PAU English Balearic Islands 2027: exam format, marking and tips

If you’re taking the PAU in the Balearic Islands (formerly the EBAU, or selectividad), the UIB English exam has a feature you won’t find in almost any other region: in the multiple choice question, wrong answers lose you marks. It also mixes questions on the text with everyday communication situations, and the writing task may ask for an interaction text: replying to a message with your opinion. There’s no listening.

In this guide I explain what the Balearic Islands PAU English exam is like, based on the UIB’s official structure, marking criteria and model exam: what you have to do in each question, how much it’s worth, what loses you marks, how the writing is marked with the rubric, how to manage your time, and a worked example of the interaction text. 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 Balearic Islands PAU English exam is like

The Lengua Extranjera II: Inglés exam lasts 90 minutes, is marked out of 10 and has a text of about 400 words and five questions. The general instructions are in Catalan or Spanish, but the rest of the exam is in English and you must answer only in English:

The first four questions make up the comprehension activity (7 marks) and the fifth is the written expression activity (3 marks). The text is usually a newspaper article on a current topic or one that interests young people: in the official model, artificial intelligence. You can’t use a dictionary.

In the questions with a choice, if you answer more options than required, only the first ones are marked.

Question 1: True or false (2 marks)

You get 4 statements, worth 0.5 marks each. You have to write True or False clearly and justify it by quoting word for word, in inverted commas, the part of the text with the evidence. Without a quotation, the answer gets 0, even if it’s right.

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

Although the island receives millions of tourists every summer, most local residents believe that tourism has improved their quality of life.

Statement: Most people who live on the island think tourism has made their lives worse.

• ✅ False. «Most local residents believe that tourism has improved their quality of life.»
• ❌ False. (no quotation: 0 marks)

Copy only the sentence that proves it, and be wary of statements that look very similar to the text: they often change a single key word (improved → made worse).

Question 2: Open questions (2 marks)

You get 3 questions and answer 2, worth 1 mark each:

• 0.5 for ideas (comprehension): split in proportion to the number of ideas in the full answer.
• 0.5 for expression (written production).

Your answer can’t be copied word for word from the text, although you can use some of its words. The official model also warns that no marks are given for personal opinions: answer with what the text says, not what you think. And sometimes the question may ask you to use a specific structure or vocabulary.

Using the extract above:

Question: How do local residents feel about tourism?

• ✅ Despite the large number of visitors in summer, the majority of people who live there think that tourism has made their lives better.
• ❌ I think tourism is bad for the island because there are too many people. (that’s your opinion, not what the text says: 0 marks for ideas)

Question 3: Vocabulary (1.5 marks)

You’re given 4 words, short definitions or expressions and choose 3, worth 0.5 marks each. You have to find a synonym or equivalent expression in the text that fits the context. Using the extract above:

The trick is to pay attention to word class and form: if you’re given a past tense verb, look for a past tense verb; if you’re given a plural noun, a plural noun.

Question 4: Multiple choice (1.5 marks)

There are 3 questions with four options (A, B, C or D), worth 0.5 marks each. They can be about use of English, phonetics or communicative functions: choosing the most natural reply in a conversation. Writing just the letter, or the letter with the option, is enough.

And here’s the big difference from other regions: each wrong answer loses 0.167 marks, and a blank answer scores 0. In practice, if you have no idea between the four options, it isn’t worth the risk; if you can rule out at least one or two, it is.

In the official model, the questions were conversations about artificial intelligence: choosing the right reply to Do you want to get a coffee? (Sure, I could use a break!) or the expression that completes I think it can ______ our daily tasks (lend a hand with, against keep an eye on, see eye to eye on or break the ice with). Here’s an example written for this guide:

A: «Would you mind opening the window? It’s really hot in here.»
B: ______
A) «Yes, I would.»   B) «Not at all. Here you are.»   C) «I don’t mind the heat.»   D) «It’s open on Sundays.»

The answer is B: you answer Would you mind…? with Not at all to say you’re happy to do it. Yes, I would would mean you do mind.

Question 5: Writing (3 marks)

You’re given two topics and you choose one. The model exam and the official structure ask for between 140 and 160 words. The topics may be related to the text or to any topic of general interest, and the UIB includes four text types:

• Opinion essay: you give your opinion on a topic with arguments, examples and personal experience.
• For and against essay: you present the arguments for and against and end with your own position.
• Narrative: you tell a story, real or invented, with characters, a time and a place.
• Interaction text: based on a message, an email or a comment, you write a reply to its ideas giving your opinion.

In the official model, the options were an opinion composition on how artificial intelligence affects jobs and an informal email to an English friend recommending a film about AI. Notice the warning in the instructions: don’t include your name or any identifying information.

How the writing is marked

With a rubric of six aspects worth 0.5 marks each, grouped into two blocks of 1.5:

Each aspect is marked on a scale: 0.5 (excellent), 0.35-0.45 (very good), 0.2-0.3 (adequate), 0.1-0.15 (insufficient) and 0 (poor). And if the composition doesn’t match the topic, it gets 0, however well written it is.

On top of that, throughout the exam the examiner marks grammar, vocabulary and spelling mistakes and can take up to 1.5 marks off your overall mark for them. Be careful with accuracy in the open questions too.

Interaction text example with answers

You’ll find worked examples of the other types in my guides: an opinion essay in the Andalusia guide, a for and against essay in the Canary Islands guide and a narrative in the Valencian Community guide. So here’s the one that isn’t in any of them: the interaction text.

Task (written for this guide): An English friend has posted this message on a forum: «My parents want me to leave my phone in the kitchen every night at ten. They say it’s for my own good, but I think it’s unfair. I’m seventeen! What do you think?» Write a reply giving your opinion.

Hi Jamie,

I read your post and I can understand why you feel annoyed. At seventeen, nobody likes being told what to do, especially by their parents.

However, I think your parents might have a point. Using your phone late at night makes it harder to fall asleep, and if you don’t sleep well, you can’t concentrate at school the next day. I used to stay up chatting with friends until midnight, and I was always exhausted.

That said, the rule doesn’t have to be so strict. Why don’t you suggest a compromise? For example, you could keep your phone until eleven at weekends, as long as you leave it in the kitchen on school nights.

If you show them that you can be responsible, they will probably trust you more and give you more freedom. Good luck, and let me know what they say!

Why it works:

• It responds to the ideas in the message: it acknowledges how Jamie feels, partly agrees with the parents and suggests a solution.
• It gives a balanced, well-argued opinion, with a personal experience as an example (I used to stay up…).
• It’s organised in paragraphs with a clear purpose: reaction, opinion, suggestion and close.
• Varied structures: a passive gerund (being told), might have a point, first conditionals (if you don’t sleep well…; If you show them…), used to, Why don’t you…? and as long as.
• Linkers that organise the text: However, and, That said, For example, as long as. You’ll find more in my B2 connectors.
• It doesn’t include your name: it ends with a closing line, with no signature.
• 145 words, within the 140-160 range.
• It’s written to simulate a B2 level, without reaching C1, with realistic vocabulary for a student in the final year of Bachillerato.

Vocabulary for the most common topics

The texts and compositions revolve around technology, young people and society: artificial intelligence, social media, tourism, work or the environment. Prepare vocabulary for these topics:

How to manage the 90 minutes

This is the split I recommend:

How it differs from other regions

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

As you can see, the Balearic Islands exam is very similar to the Castile and León one, so its papers are also useful practice. But in the Balearic Islands you also need to prepare the communicative functions in question 4 and the interaction text.

Common mistakes in the Balearic Islands PAU English exam

• Not quoting the text in the true or false, or not using inverted commas.
• Giving your opinion in the open questions: only what the text says counts.
• Copying from the text word for word in the open questions.
• Guessing in the multiple choice: each wrong answer loses 0.167.
• Answering more options than required: only the first ones count.
• Going over or under the word count, or off topic, in the composition.
• Signing the email or text with your name.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Balearic Islands PAU in 2027?

The 2027 dates haven’t been published yet. In 2026, the ordinary sitting was on 2, 3 and 4 June and the extraordinary sitting on 30 June and 1 and 2 July. According to the 2026-2027 school calendar, second-year Bachillerato classes end on 20 May 2027 so students can prepare for the exam. As soon as the 2027 calendar comes out, I’ll add it here.

Is the English exam changing in 2027?

At the time of writing, the UIB hasn’t published a new model for 2026-2027, so this guide follows the current model and criteria, for 2025-2026. If anything changes, I’ll update this guide.

How many words should the composition be?

The model exam and the official structure ask for between 140 and 160 words. One paragraph of the marking criteria still says 120 to 150, so the safest option is to stay between 140 and 150: that way you meet both.

Is there a listening test in the Balearic Islands PAU English exam?

No. The whole exam is written, although question 4 may include phonetics and conversation questions.

Is it better to leave the multiple choice blank if I don’t know?

If you have no idea at all, yes: a blank answer scores 0 and a wrong one loses 0.167. If you can rule out one or two options, your chances of getting it right go up and it’s worth answering.

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