PAU English Aragon 2027: exam format, marking and tips

If you’re taking the PAU in Aragon (formerly the EBAU, or selectividad), the University of Zaragoza English exam has one feature that sets it apart from almost every other region: the composition is worth 4 of the 10 marks. The open questions on the text also carry a lot of weight (2.4 marks), and in almost every exercise there’s one question more than you need, so you choose which ones to do. There’s no listening.

In this guide I explain what the Aragon PAU English exam is like, based on the University of Zaragoza’s official structure and marking criteria and the 2026 paper: what you have to do in each exercise, how much it’s worth, what loses you marks, how the composition is marked, how to manage your time, and examples of each part. All explained from my experience preparing students for official exams. Let’s get started! 🙂

If you’re looking for an overview of the test (what the PAU is, how much English counts towards your mark or what level you need), you’ll find it in my guide to the PAU English exam.

What the Aragon PAU English exam is like

The Lengua Extranjera II: Inglés exam lasts 90 minutes, is marked out of 10 to two decimal places and has six exercises split into three parts. Everything, instructions and answers, is in English:

Exercises 1.1, 1.2 and 2.1 are based on a text of about 400 words on a topic of general interest (in 2026, video games). The rest can be answered without the text, although they’re usually related to its topic.

In the exercises with a choice there’s always one question more than you have to do. If you answer them all, only the required number are marked and the last one is discarded, so don’t waste time on the extra one.

Exercise 1.1: True or false (1.5 marks)

You get 3 statements about specific information in the text. You have to say whether they’re true or false and quote word for word the part of the text that justifies your answer. Each one is worth 0.5 marks:

• If both the answer and the quotation are right, you get the full 0.5.
• If the quotation is only partly suitable, too short or too long, you can lose up to 0.25.
• If there’s no quotation, or it’s the wrong one, the answer gets 0.

A useful detail: if the passage you need to quote is long, you can leave out the non-essential parts and replace them with three dots in brackets: (…).

Here’s an example with an extract written for this guide:

Many parents worry that video games are a waste of time, but a recent study found that teenagers who play strategy games regularly tend to be better at solving problems.

Statement: The study showed that video games have no benefits for teenagers.

• ✅ FALSE. «A recent study found that teenagers who play strategy games regularly tend to be better at solving problems.»
• ❌ FALSE. «Many parents worry that video games are a waste of time.» (that sentence isn’t about the study: 0 marks)

Exercise 1.2: Open questions (2.4 marks)

This is the comprehension exercise worth the most. You get 4 questions and answer 3, worth 0.8 marks each:

• Up to 0.5 for content: your answer includes the ideas from the text.
• Up to 0.3 for written expression: it’s well written and, as far as possible, in your own words.

The criteria add two things that lose marks: leaving out essential information and adding information that isn’t in the text. And you should avoid copying expressions word for word. Using the extract above:

Question: What did the study find about teenagers and strategy games?

• ✅ It found that young people who often play strategy games are usually better at finding solutions to problems.
• ❌ Teenagers who play strategy games regularly tend to be better at solving problems. (almost word for word: you lose part of the expression mark)
• ❌ It found that video games make teenagers more intelligent and help them get better marks at school. (it adds information that isn’t in the text)

My tip: choose the 3 questions whose answers you can find most clearly in the text, locate the information and rephrase it with synonyms (regularly → often, solving problems → finding solutions to problems) and, if you can, a different structure.

Exercise 2.1: Vocabulary (1 mark)

You’re given 4 definitions or terms and you have to find the equivalent word or expression in the text. Each correct answer is worth 0.25, and there’s no choice here: you have to do all four.

Using the extract above, for example:

As you can see, the answer can be an expression of several words. Look at the word class of what you’re given and find something that fits the same position in the sentence.

Exercise 2.2: Multiple choice (0.5 marks)

You get 3 sentences with a gap and complete 2, choosing from four options. Each one is worth 0.25. They’re grammar questions: verb tenses, conditionals, prepositions, comparatives… Here’s an example written for this guide:

By the time we arrived, the film ______.
a) already started   b) has already started   c) had already started   d) was already starting

The answer is c: with by the time + past simple, the earlier action goes in the past perfect.

Exercise 2.3: Transformations (0.6 marks)

You get 3 sentences and transform 2, worth up to 0.3 marks each, starting with the words given. Both the meaning and the accuracy of the structure are assessed. These were the ones in the 2026 paper, with their answers:

A conditional for giving advice, reported speech and the passive: three classic structures. If you want to revise them, have a look at my guides to reported speech and conditional sentences, and B2 Use of English Part 4 is good practice.

Exercise 3: Written production (4 marks)

You’re given two tasks and you choose one. Each task asks for a specific text type (an email, an essay, a review…), with a communicative purpose and on a given topic, and you have to write between 120 and 160 words. In 2026, the two options were these:

• Your name is Susan, and playing video games is an important part of your life. Write an email to your favourite video game company. Suggest one or two ways they could make their games more environmentally friendly or educational.
• Write an opinion essay on the following statement: «Video games have the power to change the way people think about the real world».

How the composition is marked

With three criteria:

And one very serious rule: if you don’t respect the genre (for example, you write an essay when you’re asked for an email) or the topic, the composition can get 0. The same goes for copying chunks of the text.

What matters most:

• Genre is worth a whole mark. A formal email needs a greeting (Dear Sir or Madam), paragraphs with a clear purpose and a sign-off (Kind regards). An opinion essay needs an introduction with your position, arguments and a conclusion.
• Organisation is worth as much as accuracy (1.5 each). Use paragraphs and B2 connectors.
• With 4 marks at stake, prepare it well: it’s the part of the exam that can earn you the most.

You’ll find worked examples of the text types that can come up in my other guides: an opinion essay in the Andalusia guide, an informal email in the Madrid guide, a formal email in the Murcia guide and a review in the Catalonia guide.

Vocabulary for the most common topics

The University of Zaragoza publishes the list of text topics: family and relationships; film, radio and television; free time and sport; travel and tourism; young people (education, work, music and fashion); health and the environment; information technology; and current ethical and social issues. Prepare vocabulary for these topics:

How to manage the 90 minutes

With the composition worth 4 marks, this is the split I recommend:

A tip: exercises 2.2 and 2.3 are worth very little (1.1 marks between them). Do them quickly and spend that time on the composition.

How it differs from other regions

If you’ve seen papers from other regions (or my guides to Asturias, Castile and León and the Basque Country), these are the differences that affect you most:

Papers from other regions are useful for practice, but in Aragon what makes the difference is the composition and the open questions: together they add up to 6.4 of the 10 marks.

Common mistakes in the Aragon PAU English exam

• Not quoting the text in the true or false, or quoting too much or too little.
• Copying word for word in the open questions, or adding information that isn’t in the text.
• Answering every question in the exercises with a choice: you waste time and the last one is discarded.
• Changing the meaning in the transformations.
• Getting the genre wrong in the composition: an essay when you’re asked for an email can get 0.
• Writing fewer than 120 words or more than 160.
• Writing the composition without paragraphs: organisation is worth 1.5 marks.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Aragon PAU in 2027?

The organising committee has already approved the dates: the ordinary sitting will be on 1, 2 and 3 June 2027 and the extraordinary sitting on 29 and 30 June and 1 July.

Is the English exam changing in 2027?

At the time of writing, the University of Zaragoza hasn’t published a new structure for 2026-2027, so this guide follows the current one, for 2025-2026. If any changes are published, I’ll update this guide.

Is there a listening test in the Aragon PAU English exam?

No. The whole exam is written: reading comprehension, use of English and a composition.

Can I choose the questions?

Yes, in four exercises: 3 of the 4 open questions, 2 of the 3 multiple choice sentences, 2 of the 3 transformations and one of the two composition tasks. The true or false and the vocabulary are compulsory.

What kind of composition could come up?

Each task asks for a specific text type. In 2026 they were a formal email and an opinion essay, and the criteria also mention the review. Whatever it is, respect the format of the genre: it’s one of the three marking criteria.

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Good luck with the PAU and, until then, don’t forget to keep smiling! 🙂