Madrid PAU English

It tests whether you can understand an authentic-style English text, explain and infer its content, use vocabulary and grammar accurately in context, and produce a short coherent opinion text. Expect items on main ideas, specific detail, reference words, synonym or paraphrase matching, and a guided composition.

Typically a reading passage followed by comprehension items, a vocabulary or grammar block linked to the passage, and a writing task. The precise number of items and sections is fixed by the official regulations for each call, so check the current official Madrid PAU/EBAU documentation rather than relying on older models.

The duration, weighting and minimum score are set officially and can be revised between sessions. The Comunidad de Madrid publishes the current regulations and model papers on its official education website; consult those pages for the figures that apply to your call.

Resit arrangements exist within the access system, but the conditions depend on your situation and the current rules. The official body publishes the retake windows and eligibility criteria each year; verify them there before planning, especially if you are repeating to raise your access grade.

Most candidates find the reading manageable and lose marks in the writing. The passage is usually accessible journalism, but the composition demands a clear thesis, paragraphing, connectors and accurate verb forms. A B1–B2 level is a realistic working target, with accuracy in tenses and agreement mattering more than ambitious vocabulary.

Read first, then write. Work through comprehension and vocabulary items on several texts to build speed and paraphrase recognition, then spend most of your remaining effort on timed compositions. Review your errors by category - reference words, prepositions, tense choice, linkers - rather than just re-reading model answers.

Off-topic or under-length compositions, missing the required opinion, paragraphs with no topic sentence, Spanish-influenced word order, and answers copied verbatim from the text when paraphrase is required. In comprehension, candidates also lose marks by answering with a single word when a full sentence is expected.

Use official model papers to learn the task types and timing, not to memorise topics. Do one under exam conditions, mark it against the stated criteria, then rewrite the composition using your own error list. Rotate topics so you practise arguing about technology, environment, education and health rather than one favourite theme.

The foreign language forms part of the access assessment, and its weighting in the final admission calculation depends on the regulations in force and on the degree you are applying for. Check the official Madrid documentation and your target university's admission rules for how the grade is used.