Extremadura PAU Latin II exam-day guide
Extremadura PAU Latin II · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid ID document
Bring the official photo ID required for access to the examination room. The exact document accepted (DNI, passport, or other) and whether a copy is valid must be confirmed with the provider or your examination centre; treat this as needs_review and do not assume an expired document will be accepted.
Examination call / appointment confirmation
Print or download the convocatoria or proof of registration showing your name, the call, the time, and the location. Keep it with your ID. If your centre uses a different access procedure, confirm with the provider.
Blue or black pens (several)
Write the exam in ink, not pencil, unless the instructions say otherwise. Bring at least two working pens of the same colour plus a spare, and check them the night before.
Pencil, eraser, and sharpener
Useful for drafting translations or outlines before writing the final answer in ink. Confirm whether rough work must be crossed out or handed in.
Wristwatch (non-smart)
Exam rooms do not always have a visible clock. A simple analogue or digital watch without connectivity is the safest way to pace yourself; smartwatches are normally prohibited. Confirm the centre's device policy with the provider.
Clear water bottle, no label
Hydration helps during a long written paper. Many centres require the bottle to be transparent and label-free; check local rules with the provider.
No electronic devices on your person
Mobile phones, earbuds, and smart devices must normally be switched off and left outside the room or in a designated area. Leaving a phone in a pocket can be treated as misconduct; confirm the exact rule with the provider.
Know your texts and authors cold
For Latin II the paper typically combines translation of a prescribed or unseen passage with questions on grammar, lexis, and literary/cultural context. Revise the set authors, the morphology and syntax lists, and the vocabulary you have been given; check the current syllabus and model papers with your teacher or the provider.
Practise timed translation by hand
Do at least two full mock papers under real time pressure in the final week, writing by hand. This trains speed, handwriting legibility, and the habit of leaving space for corrections.
Plan your answer layout
Decide in advance how you will divide the page: translation, grammatical commentary, and context questions clearly separated and numbered. Examiners reward clarity; confirm the required format with the provider.
Check the venue and travel route
Confirm the exact building and room the day before and plan to arrive with margin for delays. If the location is unclear, contact the centre; do not rely on memory from a previous year.
Read the current instructions and marking criteria
The weighting of translation versus commentary and the permitted dictionary or lexicon use can change. Confirm with the provider or your teacher which materials are allowed and how marks are distributed.
Plan the day
Finish content revision: go through the set authors and passages, the morphology and syntax checklists, and your vocabulary lists. Do not start new topics. Re-read your own corrected mock papers and list your three most frequent errors (for example, case endings, sequence of tenses, or mistranslating a common idiom).
Do one full timed mock paper in exam conditions: no notes, no phone, handwriting, and the same time limit as the real paper. Afterwards, mark it honestly against the criteria and note where you lost time as well as where you lost marks.
Targeted repair: spend the day only on the weak points identified in the mock. Re-drill the endings and constructions you got wrong, and re-translate the sentences you mistranslated. Keep sessions short with breaks.
Light review only: skim vocabulary, principal parts of irregular verbs, and a couple of short passages for fluency. Prepare your materials (ID, pens, watch, water, confirmation) in a bag by the door. Confirm the time, room, and travel plan with the centre if anything is uncertain.
Protect your sleep. Avoid an all-night session; a rested brain translates Latin far better than a tired one. Eat normally and set two alarms.
Eat a proper breakfast, re-check your bag against the checklist, and leave with extra margin for transport. Arrive early enough to find the room calmly. Do not cram new material in the queue; a brief skim of vocabulary is enough.
Read all the instructions and the whole paper before writing. Note the marks for each section and allocate time proportionally, reserving a few minutes at the end for checking. Identify the passage's main clause and verb first.
Work clause by clause: find the main verb, identify the subject and its case, then attach the other constituents. Write a literal first draft in the margin or on rough paper, then produce clean, idiomatic English in the answer space. Do not leave blanks; a partial rendering earns more than nothing.
Answer in complete, precise sentences and use the correct grammatical terminology (case, tense, voice, mood, construction). Quote the Latin form you are discussing. If a question is worth several marks, give several distinct points.
Check that every question number is answered, that your translation reads as English, and that endings and agreements in your written Latin quotations are correct. Cross out rough work if required, then hand in calmly.
Rules to check
Bring and present the official photo ID required by the centre; candidates without valid identification may be refused entry. Confirm the accepted documents with the provider before the exam day.
Electronic devices, including mobile phones and smartwatches, must be switched off and stored as the centre directs. Keeping a device on your person during the test can be treated as academic misconduct; confirm the exact policy with the provider.
Follow the invigilator's instructions on start and finish times, permitted materials, and rough work. If you believe a question is misprinted, raise your hand and ask rather than guessing silently.
Do not communicate with other candidates once the paper has been distributed, and do not remove question papers or answer sheets unless explicitly permitted. Confirm with the provider whether you may take the question paper away.
Use only the dictionaries, lexicons, or reference materials that the current regulations allow. If you are unsure whether a resource is permitted, ask the invigilator before the test begins; confirm the rule with the provider in advance.
Write legibly in the required ink and language. Answers that cannot be read cannot be marked, and a translation written in the wrong language or register may lose marks under the published criteria.
If you need to leave the room for a genuine emergency, attract the invigilator's attention; you will normally be accompanied and may not be given extra time. Confirm the centre's break and absence rules with the provider.
Scoring follows the official marking criteria for the current syllabus, which weight translation, grammatical analysis, and literary/cultural context. Check the current weightings and any penalties with the provider or your teacher rather than relying on older papers.