Banyoles student achieves top university entrance exam score with 9.9

Laura Tallada, a student at Institut Pere Alsius i Torrent in Banyoles, Girona, has achieved the highest mark in Catalonia's university entrance examinations (PAU), scoring 9.9 out of 10.

Tellada told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that she "didn't expect" to get a near perfect score, but she "did want to get a good grade."

In the end, she achieved a 14, through the 9.9 obtained in the exams combined with school grades and additional subject-specific assessments.

Tellada did not expect "at all" to be the best in Catalonia, and when the Minister of Universities called her this Monday to inform her, she was "very surprised."

The student is taking advantage of the moment to "vindicate" the humanities. "Many colleagues prefer scientific or technological professions, but we need to promote the humanities just as we do in other sciences."

Four students followed closely behind Tellada with scores of 9.8, all from schools in the Barcelona region.

They are Martina Gutiérrez of Institut Vallès in Sabadell; Enric Sánchez of Col·legi Sant Josep in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia; Tomàs Alfonso Torralbo of Institut Torre del Palau in Terrassa; and Joan Torrecillas of Liceu Politècnic in Sant Cugat del Vallès.

In the Tarragona region, the highest score was 9.7, achieved by Miquel Edo of Institut Baix Camp in Reus.

The top mark in the Lleida area was 9.6, earned by Lucia Garcia of Institut Els Planells in Artesa de Segre.

The PAU are Catalonia's university entrance examinations. The exam results are reported on a 10-point scale, while students' final university admission scores may reach 14 points after school grades and additional subject-specific assessments are taken into account.

Overall, 95.68% of students passed the tests, exceeding the 94.97% of the previous year.

The average grade was 6.403, practically the same as last year (6.440). The average university entrance grade this year is 7.167.

In this university entrance grade, the high school grade counts for 60% and the PAU grade has a value of 40%.

Average fail for maths

The average grade for mathematics in the exams was 4.18, making it the only subject that students, on average, failed.

This grade is the lowest in at least a decade, and is two points below the average of 6.12 last year.

The mathematics exam generated complaints from students and the issue even reached Parliament.