The almost 23,000 students who this Tuesday have started the 2023 University Access Tests (PAU) in the Valencian Community have ‘broken the ice’ with the History of Spain exam, which has proposed, among other questions, questions regarding the founder of the Falange, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the right to vote in the 19th century, the Democratic Six-year period or the First Republic.
One of the texts that the students could comment on was a fragment corresponding to some words by José Antonio Primo de Rivera in Alicante, on July 17, 1936, in which he charged against a “traitorous, inept, cruel and unfair” and urged to fight for “Spain, one, great and free”.
The review has also included articles from the Draft Federal Constitution of the Spanish Republic (July 17, 1873); the decree of November 9, 1868 to allow universal male suffrage for those over 25 years of age; and a speech by Queipo de Llano, in July 1936 in Seville, in which he stated: “Our brave legionnaires and regulars have shown the cowardly reds what it means to be a real man. And, at the same time, their women. (…) Now at least they know what real men are and not fag militiamen.”
The exam also asked the students to present the causes that justified the outbreak of the 1968 revolution and the beginning of the Democratic Six-year term; explain the outbreak of the civil war and the start of the construction of the Francoist state; detail how the right to vote of citizens has been regulated in the constitutions of the 19th century or compare the dictatorships and the repression of Miguel Primo de Rivera and Francisco Franco.
The natural nerves have marked the start of the tests, which may be the last with the current format and which, fortunately, this time they take place in a normal context and “without the stress of the covid”. “The anecdote is that there is no anecdote.” This has been stressed in statements to the media by the Vice-Rector for Students and Entrepreneurship at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Esther Gómez.
“Finally we have a PAU without masks and without special security measures. The truth is that it is a very calm call. The students come a little nervous, but, in the end, all this calms down. The reality is that 98% of students in the Valencian Community pass the PAU, it is the third best in all of Spain in results. Simply, they are transmitted peace of mind, that they trust in themselves, which is the most important thing, and in all the work they have been doing, they do not this week, but the whole academic year”, he asserted.
The vice-chancellor has highlighted the great demand that “all careers related to ICT, with Computer Science, Telecommunications, Data Science and engineering in general” currently have, as well as other types of new degrees, among which she has cited Transport Management and logistics.
“The truth is that polytechnic careers are, at this moment, tremendously successful. In fact, we have very long waiting lists to enter many degrees. I think this is due to the job opportunities they have, to an employability very high,” he reflected.
This is how Ãlex, a young man who wants to study Computer Engineering and admits to feeling “a lot of nerves because it is a test that determines our future a bit, after all is like the exams we take in the centers” comments.
Laura, who will try to achieve the grade for Graphic or Interior Design, explains that she has tried to organize herself during the previous days so as “not to study a little of everything and a lot of nothing”. “I have tried to take it easy. Today I woke up quite calm, but as the exam approaches they go up.
60% of the students who will take the tests are women and 40% men. By universities, the two universities in the province of Valencia are the ones that will host the largest number of students, with a total of 12,317 enrolled, of which 6,562 students will be examined at the University of Valencia and 5,755 at the Polytechnic University of Valencia .
They are followed by the two universities in the province of Alicante, which will host a total of 7,963 people, of which 4,127 will take the tests at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche and 3,836 at the University of Alicante. Finally, at the Jaume I University of Castellón, a total of 2,671 students will be examined.
Students will be able to know their qualifications from 1:00 p.m. on June 16 and the deadline to request the review of the exam is established from June 19 to 21 at 2:00 p.m. Regarding the July call, the notes will be announced on July 11 from 5:00 p.m.
After the morning exams, for this afternoon the Economics, Biology, Audiovisual Culture, Physics and Art History tests are scheduled. On Wednesday it will be the turn of the Spanish and English exams in the morning and the electives of Chemistry, Design and History of Philosophy at 3:30 p.m. and Technical Drawing, Geology and Geography at 5:45 p.m.
The last day of exams will begin at 9:30 am with the Mathematics, Latin and Fundamentals of Art tests and will continue at 11:45 am with the Applied Mathematics exam. The day will end at 3:30 p.m. with exams in Greek, Performing Arts, German, French and Italian.
