Three students from Barcelona area achieve highest scores on university entry exams

Three students from schools in the Barcelona area earned the highest scores on this year's University Entry Exams (PAU), each earning a 9.9 out of 10.

The top performers attend Vilanova del Vallès Institute, Canigó School in Barcelona, and La Vall School in Bellaterra.

Outstanding results were also recorded in other parts of Catalonia. One student from the Frederic Martí i Carreras Institute in Girona scored a 9.8, and another student from the Gabriel Ferrater i Soler Institute in Tarragona earned a 9.5.

Berta García, one of the three students with the highest score in this year’s university entry exams, received the news while on holiday in Menorca.

"I'm still processing it," she told the Catalan News Agency (ACN), calling the result a major surprise. "I expected a good result, but not the highest in Catalonia," she added.

Berta, who studied at the Vilanova del Vallès Institute, plans to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering.

Iván Kapustin, the top scorer in the Girona region with a 9.8, also admitted that his high mark was "unexpected."

He confessed he began studying later than he should have, since the university program he wants to enter, biochemistry, does not require a particularly high grade.

Average scores drop

The average scores in this year’s university entry exams declined across most subjects, with notable drops in language exams.

Catalan language scores fell to an average of 6.3, three-tenths lower than last year and the lowest since 2016.

Spanish language scores also declined by half a point, reaching their lowest average since 2018.

English exam scores dropped by three-tenths compared to the previous year, marking the lowest result since 2020.

Even the overall pass rate saw a decline: nearly 95% of the 34,448 students passed, the lowest success rate recorded since 2020.

The average score in the PAU access phase was 6.44 out of 10, the lowest recorded since 2017. 

Only 60 students scored between 9.5 and 10, while about 450 students scored between 9 and 9.5. All of these students will receive special recognition for their excellent scores.

Government spokesperson Sílvia Paneque described the exam process as “positive,” despite a rule change implemented just days before the tests.

Paneque highlighted the “very low number of incidents” and called the overall pass rate "very positive."

How the PAU exams work

The PAU consists of two phases. The access phase, formerly known as the general phase, is mandatory and includes five exams: Catalan language and literature, Spanish language and literature, a foreign language, history or history of philosophy, and one elective subject chosen from the standard high school curriculum. 

In addition, students can take part in the optional admission phase, previously referred to as the specific phase, which allows them to improve their overall university entrance score. 

In this phase, they may choose up to three additional subjects. The two highest scores, once weighted according to the requirements of each university and degree program, are added to the access phase score.

This combined score can reach a maximum of 14 points.