Basque PAU English common mistakes
Basque PAU English · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answering true/false or multiple-choice reading items from general knowledge or personal opinion instead of locating the exact sentence in the text that decides the answer.
Candidates skim the passage once, feel they understood the gist, and then pick the option that sounds sensible, which is often the distractor built from plausible but unstated ideas. Under time pressure they skip the step of returning to the text.
What to do instead
For every item, underline the line in the passage that justifies the choice and write its number beside the option. If no single sentence supports an option, discard it. Practise with past PAU-style texts by timing 5 minutes per item set and forcing the underline step until it becomes automatic.
Treating 'not stated / false' items as synonyms, marking an option false when the text simply never mentions it, or vice versa.
The distinction is logical, not lexical: false means the text says the opposite, not stated means the text is silent. Candidates read quickly and conflate absence of evidence with contradiction.
What to do instead
Use a three-column annotation while reading: what the text affirms, what it denies, and what it ignores. For each option, ask 'does the text contradict this, or just not mention it?'. Drill with sets where two options are false and two are not stated.
Guessing unknown vocabulary from shape or false friends (e.g. reading 'actually' as 'actualmente', 'assist' as 'asistir') and then building the whole answer on that guess.
Basque and Spanish speakers transfer L1 cognates automatically, and the exam texts deliberately include such items. Candidates rarely check whether the guessed meaning fits the sentence grammar and context.
What to do instead
When a word is unknown, cover it and read the surrounding clause to infer the function (positive/negative, cause/effect). Then substitute the guess back into the sentence and check it makes sense. Keep a personal list of the 40 most frequent English/Spanish false friends and review it weekly.
In gap-fill grammar items, choosing the answer by how the sentence sounds rather than by identifying the grammatical trigger (e.g. 'since' plus present perfect, 'if' plus past perfect for a third conditional).
Candidates rely on intuition from exposure, which fails on structures that differ from Basque or Spanish, such as perfect tenses, gerund versus infinitive after specific verbs, and passive forms.
What to do instead
Before choosing, name the structure out loud: tense, conditional type, verb pattern, preposition. Build a one-page trigger sheet (since/for, already/yet, used to/be used to, suggest + gerund, etc.) and do 20 targeted gap-fills per structure until recognition is instant.
Writing a composition that answers the prompt only loosely, with no clear paragraph structure, and then losing marks on coherence rather than language.
Under exam pressure candidates write whatever comes to mind in one block, without planning, because planning feels like wasted time. They also misread the task (e.g. writing an opinion essay when a formal letter was requested).
What to do instead
Spend 3 of the 25-30 minutes on a plan: underline the task type, audience and required points, then write a skeleton with introduction, two body paragraphs and conclusion, one idea each. Use explicit linkers (however, in addition, as a result) at paragraph boundaries. Check the plan against the prompt before writing.
Producing compositions that are grammatically ambitious but riddled with basic errors in agreement, articles, and verb forms, instead of controlled accurate sentences.
Candidates translate complex Spanish or Basque sentences word for word, and the structures collapse in English. They also do not leave time to proofread.
What to do instead
Reserve the final 4 minutes for a fixed proofreading checklist: subject-verb agreement, third-person -s, articles before singular countable nouns, plural -s, tense consistency, spelling of common words. Prefer shorter sentences you can control. Practise rewriting five of your own past compositions using only structures you are sure of.
Falling below the required word count, or padding with repetition to reach it, and ignoring the stated register and format (letter conventions, no contractions in formal writing).
Candidates do not count words and do not check the rubric, so they lose marks on task achievement even when the English is decent. Register is often neglected because it is not taught as a checklist.
What to do instead
Learn your average words per line and count lines at the end; aim 10-15% above the minimum. Memorise the format skeleton for the two or three task types that appear (formal email, opinion essay, informal message) including openings and closings. Keep a register checklist: contractions, phrasal verbs and exclamation marks only in informal tasks.
In listening tasks, trying to understand every word and therefore missing the answer to the next question, or writing the answer after the audio has moved on.
Candidates have not been trained to tolerate unknown words, and they do not preview the questions before the audio starts, so they do not know what information to listen for.
What to do instead
Use the pause before each track to underline the key word in each question and predict the answer type (number, place, reason). Accept that you will not understand everything; listen for the specific information. If you miss an item, abandon it immediately and re-orient to the next question. Practise with short audio clips at exam speed, not slowed-down versions.
Losing marks in the oral or listening component by answering in single words or reading a prepared script, rather than producing connected speech with appropriate interaction.
Candidates memorise monologues and freeze when the examiner asks a follow-up, or they answer yes/no because they fear grammar mistakes. Fluency and interaction are assessed, not just accuracy.
What to do instead
Prepare topic frameworks rather than scripts: for each common topic (environment, technology, education) have three ideas with one example each, and practise improvising around them. Record yourself for two minutes daily and replay to check fillers and verb endings. In the exam, ask for clarification if needed and always extend answers with a reason or example.
Mismanaging time across sections, spending too long on reading comprehension and rushing the composition, or leaving the answer sheet transfer to the final minutes.
Candidates do not know the mark weighting, so they invest effort where returns are low, and they are not used to working to a clock under exam conditions.
What to do instead
Learn the section timings and mark allocations for your exam and rehearse full papers with a visible timer, allocating fixed blocks (e.g. reading 40 minutes, writing 30, review 5). Transfer answers as you go rather than at the end. Do at least three full timed mock papers before the exam so the pacing is automatic.