Table of contents
If you’re taking the PAU in the Valencian Community (formerly selectividad), the English exam has rules of its own: a single text, five questions, open answers you have to write in your own words, and a composition that, unlike in other regions, can be a narrative. If you prepare with exams from elsewhere, you may get more than one surprise on the day.
In this guide I explain what the Valencian Community PAU English exam is like, based on the official model exam and marking criteria: what you have to do in each question, how much it’s worth, what loses you marks, how the composition is marked, how to split the 90 minutes, and a worked example 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 Valencian Community PAU English exam is like
The exam lasts 90 minutes, is marked out of 10 and has two parts: reading comprehension (7 marks) and written production (3 marks). Everything revolves around one text of between 350 and 400 words, usually an adapted newspaper article on a topical issue or something relevant to people your age. All the questions are compulsory: the only choice you get is in the composition, between two topics.
| Question | Marks | What you have to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. True / False | 2 | Say whether four statements are true or false and copy the part of the text that proves it. |
| 2. Open questions | 2.5 | Answer two questions about the text in your own words. |
| 3. Vocabulary | 1 | Choose, from a list of six words in the text, the four that match four synonyms or definitions. |
| 4. Multiple choice | 1.5 | Three multiple-choice questions with four options (a, b, c or d). |
| 5. Composition | 3 | Choose one of two topics and write about 130-150 words. |
Notice two things. First, comprehension is worth 70% of the mark, so reading the text carefully is what earns you the most marks. Second, although there is no grammar question as such, grammar counts in question 2 (half a mark per question is for expression) and in the composition.
An important note: the English committee met schools on 6 October 2026 to present the 2027 exam, but the minutes of that meeting haven’t been published yet. The 2026 exam had the same features as the 2025 one, and this guide follows the current official model. If the minutes bring any changes, I’ll update the guide.
Question 1: True or False (2 marks)
You’re given four statements, and for each one you write True or False and copy the part of the text that proves it. Each is worth 0.5, and that half mark covers both things: the answer and the justification. And be careful: you must justify every answer, whether it’s true or false. If you don’t justify it, the answer scores 0 even if it’s right.
Look at this example, with a text written for this guide:
When the city council opened the first bike lanes ten years ago, many drivers complained. Today, around 30,000 people cycle to work or school every day, and the number keeps rising. Even so, some neighbours still feel that the lanes have made traffic worse in the city centre.
Statement: Cycling in the city has become less popular. False.
- ✅ Today, around 30,000 people cycle to work or school every day, and the number keeps rising. (the passage that proves it, copied exactly)
- ❌ More people cycle now. (these are your own words: here you have to copy from the text)
- ❌ False, with nothing else (without a justification it scores 0)
- ❌ Copying the whole paragraph (the examiner needs to see that you know which part proves the answer)
My advice: underline the sentence that proves each answer before you write anything, and copy it in full, without changes.
Question 2: Open questions (2.5 marks)
You’re asked two questions about the text and you answer in your own words. Copying is not allowed here: you can use the odd word from the text, but your answer can’t be a literal copy. You may also be asked to use a particular grammatical structure or piece of vocabulary.
Each question is worth 1.25, split like this:
| What is assessed | Marks |
|---|---|
| Ideas: answering with the right information from the text | 0.75 |
| Expression: saying it in correct English | 0.5 |
There’s one detail in the criteria that makes all the difference: the 0.75 for ideas is split in proportion to the number of ideas in the answer. If the full answer has two ideas and you only give one, you get half. Using the text above:
Question: Why haven’t all residents been happy with the bike lanes?
- ✅ Because at the beginning drivers were against them, and some people who live nearby still think they have caused more traffic problems in the centre. (both ideas, in your own words)
- ❌ Because many drivers complained. (only one of the two ideas, and copied)
- ❌ Even so, some neighbours still feel that the lanes have made traffic worse in the city centre. (a literal copy)
To paraphrase without losing marks, change whatever you can: use synonyms (complained → were against them), a different structure (have made traffic worse → have caused more traffic problems) or turn a sentence into the passive. And find all the ideas that answer the question first: sometimes they’re spread over two paragraphs.
Question 3: Vocabulary (1 mark)
You’re given six words from the text (underlined) and four synonyms or definitions. Using the context, you choose the word that matches each one, so two words are left over. Each correct answer is worth 0.25.
Here’s an example with the text above. The six words are complained, lanes, rising, neighbours, feel, worse:
| Synonym or definition | Word in the text |
|---|---|
| increasing | rising |
| protested | complained |
| people who live near you | neighbours |
| believe | feel |
Lanes and worse are left over. Two tricks that work:
- Look at the word class and the form. Protested is a verb in the past, so look for a verb in the past (complained). People who live near you is a plural noun (neighbours).
- Start with the ones you’re sure of and leave the tricky ones for the end: every word you rule out leaves you fewer options.
Question 4: Multiple choice (1.5 marks)
There are three questions with four options each, and only one is correct. They can test your understanding of the text, your use of English or the communicative function of a sentence. Each correct answer is worth 0.5. You answer by writing the letter, or the letter together with the option you’ve chosen.
Question: According to the text, the bike lanes…
- a. were popular with drivers from the start.
- b. are used by more people every year. ✅
- c. have solved the traffic problems in the city centre.
- d. were opened last year.
The right option hardly ever repeats the words in the text: it paraphrases them (the number keeps rising → more people every year). Be wary of options that copy a word from the text but change the meaning, and of those that say more than the text does (have solved).
Question 5: Composition (3 marks)
You choose one of the two topics and write a text of about 130-150 words. The topics may be related to the text or deal with any other issue of general interest. The criteria mention three types of text:
- Opinion essay: you give your opinion on a topic, with arguments, examples and personal experience.
- For and against essay: you present the points for and against a topic and finish with your own position.
- Narrative: you tell a story, real or made up, with one or more characters, a specific place and time, and a series of interesting events.
Usually one of the two topics is an opinion or for and against essay and the other asks you to tell a story. In June 2026, for example, one topic asked you to narrate a situation with your family or friends and the other to discuss an issue. Prepare all three types: that way you’ll always be able to choose the topic that suits you best.
How the composition is marked
The rubric has four blocks:
| Block | Marks | What is assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic aspects | 0.25 | Clear, tidy presentation, spelling, paragraphs, punctuation and legible handwriting (written in ink). |
| Grammatical accuracy | 1 | Word order, agreement, verb tenses, articles, possessives, irregular plurals, modals, prepositions… |
| Clarity and organisation | 0.75 | A logical, well-ordered text, paragraphs, linkers, an introduction, body and conclusion, and no repetition. |
| Vocabulary | 1 | Varied, precise vocabulary, no Spanish or made-up words, and no overuse of idiomatic expressions. |
Two things worth knowing:
- The criteria ask examiners to reward what you do well rather than focusing only on mistakes. A composition with the odd error but clear ideas and good vocabulary can get a very good mark.
- Note the point about not overusing idiomatic expressions: cramming in five idioms learnt by heart doesn’t add marks, it takes them away. Precise, natural vocabulary works better.
The length is approximate and the criteria don’t set a penalty based on word count, but don’t take the risk: aim for between 140 and 150. If you write far too little, you won’t be able to show range, and if you write far too much, you’ll make more mistakes.
Model narrative
The narrative is the type that throws students the most, because almost no other region asks for it. Here’s a worked example.
Topic (written for this guide): Write about a time when something went wrong but turned out well in the end.
Last summer, my best friend Marta and I decided to take a train to the coast to spend the day at the beach. We were so excited that we didn’t check the timetable carefully.
When we arrived at the station, we realised that our train had left ten minutes earlier. The next one wasn’t until the afternoon, so we sat on a bench feeling really disappointed. Suddenly, an old man who had been listening to us told us about the village where he had grown up, which was only half an hour away by bus.
Following his advice, we caught the bus and spent the whole day exploring narrow streets, swimming in a quiet cove and eating the best paella I have ever tasted.
Looking back, missing that train was the best thing that could have happened to us. Sometimes plans go wrong for a reason.
Why it works:
- A clear narrative structure: the setting (who, when, where), the problem, how it’s solved, and an ending with a reflection.
- A good mix of narrative tenses: the past simple for the events, the past perfect for what happened earlier (had left, had grown up), the past perfect continuous (had been listening) and the present perfect in the best paella I have ever tasted.
- Time and sequence linkers: When, Suddenly, Following his advice, Looking back. You’ll find more in my B2 linkers.
- Structures that score in grammar: relative clauses (who had been listening, where he had grown up, which was only…), so… that, a modal perfect (could have happened) and gerunds (missing that train, exploring).
- Concrete details (the timetable, the bench, the cove, the paella) that make the story believable and interesting.
- 146 words, within the range.
- It’s written to simulate a B2 level, without reaching C1, with realistic vocabulary for a final-year Bachillerato student.
If you get an opinion essay, there’s a worked example in my guide to the Andalusia PAU English exam, and a for and against essay in the Canary Islands one.
The grammar examiners look at most
The grammatical accuracy rubric lists what examiners check in your composition. Here’s that list, with the KSE post where you can revise each point:
| What is checked | Typical mistake | Revise it on KSE |
|---|---|---|
| Verb tenses and sequences | ❌ When I arrived, the train already left. | The 12 verb tenses · Past perfect |
| For, since, ago, already | ❌ I live here since 2020. | Present perfect |
| Articles | ❌ The technology is changing our lives. | Articles in English |
| Quantifiers | ❌ There is a few information. | Few or little |
| Irregular plurals | ❌ Many persons think that… | Irregular plurals |
| Modals | ❌ You must to study more. | Modal verbs · Modal perfects |
| Invariable adjectives | ❌ There are differents opinions. | Adjectives never take a plural or gender ending |
| Prepositions | ❌ I’m interested on this topic. | Adjectives with prepositions |
The corrections: had already left, I have lived here since 2020, Technology is changing… (no article, because you’re speaking in general), a little information, Many people, You must study, different opinions and interested in.
Vocabulary for the most common topics
The texts are usually newspaper articles on topical issues: the 2026 model was about intermittent fasting, and the June 2026 exam about phone use among older people. If you have vocabulary ready, question 3 will be easier and your composition will be much richer:
| Topic | For example | Vocabulary on KSE |
|---|---|---|
| Technology and social media | phones, screen addiction, artificial intelligence | Technology and AI · Social media and the internet |
| Health and healthy living | diet, sport, sleep | Health · Food · Sport |
| The environment | climate change, recycling, sustainable transport | The environment · The weather |
| People and relationships | family, friends, generations | Family · 100 personality adjectives |
| School and work | school, your first job, money | School · Work · Money |
| Travel and experiences | a trip you remember, an outing that went wrong | Travel · Celebrations and traditions |
For question 3, what helps most is understanding how words are formed: have a look at my posts on word formation and false friends. And for paraphrasing in question 2, the 50 most common phrasal verbs will give you plenty of alternatives.
How to split the 90 minutes
There’s no official split, but this is the one I recommend:
| Part | Time |
|---|---|
| Read the text carefully, underlining the main ideas | 10 minutes |
| True or False (question 1) | 10 minutes |
| Open questions (question 2) | 15 minutes |
| Vocabulary and multiple choice (questions 3 and 4) | 10 minutes |
| Plan and write the composition | 35 minutes |
| Check the whole exam | 10 minutes |
Question 2 deserves more time than it seems: it’s worth 2.5 marks and you have to understand, find every idea and rewrite it. And don’t skip checking: that’s where you catch the agreement and tense mistakes that cost you marks for expression.
How it differs from other regions
If you’ve seen exams from other regions (or my guides to Madrid, the Canary Islands and Andalusia), these are the differences that affect you most:
| Valencian Community | Madrid | Canary Islands | Andalusia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choice | Only in the composition | In questions 1, 4 and 5 | In question 5 and the composition | In the use of English and the composition |
| Open questions on the text | In your own words | In your own words | Copying from the text | None |
| Grammar | No specific question | Transformations | Conversation and situations | Transformations |
The big difference is that in the Valencian Community there are no transformations or grammar exercises: everything depends on understanding the text and writing well. And it’s one of the few regions where the composition can be a narrative.
Common mistakes in the Valencian Community PAU English exam
- Not justifying a true or false answer because it seems obvious: without a justification it scores 0.
- Paraphrasing the justification in question 1: there you have to copy from the text.
- Copying in question 2: there you have to use your own words.
- Giving only one idea in question 2 when the answer has two or three.
- Choosing a word of the wrong class in question 3 (an adjective for a definition that’s a verb).
- Writing a narrative with no structure: no setting, no problem or no ending.
- Overusing idiomatic expressions in the composition.
- Answering the same question twice: only the one that appears first is marked.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Valencian Community PAU English exam in 2027?
According to the official PAU 2027 timetable, the English exam is on the second day, from 9:30 to 11:00: Wednesday 2 June 2027 in the ordinary session and Thursday 1 July in the extraordinary one.
Is there a listening test in the Valencian Community PAU English exam?
No. It’s a written test: reading comprehension of one text and a composition.
Can I write both compositions and have the better one marked?
No. No more than five answers are marked per exam under any circumstances, and if you answer the same question twice, only the one that appears first counts. Choose your topic before you start writing.
Do spelling mistakes cost marks as in other subjects?
Not exactly. The general subjects have a deduction rule for spelling mistakes that doesn’t apply to languages: in English, spelling is assessed within the composition rubric, in the strategic aspects block (0.25 marks). That said, careful spelling also helps your expression mark in question 2.
Is the exam changing in 2027?
No changes have been announced so far. The 2026 exam kept the features of the 2025 one, and the minutes of the October 2026 meeting haven’t been published yet. As soon as they are, I’ll update this guide if anything changes.
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Good luck with the PAU and, until then, don’t forget to keep smiling! 🙂
