of the British Museum believe that there's a great public benefit to seeing the sculptures within the context of the world collection of the British Museum, in order to deepen our understanding of their significance within world cultural history. This provides the ideal complement to the display in the Acropolis Museum."

The Art Newspaper, 11 July 2025

1 prêts

Document C

Elgin Marbles could be loaned to Greece indefinitely under MPs' plans 1

Athens and the British Museum are locked in a stalemate 2 in talks over a potential deal that would see the ancient sculptures returned to Athens.

Limited by legislation, the best the British Museum chairman George Osborne can offer the Greek government is a three-year loan.

This will not be countenanced 3 by Greek leaders who claim that the Marbles were stolen by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, and are in effect illegally held in the UK.

Parliamentarians sympathetic to the Greek cause are hoping to alter existing laws to pave the way for an "indefinite loan" currently barred by UK law.

This would allow the British Museum to "loan" the Marbles to Greece without having to renounce ownership of the sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon.

The British Museum is prevented by British Museum Act 1963 from disposing of objects in its collection, which is held for the public, and it therefore lacks the power to hand over the Elgin Marbles. [...]

The UK government has said it will not change the British Museum act, resulting in a stalemate between all parties. [...]

However, MPs [...] hope that they can push for changes to the Export Control Act 2002 [which] limits the loan of cultural artefacts to three years.

The Telegraph, 19 July 2025

1 Members of Parliament's plans

2 impasse

3 tolerated

Document D

Partie 2 (4 pts)

Traduisez en français le passage suivant du document C (l. 7-13):

Parliamentarians sympathetic to the Greek cause are hoping to alter existing laws to pave the way for an “indefinite loan” currently barred by UK law.

This would allow the British Museum to “loan” the Marbles to Greece without having to renounce ownership of the sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon.

The British Museum is prevented by British Museum Act 1963 from disposing of objects in its collection, which is held for the public, and it therefore lacks the power to hand over the Elgin Marbles.