Exam adjustments and qualifications for students with support needs (ESO and PAU)

Terms used

• PAU — The PAU is the university entry test taken after Bachillerato, also called EBAU or EvAU in some regions.
• ESO — ESO is compulsory secondary education, normally from ages 12 to 16.
• Certificado de escolaridad — The certificado de escolaridad is a school-issued certificate of the years and subjects completed, given to pupils who leave ESO without the title.
• Bachillerato — Bachillerato is the two-year upper secondary stage after ESO that prepares students for the PAU.
• Matrícula — The matrícula is registration for the PAU.

Key rules

• Ask early: Adjustments need a documented request, so start gathering reports before the school year's exams and before PAU registration.
• PAU proof: You normally need a disability certificate, generally 33% or more, or a diagnosis report from a medical or educational orientation service.
• Match Bachillerato: PAU adaptations must match what you used at school during Bachillerato.
• Certificate: The certificate of studies completed is not the ESO title.

The short version

Adjustments are possible in both ESO exams and the PAU, but they are never automatic. You ask for them in writing, you back the request with documents, and you ask early. Support also affects the end result: depending on the type of adaptation, a student may get the ESO title or only a certificate.

Adjustments in ESO exams

The school decides and applies these. Your job is to bring the school your child's diagnosis or disability reports and ask for them to be used. The steps are in the process below.

There are two kinds of adaptation:

• Non-significant adaptations change how your child takes the exam, not what is tested. Examples: extra time, a separate or quiet room, larger print, oral or read-aloud exams, a computer, a reader or scribe, breaks, simplified instructions, or a different exam type. These suit pupils with disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD and similar needs.
• Significant adaptations (adaptación curricular significativa) change the content and the criteria your child is assessed against.

Each region defines its official list of measures, so ask the school which ones apply where you live.

Does support affect the ESO title?

It can. The ESO title is awarded when the teaching team decides the pupil has reached the competences and objectives of the stage. A pupil with a significant adaptation is assessed against the criteria set in that adaptation. Whether they graduate is decided case by case by the teaching team. Regional rules differ in detail, so ask the school how it works for your child.

If your child leaves without the title, the school issues a certificado de escolaridad. It lists the years and subjects completed. It has no academic value as a qualification, and it is not the ESO title. It does open the door to lower-level vocational training, adult education, or tests to obtain the title. The name and content of the certificate vary by region.

Pupils without the title can also stay in school up to the age limit set by the regulations. Other routes are basic vocational training or adult education to earn the title.

Adjustments in the PAU

The PAU is the university entry test. Candidates with a recognised disability, dyslexia, ADHD or other learning difficulties can request adaptations.

• Proof: you need a report showing the need. This is normally a disability certificate, generally showing a degree of 33% or more, or a diagnosis report from a medical or educational orientation service. Each university or regional commission sets the exact proof it accepts.
• Match with school: the PAU adaptations must match those you used in Bachillerato. That is why the school's report matters.
• What can be granted: extra time (commonly up to about 25% more, and more in some cases), a separate room, adapted formats such as large print, Braille or digital, a reader or sign-language interpreter, a scribe or computer, rest breaks, and accessible spaces. The commission decides each case individually, and percentages and options vary by university.

When to ask

You usually make the request when you register (matrícula) for the PAU. Registration normally falls in May or June for the ordinary call and in July for the extraordinary call. Some universities want adaptation requests a little before registration. Dates are set each year, so check them with the university where you will register. Ask for the school report well before then.

The university's commission or disability service reviews the request, may ask for more information, and tells you its decision before the exams.

Use the process, documents and checklist below to prepare, and read the warning about the certificate before you decide anything.

Applying for exam adaptations step by step

• Give the school any diagnosis or disability reports: at the start of each school year

• Ask the school's orientador (guidance counsellor) to carry out or update the psychopedagogical evaluation and write a report with the recommended adaptations: as soon as you or the tutor see the need

• The school director approves the measures and the teaching team applies them in exams: after the orientador's report

• Ask the school to review the adaptations so they stay in place: every year

• Check you are eligible for PAU adaptations: you need a disability certificate (generally 33% or more) or a diagnosis report from a medical or educational orientation service, and the adaptations must match those used in Bachillerato: before you register for the PAU

• Ask the school's orientador for a report on the adaptations you received in Bachillerato: before PAU registration

• Gather the documents: registration form with the adaptation request, copy of ID, disability certificate if you have one, clinical or psychopedagogical report stating the diagnosis and recommended adaptations, and the school report: before PAU registration

• Ask the university where you register which public body handles adaptation requests, usually its PAU commission or disability service, and check its exact dates: well before registration, because some universities ask for the request a little earlier

• Answer any request for more information from the PAU commission or disability service, then wait for the decision: before the exams

• If the request is refused, file a reclamación or recurso de alzada (formal appeal) with the university or regional body that runs the PAU: within the deadline stated in the refusal, typically 1 month for an alzada

• If you are late, ask the university's PAU office or disability unit to accept the request with a written justification, and ask the school to certify the adaptations already used in Bachillerato: as soon as you notice you missed the window

Documents you need

• Disability certificate, generally showing a degree of 33% or more, or a diagnosis report from a medical or educational orientation service, to show the need for PAU adaptations.

• School report from the orientador on the adaptations you received in Bachillerato. The PAU adaptations must match them.

• Certificate of studies completed (certificado de escolaridad), issued by the school, stating the years and subjects taken. You get it if you leave ESO without the title, and it gives access to lower-level vocational training, adult education or tests to obtain the title.

Checklist

• Ask your school's orientador for a report on the adaptations you received in Bachillerato.

• Tick the adaptation request when you register for the PAU and attach your documents.

• Find out your university's registration dates, since some ask for adaptation requests a little before registration.

• Watch for the commission's reply, which tells you its decision before the exams, and send any extra information it asks for.

• Ask the school for the certificate of studies completed if your child leaves ESO without the title.

What to watch out for

• The certificate is not the ESO title: A pupil who leaves ESO without the title gets only a certificate of studies completed. It has no academic qualification value, so it does not count as the title. Use it to enter lower-level vocational training, adult education or tests to obtain the title, and ask the school about these routes before your child leaves.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child get the ESO title with a significant curricular adaptation?

Yes, it is possible, but the teaching team decides case by case whether your child has reached the competences and objectives of the stage. Pupils with a significant adaptation are assessed against the criteria set in that adaptation. If the title is not awarded, your child can stay up to the age limit set by the regulations.

What can my child do after leaving ESO without the title?

Your child can move on to basic vocational training, adult education to get the title, or tests to obtain it. The school issues a certificate of studies completed (certificado de escolaridad), which lists the years and subjects taken. It has no academic qualification value, but it opens access to these routes.

When do I ask for PAU adaptations?

You usually ask when you register (matrícula) for the PAU, which falls in May or June for the ordinary call and in July for the extraordinary call. Some universities want the request a little earlier. Each region or university sets the dates every year.