Students in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat are preparing for Catalonia's university entrance exams, the PAU, this week, after a school year marked by teacher strikes. Many public school pupils say the disruption has added pressure at the end of bachillerato.
The exams are scheduled for 9, 10 and 11 June. At the Josep Janés library in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, where several students have been studying, Keila Quiroz said some topics were finished after the course had ended, leaving less time to review with teachers. Lucas, who plans to study engineering, said he understands the teachers' protests, but believes the strikes have made the final year more tense.
Students also said they feel they are competing for university places against pupils from private or semi-private schools, which did not face strike action. Lucas said second year of bachillerato is demanding in any case, and that the disruption has made preparation harder. You can read more on local education coverage on our news page.
Teachers at public schools have tried to help where they can. They have shared course materials, answered questions outside school hours and, in some cases, uploaded work to Classroom. Alba Gómez, who hopes to study Psychology, said teachers even gave students their phone numbers so they could ask questions in the afternoons or during breaks.
At the Josep Janés library, one of the few open because strikes affected most Barcelona libraries, students described a disrupted end to term. Núria Sejas said some teachers came to class while others did not, which made it harder to revise important subjects such as Maths. Keila Quiroz said some subjects were only completed in the last few days, so there has been less time to absorb the material. Teachers have also told students they will accompany them to the exam venues on PAU days.
Students are also using artificial intelligence and social media to help with revision. Ainhoa Valverde said she uses AI to explain concepts in more depth, while Jana Iturriaga said she uses it to generate practice questions from the syllabus. Carlos Lucas Peredo said he prefers to study directly from the syllabus, using AI only when he does not understand something. Núria Sejas also mentioned a TikTok creator who posts useful Spanish language revision content, as well as teachers who host live sessions on exam topics.
As the exams approach, students say they are trying to manage the pressure. Alba Gómez said she plans to relax rather than overstudy in the final days, while Jana Iturriaga said nerves can make things worse if students treat the PAU as more than another exam. Ariadna Santiago and Carlos Lucas Peredo, who are sitting the PAU for a second year in a row, said they feel relatively calm. Results from the 9 to 11 June exams will help determine university admissions for the next academic year.