Aragón PAU English common mistakes
Aragón PAU English · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing the reading-comprehension answer as a full sentence copied almost verbatim from the text, then expecting full marks for the reading section.
Candidates see that the wording is correct and assume the examiner rewards recognition alone; in Aragón the reading items usually require showing comprehension (paraphrase, inference, or a direct answer in your own words), and a lifted sentence does not demonstrate understanding.
What to do instead
After locating the relevant lines, close the text and write the answer from memory in one or two sentences, then reopen the text only to check the fact. Practise paraphrasing: change the grammatical subject, use a synonym for the key noun, and cut anything not needed to answer the question.
In the listening section, copying a number, name, or price the moment it is heard without waiting for the correction or qualification that follows.
Aragón listening tasks often include a distractor followed by a reformulation ('actually', 'sorry, make that', 'the cheaper one is...'), and candidates write the first value because they are still processing the first mention when the correction arrives.
What to do instead
Train to hold the pencil still until the speaker finishes the relevant turn, then write. During practice, mark every distractor explicitly in the transcript afterwards so you learn the typical correction cues ('rather', 'I meant', 'on second thoughts').
Writing the composition below the required word count, or padding it to reach the count with repeated ideas.
Under time pressure candidates stop when the main idea is expressed and do not check the length; others panic and restate the same point in different words, which the examiner sees as poor development rather than length.
What to do instead
Plan three content points before writing (for example: position, reason, example or consequence) and give each a short paragraph. Count words at the end and add one concrete example or detail if short; never add a sentence that repeats the thesis.
Ignoring the register and genre demanded by the writing prompt, producing an informal email when a formal letter or an opinion essay was requested.
Candidates focus entirely on grammar and vocabulary and treat the task type as decoration; Aragón prompts usually specify audience and purpose, and register is part of the assessment criteria.
What to do instead
Before writing, underline in the prompt who is writing to whom and why, and note the required opening and closing. Keep a short mental checklist: contractions, phrasal verbs, and direct address for informal; full forms, passive where natural, and no exclamation marks for formal.
Using Spanish-English false friends and calques in the writing and translation-style items (for example 'actual', 'assist', 'realize', 'library' for 'bookshop', 'I have 20 years').
The first translation that comes to mind is the cognate, and interference from Spanish is strongest under timed conditions when the candidate does not monitor output.
What to do instead
Keep a personal list of the 30 false friends that appear most in your own writing, with a Spanish sentence and its correct English version. Before handing in, scan the composition once looking only for items on that list.
Leaving blanks or writing 'I don't know' on grammar/vocabulary gap-fill items instead of making a reasoned attempt.
Candidates fear a wrong answer more than a missing one, not realising that an unanswered item scores zero with certainty while an attempt may be right; this often happens when the surrounding context is not read.
What to do instead
Read the whole sentence or short text before the gap, decide the part of speech needed (noun, verb form, preposition), then commit to the best option. Never leave a gap empty; budget a fixed time per item and move on.
Misreading the instruction format, for example answering True/False without justifying, or giving a synonym where the task asks for the word from the text.
The rubric is in English and candidates skim it, assuming all reading tasks follow the same pattern they practised; Aragón papers mix item types within one text.
What to do instead
Circle the instruction verb and any constraint ('in your own words', 'from the text', 'justify with evidence') before reading the passage. Do one timed mock where you write the instruction type next to each item number before answering.
Running out of time because the reading passage is read word by word and translated mentally before the questions are looked at.
School habit encourages full comprehension of every sentence, but exam texts contain detail that no question tests; slow reading leaves no time for the writing task, which carries substantial marks.
What to do instead
Adopt a question-first routine: read the items, then scan for the relevant paragraphs, reading closely only there. Practise with a timer so that reading occupies roughly half the total time and the writing task always gets its full allocation.
Producing grammatically correct but empty compositions that never answer the specific question asked, for example a general essay on 'technology' when the prompt asks about mobile phones in the classroom.
Candidates memorise topic paragraphs and reproduce them, hoping the topic overlap is enough; the task-achievement criterion penalises content that does not address the exact prompt.
What to do instead
Write a one-line answer to the prompt in the plan before drafting, and check every paragraph against it. In practice, write two compositions on the same broad topic with different specific questions to force precise addressing.
Not checking agreement, tense consistency, and third-person -s in the final minutes, leaving errors that were within the candidate's knowledge.
Under exam pressure attention goes to meaning while drafting, and candidates submit immediately after the last sentence with no review pass; these slips are the most frequent grammar errors in PAU scripts.
What to do instead
Reserve three to four minutes for a structured check in a fixed order: verb endings and tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, plurals, spelling of irregular verbs. Do the same order in every practice piece so it becomes automatic.