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If you’re in your final year of Bachillerato in Spain, or you teach, tutor or support someone who is, you’ll know what’s coming at the end of the year: the PAU, the university entrance exam that many people still call Selectividad. And within the PAU there’s one exam nobody can skip: the English exam (or whichever foreign language the student has chosen).
The good news is that the English exam is one of the most predictable papers in the whole PAU. The format stays the same, the question types repeat from one year to the next and, once you know exactly what’s being asked and how it’s marked, the mark can go up considerably in a few months. In my experience as a preparer for official exams, what costs candidates the most marks isn’t their level of English: it’s not knowing the exam well enough.
In this guide I explain what the PAU is, how much English counts towards the final mark, why the exam isn’t the same in every region, what level of English is needed and how to prepare for it. From here you can also go to the guide for each region, starting with the PAU English exam in Andalusia. Let’s get started! 🙂
What is the PAU?
The PAU (Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad) is Spain’s university entrance exam. Students take it at the end of their second year of Bachillerato, and together with their average mark it decides which degree courses they can get into.
If the names are confusing, you’re not alone. The exam has changed name many times: Selectividad, PAU, EBAU, EvAU in Madrid, PEvAU in Andalusia… Since the 2024-2025 school year, under Royal Decree 534/2024, it is called the PAU again across the whole country, with a new exam model that focuses more on skills: less memorising, more using what you’ve learnt.
However, although the general rules are common, each autonomous region organises and writes its own exams. And in the English exam, that makes a big difference, as you’ll see below.
How much does English count in the PAU?
The PAU has two parts:
- The access phase (fase de acceso, compulsory): four exams, one of which is Foreign Language II. Most students choose English, but French, German, Italian and Portuguese are also options. The other three are Spanish Language and Literature II, History of Spain or History of Philosophy, and one subject from the student’s track.
- The admission phase (fase de admisión, optional): exams in other subjects that can raise the mark up to 14, depending on how each degree weights them.
The access mark is calculated like this: 60% comes from the Bachillerato average and 40% from the average of the access phase. To pass, students need an average of at least 4 in the access phase and at least 5 in the access mark.
Do the maths: English is one of the four exams that make up that 40%, so it really matters. One extra point in English is a quarter of a point more in the access-phase average. And for degrees with high cut-off marks, that can be the difference between getting a place or not.
Is the English exam the same in every region?
No, and this is the most common mistake when people look for practice material online. The general rules of the PAU are the same across Spain (the exam lasts 90 minutes and is marked out of 10), but each region decides the actual format: the question types, how many marks each part is worth, how many words the writing task needs and how it’s marked.
Almost everywhere, the exam combines three things: reading comprehension, use of English (grammar and vocabulary) and a writing task. But the details vary a lot. In Andalusia, for example, the reading section includes true/false questions where candidates must copy the exact sentence from the text that justifies their answer, and the use of English section consists of six sentence transformations. Preparing with exams from another region is like training for a football match by playing basketball: some of it helps, but it isn’t the same.
That’s why KSE Academy has a specific guide for each region:
| Region | Guide |
|---|---|
| Andalusia | PAU English Andalusia: exam format, marking and tips |
| Madrid | Coming soon |
My advice: always look for the official English guidelines (Directrices y Orientaciones) published by your region for the year you’re taking the exam, because that’s where the official format is. And be wary of any material that doesn’t say which region and which year it was written for.
What level of English do you need for the PAU?
The Bachillerato curriculum aims at a B1+ to B2 level, and the exams reflect that. I’ve analysed the official Andalusian exams of recent years, and the texts are mostly B2, with a few slightly easier ones and the odd more demanding scientific text. The grammar tested is essentially that of Cambridge B2 First: the passive, reported speech, conditionals, relative clauses, wish, modal verbs…
This has two very practical consequences:
- With a solid B1, passing is perfectly realistic, but a good mark needs something closer to B2. If you’re not sure about your level, try my English level test.
- Everything you prepare for the PAU also helps towards an official B2 certificate, which most Spanish universities require before graduation. If you’d like to know more about these levels, have a look at my post on what B1 English means.
How to prepare for the PAU English exam
These are the tips I always give to anyone preparing for the PAU English exam:
- Know your region’s exam inside out. Which questions there are, how much each one is worth and what loses marks. In the PAU, many marks are lost simply by not following the instructions (justifying in your own words, going over the word limit in the writing, changing the given word in a transformation…).
- Do full exams against the clock. Ninety minutes go by very quickly. Practise splitting the time between the parts so the writing task doesn’t end up unfinished.
- Study grammar in families. The transformations repeat a lot: the passive, reported speech, conditionals, wish, relative clauses, contrast linkers… Once you master the structures, the sentences come naturally. My posts on reported speech and conditional sentences will help.
- Write one task a week and get someone to mark it with the official rubric. Learn a handful of B2 connectors and use them well, rather than memorising long lists.
- Read in English every day, even for ten minutes: news, articles, whatever you enjoy. Reading comprehension is the part worth the most marks in almost every region.
One extra tip: the PAU transformations are very similar to B2 First Use of English Part 4 (key word transformations). If you’d like to practise this type of task, you’ll find lots of examples explained there.
KSE Academy books for the PAU English exam
I’m preparing a collection of books for the PAU English exam, one for each region, with what most exam books don’t offer: explained answers (not just the key, but why each answer is right) and model writings with comments based on the official rubric. The first one is for Andalusia, and it will be available in the shop very soon.
In the meantime, if you’d like to strengthen the grammar that comes up most, my book Grammar for B2 explains all the B2 grammar with transformation practice in every unit. And to train transformations in depth, there’s Use of English B2 Part 4, with 100 explained exercises.
Frequently asked questions about the PAU English exam
When is the 2027 PAU?
The ordinary sitting is usually held in early June, and the extraordinary one in late June or July, depending on the region. Each region publishes its official calendar during the school year, so always check the website of the universities in your region.
Can students take a language other than English?
Yes. In the access phase students can choose the foreign language they studied in Bachillerato: English, French, German, Italian or Portuguese, depending on what their region offers.
Is there a listening section in the PAU English exam?
It depends on the region. In most regions the exam is written only (reading comprehension, use of English and writing). In Andalusia, for example, there is no listening. Check your region’s guidelines for the year you’re taking the exam.
Can I practise with exams from another region?
For reading and writing practice, they help to some extent. But the question format and the way the exam is marked change, and that’s exactly where marks are lost. Whenever you can, practise with exams in your own region’s format.
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Good luck with the PAU and, until then, don’t forget to keep smiling! 🙂
