Canary PAU English study guide
Canary PAU English · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Canary PAU English exam (Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad – Inglés, also called EBAU Inglés in Canarias) is the English component of the university access assessment taken by students in the Canary Islands. It is designed for secondary-school candidates finishing Bachillerato and for other applicants who need to certify English within the regional access procedure, and it tests English as a foreign language rather than literature or linguistics. The paper is built around three kinds of work: reading a short authentic-style text and answering comprehension questions, applying grammar and vocabulary in context, and writing a composition or short essay on a given topic. Because the reading and writing sections carry the most weight, the exam rewards candidates who can understand a text quickly and then produce clear, organised English under time pressure. The Canary PAU English study guide has 3 sections and about 1,348 words.
01Reading Comprehension of a Written Text in English
The Canary PAU English reading-comprehension domain tests whether you can extract explicit and implicit meaning from a single English text - usually a 300–350-word article or opinion piece - and prove your answers with evidence from the printed lines. Each option contains a text followed by tasks such as true/false statements with justification, short-answer questions, synonym or antonym matching, and reference questions about pronouns and cohesive devices.
442 words, about 2 min02Use of English: Grammar and Vocabulary in Context
The Use of English domain tests grammar and vocabulary in context: word formation, gap-fill, tense and voice control, conditionals, reported speech, relative clauses, modals, prepositions, collocations, phrasal verbs, and sentence transformation (rephrasing). The exam expects you to produce the exact form required by the surrounding sentence, not merely to recognize a rule.
450 words, about 2 min03Written Production: Composition or Essay on a Given Topic
The Written Production domain asks you to write a composition or opinion essay of about 120–150 words on a topic linked to the reading text. It is marked for task achievement, organization, range of language, and accuracy.
456 words, about 2 min