To all our Year 11 and Year 13 Spanish students,
¡Muchísima suerte! You have worked incredibly hard, and you should feel very proud of everything you have achieved. The Spanish department hopes the exams went well and truly reflected your effort and progress. Now it’s time to rest and enjoy the break — you’ve earned it. I look forward to celebrating some excellent results with you in August.
¡Enhorabuena y hasta pronto!
Hispanic countries vs England – Exams
In England, students usually take national exams at set ages (e.g. GCSEs at 16), which are mostly written exams taken at the end of a course, with all students sitting the same tests under exam conditions.
In many Hispanic countries, assessment is often more continuous throughout the year, including class tests, coursework, oral work, and participation, not just final exams. Final exams do exist, but they may countless heavily overall than in England.
Another key difference is that in Hispanic systems, there is often more emphasis on speaking and memorisation, whereas English exams (like GCSE Spanish) are highly structured, testing the four skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) in a clearly defined format.
Spain (PAU) vs England (A-levels & university entry)
In England, students take A-level exams (age 18) in specific subjects. Their final grades (A–E)* are the main factor used by universities to make offers. Students usually apply before getting results, and universities may give conditional offers based on predicted grades.
In Spain, students also finish school with internal grades, but university entry depends heavily on the PAU / EBAU exam (Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad). This is a set of external exams at the end of Bachillerato (age 17–18).
A key difference is that in Spain:
• Students receive a combined score:
o 60% school grades (Bachillerato)
• 40% PAU exam results
• This creates a final numerical mark (out of 14) used for university entry.
In contrast, in England:
• Entry is based mainly on A-level grades, not a combined score
• Offers are subject-specific (e.g. AAB)
• There is no single national ranking score
Results
England
• GCSE results: usually released late August (around 20–25 August)
• A-level results: usually released mid-August (around 10–15 August)
Spain (and many Hispanic countries)
Spain (PAU / EBAU):
• Results typically come out in June (a few weeks after exams)
• Some regions have a second session → results in July
