Castilla y León PAU English study plan
Castilla y León PAU English · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Reading comprehension of a written text in English & Lexical and grammatical competence (use of English)
Diagnose current level by completing one full timed PAU-style reading task and one use-of-English task, then tabulate errors by type (vocabulary, grammar, inference, detail).
Identify and record the four most frequent question formats in PAU reading tasks (true/false with justification, short answer, synonym/antonym in context, reference words) and note the answer format each demands.
Build a personal error log with 40+ entries drawn from the diagnostic, tagging each entry to domain 1 or 2.
Practise skimming three 400-500 word English articles in 3 minutes each, writing a one-sentence summary of the main idea for each.
Your checkpoint
A diagnostic report of 1 page listing error counts by category plus a 40-entry error log.
Reading comprehension of a written text in English & Lexical and grammatical competence (use of English)
Answer 30 reading-comprehension questions of the true/false-with-justification type, quoting the exact line that supports each answer.
Paraphrase 25 sentences from authentic articles without copying the original wording, to prepare for short-answer questions.
Deduce 40 unknown words from context using morphology and surrounding clauses, then verify with a dictionary and record the correct meaning.
Rewrite 20 sentences to change word class (noun to verb, adjective to adverb) while preserving meaning, targeting PAU lexical-transformation items.
Your checkpoint
A 25-item paraphrase bank and a 40-word context-deduction glossary, both checked against a dictionary.
Lexical and grammatical competence (use of English) & Reading comprehension of a written text in English
Drill the ten grammar areas most tested in PAU use of English (verb tenses, conditionals, passive, reported speech, relative clauses, modals, gerund/infinitive, comparatives, prepositions, connectors) with 15 items each.
Complete 40 transformation items (rewrite the second sentence so it means the same as the first) and self-mark against a written key.
Summarise two opinion articles in exactly 60 words each to practise compression and lexical control.
Compile a list of 30 high-frequency academic collocations from the articles read and use each in an original sentence.
Your checkpoint
A 150-item grammar drill file with a corrected error rate below 20%.
Lexical and grammatical competence (use of English) & Written expression and production (guided composition)
Produce 12 use-of-English mini-tests of 10 items each under a 10-minute limit, then review every error with a written rule statement.
Write four guided compositions (opinion, for-and-against, narrative, descriptive) of 120-150 words each, following PAU instructions exactly.
Apply a fixed 5-minute planning routine (brainstorm, select three points, order them) before each composition and keep the plans as evidence.
Memorise and correctly deploy 20 discourse markers appropriate to formal written English, using each at least once across the four compositions.
Your checkpoint
Four planned compositions of 120-150 words with planning notes and a self-correction sheet.
Written expression and production (guided composition) & Coherence, cohesion and accuracy in written English
Write six compositions of 150-180 words in 30 minutes each, enforcing a strict time limit to simulate exam pressure.
Self-edit each composition against a five-point checklist (task achievement, paragraphing, connector range, tense consistency, spelling).
Rewrite two earlier compositions after feedback, reducing errors by at least half and documenting each change.
Analyse cohesion by labelling every connector and pronoun reference in your own texts and replacing repeated links with varied equivalents.
Your checkpoint
Six timed compositions plus two corrected rewrites with a before-and-after error count.
Reading comprehension of a written text in English & Written expression and production (guided composition)
Complete three full reading sections under a 45-minute limit, allocating no more than 15 minutes per text.
Write a 150-word opinion response to each of the three texts, reusing at least five lexical items from the source text.
Practise answering reading questions in complete sentences with correct grammar, since PAU penalises errors in the response itself.
Reduce average reading-section completion time by 20% compared with week 2 while keeping accuracy above 70%.
Your checkpoint
Three timed reading sections with scores and three linked 150-word responses.
Lexical and grammatical competence (use of English) & Coherence, cohesion and accuracy in written English
Take two full mock papers under exam conditions, timing each section separately and recording the score per domain.
Audit all remaining errors in the personal log and eliminate the ten most persistent ones through targeted re-drilling.
Proofread ten of your own texts specifically for articles, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, the three most frequent accuracy leaks.
Rewrite the weakest mock composition with a focus on paragraph unity and topic sentences.
Your checkpoint
Two scored mock papers with a per-domain score table and an updated error log.
Reading comprehension of a written text in English & Lexical and grammatical competence (use of English) & Written expression and production (guided composition) & Coherence, cohesion and accuracy in written English
Take three full timed mock exams and record the score trajectory across all four domains.
Review only the error log and high-frequency lists, avoiding new material in the final days.
Rehearse the exam routine (time allocation per section, order of answering, checking time) three times.
Write one final composition under exam conditions and self-assess it against the official PAU marking criteria.
Your checkpoint
A final mock-exam scorecard showing all four domains at or above the target band.
Milestones
Week 4: Score at least 60% on a full reading section and at least 60% on a 40-item use-of-English test, and submit four complete compositions of 120-150 words with recognisable paragraph structure.
Week 6: Complete a reading section within 45 minutes at 70% accuracy or better, and produce a 150-word composition in 30 minutes with no more than five language errors.
Week 8: Achieve a combined score of at least 70% across two full mock papers, with no single domain below 60%.