The difference between the high school grade and the PAU grade doubles in 10 years
Last year, 1.2 points separated the results of the institute and those of the selectivity
Barcelona"I have an average of 9 throughout high school and this has been the worst exam of my life," one of the students assured last week after leaving the exam – which some described as "terrible" – of mathematics of this year's PAU. Next to her, her teacher assured that this year's test "was affordable, but it asked things differently than how it had been done in class" and also said that nerves had to be taken into account. While waiting to see what happens with the grades of this exam, this scene can be an example of how the difference between the average high school grade and that of the general phase of the PAU is further away each year.
According to data collected by the Department of Research and Universities, the difference between these two grades has doubled in a decade: in the 2014-2015 academic year, the difference between the average high school grade (7.3) and that of the general phase of the PAU (6.7) was 0.58 points, whereas last year this difference rose to 1.23 points, going from 7.67 in high school average to 6.4 in the PAU.
However, as stated by Ernest Pons, Professor of Economics and Statistics at the University of Barcelona (UB), "behind this data there are many gray areas because in the end, both the PAU and baccalaureate grades depend on many things". Jordi Satorra, director of the Institut Antoni Martí i Franquès in Tarragona, also agrees. Both agree in pointing out that one of the factors that can explain why PAU grades are slightly lower than baccalaureate grades is the fact that in recent years there have been changes in the structure of the selectivity exam questions to make them more competence-based, moving away from the way of teaching in baccalaureate. "Neither is the same nor is it evaluated in the same way," says Pons.
On the other hand, Satorra also indicates that, until now, 10% of the baccalaureate grade depends on the Research Project, which is a very different way of evaluating than a one-day exam. "It is a type of evaluation that has a 10% weighting that does not align with the exams you have in ordinary education," warns the also president of the directors' association Axia.
differences between the number of excellent grades recorded in high school –especially in private schools– and those subsequently achieved in the PAUInflated grades?
Another of the recurrent themes year after year is the suspicion of whether there are high schools that inflate grades. In this regard, Pons recalls that the now defunct Observatory of the University System (OSU) carried out a report in 2023 which pointed out differences between the number of excellent grades registered in high school – especially in private centers – and those subsequently achieved in the PAU. In fact, the UB expert assures that this trend, in which the curve of excellent grades is observed to be wider in high school than in the selectivity exams, continues to be maintained currently.
"It is true that 10s in high school are more frequent than would be expected and this is an anomaly, but I do not dare to link it to anything," explains Pons, who insists that "there is no data to demonstrate inflation". "Beyond the ownership of the center, the student's situation must be taken into account. Not all are the same nor do they have the same support or level of pressure at home, and this also influences the results," he justifies.
Satorra does suggest that perhaps in some high schools there may be a tendency to "not want to harm the student" and a certain overprotection. Among the reasons, he points to the fact that there is a different yardstick between the selectivity exams of each autonomous community. For example, in Catalonia there is one more subject because Catalan and Spanish are taken in the PAU and class hours in high school must be divided between the two languages. "This harms students in the face of the single district [the formula that allows access to any university in the State, regardless of the community where one has studied]," he warns. And he admits: "All of this makes you think: why be so demanding if other students have more flexibility?". Despite this situation, Pons points out that there is no data showing a widespread problem of inequality due to the single district, except for very specific studies such as medicine'very specific studies like medicine.
Despite these differences between high school and the PAU, the system does offer high schools statistics to compare the results of their students in the selectivity exams with those of other centers and with the general average. However, Satorra details, these reports do not make a comparison between high school grades and PAU grades. "You have to do that yourself as a director, cross-reference the data, and if you see many differences, try to talk to the corresponding department to try to correct it for the following academic year," he concludes.
