Andalusia PAU English cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole text supports; a correct main-idea option must cover every paragraph, not just the first or the longest one.

Specific information items are answered by locating a paraphrase in the text, not a verbatim match; the correct option usually rewrites the source with synonyms or a changed word class.

Distractor pattern: true-but-partial (accurate detail that does not answer the question), true-but-elsewhere (stated in another paragraph), and overgeneralised (adds always, all, never).

Inference items require one logical step from textual evidence; if the answer needs two or more unstated assumptions, the option is wrong.

Purpose questions ask why the writer produced the text (to warn, to argue against, to describe a trend); answer with the rhetorical function, not the topic.

Tone and attitude are signalled by evaluative adjectives, modals and hedges (may, tends to, allegedly) rather than by the topic itself.

In the Andalusia model, the reading text is followed by comprehension questions that must be answered in the candidate's own words where asked; copying long stretches is not credited as comprehension.

True/False items normally require a justification quoted or paraphrased from the text; an unsupported T/F answer earns no marks even if the letter is right.

Reference questions (what does 'it' refer to) are resolved by agreement in number and by the nearest preceding compatible noun phrase.

Lexical items are tested in context: choose by collocation and register, e.g. 'make a decision', 'do research', 'carry out a survey', 'take measures'.

Narrative past: past simple for sequenced events, past continuous for background or interrupted action, past perfect for the earlier of two past events; the first event takes the perfect.

Present perfect links past to present (experience, result now, unfinished time); it is incompatible with a finished past time marker such as 'yesterday' or 'in 1998'.

Future forms: 'will' for decisions and predictions, 'be going to' for prior intention or visible evidence, present continuous for arranged events, present simple for timetables.

Conditionals: type 1 if + present, will; type 2 if + past simple, would; type 3 if + past perfect, would have + participle; mixed conditionals combine a past condition with a present result.

Passive voice is chosen when the agent is unknown, obvious or less important; the object of the active becomes subject, and the auxiliary carries the tense.

Reported speech shifts tense back one step and adjusts time and place markers (now to then, today to that day, here to there) unless the reporting verb is present tense.

Word formation: noun suffixes -tion, -ment, -ness, -ity, -ance; adjective suffixes -ous, -ive, -able, -ful, -less; negative prefixes un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, non-.

Syntax traps: subject-verb agreement with collective and quantifier subjects, inversion after negative adverbials (Never have I seen), and position of adverbs before the main verb but after 'be'.

Andalusia composition tasks typically specify a text type (email, article, opinion essay, blog post), an audience and a word limit; the register and layout must match the type named.

Paragraph architecture: topic sentence stating the point, two or three supporting sentences with reason or example, closing sentence that links forward or concludes.

Range is scored by variety of structures (relative clauses, passives, conditionals, gerunds and infinitives) and by lexical variety; repeating the same subject-verb-object pattern caps the range mark.

Accuracy is scored separately: consistent tense, correct agreement, articles, prepositions and spelling; a few ambitious errors are usually less costly than many basic ones.

Opinion tasks need a stated position in the introduction, two developed arguments, a counter-argument acknowledged and rebutted, and a conclusion that restates the position without new content.

Formal register: no contractions, no exclamation marks, avoid 'you' for the general reader, prefer impersonal structures such as 'It is widely argued that'.

Informal register (email to a friend, blog): contractions, direct address, phrasal verbs and short sentences are appropriate and improve task achievement.

Word-count management: plan five minutes, write, then cut repetition rather than adding filler; going far below the limit loses content marks.

A strong closing line answers the prompt directly instead of summarising the essay mechanically.

Addition: moreover, furthermore, in addition, what is more; use one per paragraph, since stacking them reads as padding.

Contrast: however, nevertheless, whereas, although, despite + noun or -ing, on the other hand; 'although' takes a clause, 'despite' takes a noun phrase.

Cause and result: because, since, as, therefore, consequently, as a result, thus; 'so' is informal and rare in essays.

Consequence and purpose: so that + clause, in order to + infinitive, so as not to + infinitive.

Exemplification: for instance, such as, namely, a case in point; 'such as' introduces examples, not a complete list, so no comma before it in mid-sentence.

Sequencing and conclusion: first, then, subsequently, finally, in conclusion, to sum up, all in all.

Cohesion beyond connectors: lexical chains (repetition of key nouns or their synonyms), pronoun reference, and demonstratives (this trend, these figures) that point backwards clearly.

Register markers: formal texts avoid contractions, slang, vague quantifiers (a lot of, stuff) and direct address; informal texts use them naturally.

Punctuation of linking adverbials: a sentence adverb such as 'However' is followed by a comma; a comma splice between two clauses is an accuracy error, not a cohesion device.

Andalusia is an autonomous community with its own statute and institutions; its co-official language is Andalusian Spanish usage, and the regional framework promotes plurilingual and intercultural competence.

Cultural topics recur in the texts: Andalusian heritage (Alhambra, Mezquita, flamenco, Holy Week, the April Fair), rural depopulation, olive oil and tourism.

Answer culture questions from the text, not from outside knowledge; an option that is culturally true but not stated is still wrong.

Intercultural items test recognition of difference without evaluation: describe practices neutrally, avoid 'normal/strange' framing and stereotypes.

British and American conventions differ in spelling and date format (colour/color, 3 May 2024 vs May 3, 2024); keep one variety consistent within a piece of writing.

Forms of address: titles plus surname in formal writing, first names in informal; Spanish 'tú/usted' distinctions map onto English largely through choice of address and directness.

Holidays and customs named in texts should be glossed by function (a religious procession, a harvest festival) rather than judged.

Listening tasks: read the questions before the audio, predict the topic and the word class needed for each gap, then listen for the answer and keep listening after it.

Distractors in listening are spoken before the correction: a speaker may mention a wrong figure and then revise it ('actually, make that...'), so the last mention is usually the answer.

Numbers, times and dates are frequent gap-fill targets; note them in the format the question requires (digit vs word, 24-hour vs 12-hour).

Gist listening (main idea, speaker's attitude) is answered from intonation, stress and discourse markers such as 'the thing is', 'to be honest'.

Monologue vs dialogue: in a dialogue the answer often comes from the second speaker, whose turn corrects or qualifies the first.

Speaking production is assessed on fluency, pronunciation, range and accuracy; circumlocution is a valid strategy when a word is missing, silence is not.

Interaction: use turn-taking markers (Well, I see your point, That's true, but...) and ask for clarification (Sorry, could you repeat that?) instead of abandoning the answer.

Pronunciation targets: word stress in cognates (economy, photograph/photography), final -ed and -s endings, and sentence stress on the contrasted element.

Main idea = the claim the whole text supports; a correct main-idea option must cover every paragraph, not just the first or the longest one.

Specific information items are answered by locating a paraphrase in the text, not a verbatim match; the correct option usually rewrites the source with synonyms or a changed word class.

Distractor pattern: true-but-partial (accurate detail that does not answer the question), true-but-elsewhere (stated in another paragraph), and overgeneralised (adds always, all, never).

Inference items require one logical step from textual evidence; if the answer needs two or more unstated assumptions, the option is wrong.

Purpose questions ask why the writer produced the text (to warn, to argue against, to describe a trend); answer with the rhetorical function, not the topic.

Tone and attitude are signalled by evaluative adjectives, modals and hedges (may, tends to, allegedly) rather than by the topic itself.

In the Andalusia model, the reading text is followed by comprehension questions that must be answered in the candidate's own words where asked; copying long stretches is not credited as comprehension.

True/False items normally require a justification quoted or paraphrased from the text; an unsupported T/F answer earns no marks even if the letter is right.

Reference questions (what does 'it' refer to) are resolved by agreement in number and by the nearest preceding compatible noun phrase.

Lexical items are tested in context: choose by collocation and register, e.g. 'make a decision', 'do research', 'carry out a survey', 'take measures'.

Narrative past: past simple for sequenced events, past continuous for background or interrupted action, past perfect for the earlier of two past events; the first event takes the perfect.

Present perfect links past to present (experience, result now, unfinished time); it is incompatible with a finished past time marker such as 'yesterday' or 'in 1998'.

Future forms: 'will' for decisions and predictions, 'be going to' for prior intention or visible evidence, present continuous for arranged events, present simple for timetables.

Conditionals: type 1 if + present, will; type 2 if + past simple, would; type 3 if + past perfect, would have + participle; mixed conditionals combine a past condition with a present result.

Passive voice is chosen when the agent is unknown, obvious or less important; the object of the active becomes subject, and the auxiliary carries the tense.

Reported speech shifts tense back one step and adjusts time and place markers (now to then, today to that day, here to there) unless the reporting verb is present tense.

Word formation: noun suffixes -tion, -ment, -ness, -ity, -ance; adjective suffixes -ous, -ive, -able, -ful, -less; negative prefixes un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, non-.

Syntax traps: subject-verb agreement with collective and quantifier subjects, inversion after negative adverbials (Never have I seen), and position of adverbs before the main verb but after 'be'.

Andalusia composition tasks typically specify a text type (email, article, opinion essay, blog post), an audience and a word limit; the register and layout must match the type named.

Paragraph architecture: topic sentence stating the point, two or three supporting sentences with reason or example, closing sentence that links forward or concludes.

Range is scored by variety of structures (relative clauses, passives, conditionals, gerunds and infinitives) and by lexical variety; repeating the same subject-verb-object pattern caps the range mark.

Accuracy is scored separately: consistent tense, correct agreement, articles, prepositions and spelling; a few ambitious errors are usually less costly than many basic ones.

Opinion tasks need a stated position in the introduction, two developed arguments, a counter-argument acknowledged and rebutted, and a conclusion that restates the position without new content.

Formal register: no contractions, no exclamation marks, avoid 'you' for the general reader, prefer impersonal structures such as 'It is widely argued that'.

Informal register (email to a friend, blog): contractions, direct address, phrasal verbs and short sentences are appropriate and improve task achievement.

Word-count management: plan five minutes, write, then cut repetition rather than adding filler; going far below the limit loses content marks.

A strong closing line answers the prompt directly instead of summarising the essay mechanically.

Addition: moreover, furthermore, in addition, what is more; use one per paragraph, since stacking them reads as padding.

Contrast: however, nevertheless, whereas, although, despite + noun or -ing, on the other hand; 'although' takes a clause, 'despite' takes a noun phrase.

Cause and result: because, since, as, therefore, consequently, as a result, thus; 'so' is informal and rare in essays.

Consequence and purpose: so that + clause, in order to + infinitive, so as not to + infinitive.

Exemplification: for instance, such as, namely, a case in point; 'such as' introduces examples, not a complete list, so no comma before it in mid-sentence.

Sequencing and conclusion: first, then, subsequently, finally, in conclusion, to sum up, all in all.

Cohesion beyond connectors: lexical chains (repetition of key nouns or their synonyms), pronoun reference, and demonstratives (this trend, these figures) that point backwards clearly.

Register markers: formal texts avoid contractions, slang, vague quantifiers (a lot of, stuff) and direct address; informal texts use them naturally.

Punctuation of linking adverbials: a sentence adverb such as 'However' is followed by a comma; a comma splice between two clauses is an accuracy error, not a cohesion device.

Andalusia is an autonomous community with its own statute and institutions; its co-official language is Andalusian Spanish usage, and the regional framework promotes plurilingual and intercultural competence.

Cultural topics recur in the texts: Andalusian heritage (Alhambra, Mezquita, flamenco, Holy Week, the April Fair), rural depopulation, olive oil and tourism.

Answer culture questions from the text, not from outside knowledge; an option that is culturally true but not stated is still wrong.

Intercultural items test recognition of difference without evaluation: describe practices neutrally, avoid 'normal/strange' framing and stereotypes.

British and American conventions differ in spelling and date format (colour/color, 3 May 2024 vs May 3, 2024); keep one variety consistent within a piece of writing.

Forms of address: titles plus surname in formal writing, first names in informal; Spanish 'tú/usted' distinctions map onto English largely through choice of address and directness.

Holidays and customs named in texts should be glossed by function (a religious procession, a harvest festival) rather than judged.

Listening tasks: read the questions before the audio, predict the topic and the word class needed for each gap, then listen for the answer and keep listening after it.

Distractors in listening are spoken before the correction: a speaker may mention a wrong figure and then revise it ('actually, make that...'), so the last mention is usually the answer.

Numbers, times and dates are frequent gap-fill targets; note them in the format the question requires (digit vs word, 24-hour vs 12-hour).

Gist listening (main idea, speaker's attitude) is answered from intonation, stress and discourse markers such as 'the thing is', 'to be honest'.

Monologue vs dialogue: in a dialogue the answer often comes from the second speaker, whose turn corrects or qualifies the first.

Speaking production is assessed on fluency, pronunciation, range and accuracy; circumlocution is a valid strategy when a word is missing, silence is not.

Interaction: use turn-taking markers (Well, I see your point, That's true, but...) and ask for clarification (Sorry, could you repeat that?) instead of abandoning the answer.

Pronunciation targets: word stress in cognates (economy, photograph/photography), final -ed and -s endings, and sentence stress on the contrasted element.