Extremadura PAU Foreign Language II - English common mistakes
Extremadura PAU Foreign Language II - English · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answering a true/false or yes/no comprehension item with just "True" or "False" and no supporting line, or copying a whole paragraph as justification instead of quoting the one sentence that proves the answer.
Candidates treat the task as a global feeling about the text and either skip the evidence step or take the safe route of copying a large block, because they have not been trained to locate a single proof sentence under time pressure.
What to do instead
Before writing, underline the exact sentence in the text that decides the item, then write the verdict plus a short quote (five to twelve words) and a one-line paraphrase. Practise with a two-minute cap per item so the locating habit becomes automatic.
Using outside knowledge or personal opinion to answer an inference or vocabulary-in-context item instead of what the passage actually states.
The topics (environment, technology, health, education) are familiar, so candidates fill gaps from general knowledge and misread plausible-sounding options as correct.
What to do instead
For every option, mark where in the text it is supported, contradicted, or simply absent. Reject any option that is true in the real world but has no anchor in the passage. Do this explicitly for one full practice text per session.
Confusing similar word forms and derivations in gap-fill items, e.g. writing the noun when the gap needs an adjective, or producing a non-existent form such as 'successfull' or 'enviromentally'.
Candidates translate from Spanish word-for-word and choose the first related word that comes to mind, without checking the grammatical slot or the spelling of the suffix.
What to do instead
Before filling a gap, identify the part of speech required by the surrounding words (article + noun, adverb + adjective, subject + verb). Build a personal table of high-frequency families (succeed/success/successful/successfully, environment/environmental) and test yourself on the spelling of each suffix.
Choosing the wrong tense or aspect in verb-form items, especially past simple versus present perfect, and forgetting the passive or the conditional structure the sentence requires.
Candidates look only at the verb and ignore time markers ('since', 'ago', 'last year', 'by the time', 'if'), and Spanish uses a tense that looks similar but functions differently.
What to do instead
Circle the time expression and the subject first, then decide tense, aspect and voice before writing. Drill the marker-to-tense pairs (since/for + present perfect, ago + past simple, by the time + past perfect, if + would) until the decision is instant.
Producing a short writing that answers the prompt only partly, for example giving an opinion but omitting the reasons, the example, or the second point the task names.
Candidates write from memory about the topic rather than reading the task as a checklist, and they run out of time because they start writing without planning.
What to do instead
Spend three minutes underlining every requirement in the prompt and turning each into a bullet in a mini-plan. After writing, tick each bullet off and add any missing element in one sentence. Aim for a clear introduction, one paragraph per requirement, and a conclusion.
Writing long, complex sentences with Spanish-style comma splices and no linking devices, so ideas run together and the register slips into informal speech ('a lot of people think that...', 'things like that').
Candidates equate length and complexity with a higher mark, and they translate connectors directly from Spanish without checking whether the English connector fits the logical relation.
What to do instead
Limit yourself to one main clause plus one subordinate clause per sentence and join sentences with a precise connector (however, therefore, in addition, although, whereas). Keep a short list of formal alternatives for informal phrases and apply it in revision.
Losing marks on spelling of high-frequency exam words and on basic punctuation: missing capital letters after full stops, missing apostrophes in possessives and contractions, and comma splices between independent clauses.
Candidates focus all attention on content and treat spelling and punctuation as cosmetic, and they rarely proofread because they finish at the last minute.
What to do instead
Reserve two minutes at the end to proofread only for capitals, apostrophes, full stops and commas. Keep a personal error list of words you have misspelt before and test yourself weekly. When two independent clauses meet, use a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus conjunction.
Leaving cohesive devices out of the writing or repeating the same one ('and', 'but', 'also') in every sentence, so paragraphs have no internal flow and no clear progression from one idea to the next.
Candidates write sentence by sentence without thinking about how the reader moves between ideas, and they have a very small active repertoire of connectors.
What to do instead
After drafting, read only the first word of each sentence. If the same connector repeats, replace it with a different function word (concession, contrast, result, addition, example). Add at least one reference word per paragraph (this, such, these measures) to link back to the previous idea.
Paraphrasing comprehension answers by copying whole phrases from the text, or answering in Spanish or in mixed language when the item expects English production.
Copying feels safer than reformulating, and under pressure candidates fall back on their first language for the parts they cannot express.
What to do instead
Practise reformulation: read the proof sentence, cover it, and write the answer from memory, then compare. Change word class or voice rather than substituting synonyms one by one. Write every answer fully in English, even in note form.
Mismanaging time: spending too long on reading items, then rushing the writing with no planning and no proofreading, so the highest-weighted section is the weakest.
Candidates work through the paper in order without a time budget and do not know how many minutes each section deserves.
What to do instead
Set a fixed budget before the exam (for example reading, use of English, writing, and a final proofreading block) and rehearse it in at least three full timed papers. If an item takes more than two minutes, mark it, move on, and return only if time remains.