Andalusia PAU Spanish Language & Literature II exam-day guide
Andalusia PAU Spanish Language & Literature II · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Official ID document
Bring the original DNI, passport or residence card that matches the name on your registration. Without valid ID you may be refused entry, so check that it is in date. Confirm with the provider which documents are accepted for your specific centre.
Exam venue and seat allocation
Check the assigned building, room and call time on the official Andalusia PAU documentation or your school's notice. Venues can change, so verify the day before rather than relying on memory.
Printed or downloaded exam timetable
The PAU is spread over several sessions; keep the schedule for your subjects so you know exactly which sitting is yours and how much time lies between exams.
Black or blue pens (several)
Write with ink that scans and photocopies clearly. Bring at least two working pens plus a spare, and avoid erasable ink or pencils for the final answer text.
Pencil, eraser and ruler
Useful for planning, underlining and any diagrams. Keep them in a clear pencil case if your centre requires transparent containers.
Wristwatch, non-smart
Exam rooms do not always have a visible clock. A simple analogue or digital watch without connectivity helps you pace the literature commentary and the text analysis.
Clear water bottle with label removed
Hydration matters across a long session. Many centres require transparent bottles with no labels; confirm with the provider whether drinks are allowed at your venue.
No phone or smart device in the exam room
Leave mobile phones, smartwatches and earbuds at home or switched off and stored outside the room as instructed. Carrying one into the exam can be treated as misconduct.
Review the set reading list and literary works
The literature part draws on the set works and authors for your year. Re-read your own summaries and key quotations rather than trying to memorise new material on the last day.
Practise the text commentary format
Know how you will structure the analysis of an unseen text: theme, structure, register and stylistic features, with textual evidence. Time yourself on a full past-style task.
Plan your literature essay structure
Have a reusable skeleton: introduction with the work and author, thematic development with quotations, and a conclusion that answers the question directly.
Confirm permitted materials with the provider
Whether dictionaries, annotated texts or specific editions are allowed can vary; check the official instructions for your subject rather than assuming. Mark this as needs_review if the guidance is unclear.
Plan the day
Stop acquiring new content. Consolidate your notes on the set works: for each one, write a one-page sheet with main themes, characters, narrative voice, structure and four or five short quotations you can use flexibly. Do the same for the linguistic concepts likely to appear in the text analysis: register, modality, cohesion, deixis, rhetorical figures.
Do one timed full practice under exam conditions: an unseen text commentary plus one literature essay, written by hand, with no notes. Then mark it against the criteria you know (adequacy, coherence, correctness, richness of expression) and list your three weakest points.
Work only on those weakest points. If it is spelling and accentuation, do a short dictation-style drill. If it is essay structure, rewrite the introduction and conclusion of two essays. If it is timing, rehearse a 20-minute plan for a commentary without writing the full answer.
Light review only: read your one-page sheets and quotation lists. Check the venue, call time, transport and route, and prepare your ID and materials in a bag by the door. Confirm with the provider any doubt about allowed materials or timings.
Protect your sleep. Do not attempt an all-night revision session; sustained handwriting and close reading in a long exam depend on being rested. Set two alarms.
Eat a proper breakfast, arrive early at the venue, and keep away from last-minute group discussions that can raise anxiety or confuse you. Have your ID and pens ready before entering the room.
Read all the instructions and the optional questions carefully before writing. Choose the option you can answer best, not the one that looks familiar. Note the mark allocation and allocate minutes proportionally, leaving time to plan and to check.
Plan each answer briefly before writing, use clear paragraphs, and keep handwriting legible. For the commentary, anchor every claim in the text with a short quotation. For the literature essay, answer the question asked and support it with precise references.
Reserve time to reread for accents, agreement, punctuation and unfinished sentences, and to make sure every required section has been attempted. Cross out drafts cleanly rather than leaving ambiguous text.
Rules to check
Bring the original ID that matches your registration and present it when requested; entry may be refused without it. Confirm with the provider which documents are accepted at your centre.
Arrive by the published call time. Late entry rules and whether you may join after the start vary, so confirm with the provider rather than assuming you will be admitted.
Do not bring phones, smartwatches or other connected devices into the exam room. Follow the invigilator's instructions for storing them outside.
Write your answers in the language and format the paper requires, and answer only the number of questions or options specified. Extra answers are usually not credited.
Follow invigilator instructions on materials, dictionaries and annotated texts; permitted resources can differ by subject, so confirm with the provider beforehand.
Leaving the room during the exam is normally restricted and may require supervision; ask the invigilator if you need to leave, and confirm the centre's policy in advance.
Any attempt to communicate with another candidate, use unauthorised material or access a device can lead to disqualification from the exam or the whole session.
Scoring: the paper is marked on the criteria published for the subject, typically including comprehension and analysis, organisation and coherence, and correctness and richness of expression. Check the official weightings for your year with the provider.