Should the Spanish Government implement a single

national EBAU?
Definitions
Should - used to say or ask what is the correct or best thing to do (Cambridge dictionary,
corresponds to our arguments as we will demonstrate how a single EBAU is the morally incorrect
thing to do)

EBAU - the university entrance examination for Spanish public universities, counting for 40% of
the final cut-off mark with the other 60% coming from the bachillerato, rooted in the cultural
values and idiosyncrasies of each comunidad autonoma that the Spanish government can
“establish the basic characteristics of” but only a) after consulting each comunidad autonoma and
b) ensuring that no legal bases are overstepped regarding the constitution, each comunidad
autonoma’s statute of autonomy or other legal precedences put in place to protect the
comunidades’ autonomies.

Single - only one. (Therefore we are arguing against the mass standardisation the proposition is
proposing, we are against the entire Spanish territory doing a single streamlined test)

Legal Ideas
Article 2 of the Spanish Constitution: La Constitución se fundamenta en la indisoluble unidad de
la Nación española, patria común e indivisible de todos los españoles, y reconoce y garantiza el
derecho a la autonomía de las nacionalidades y regiones que la integran y la solidaridad entre todas
ellas.

Statutes of autonomy for each comunidad autonoma (ARTICLE 131

https://boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2006-13087)

LOMLOE: article 6, about the curriculum - the government establishes the basic aspects of the
curriculum, which must be present in 60% of the school hours (50% for comunidades with their
own languages), too little for a single ebau, state doesn’t have enough control over the education
systems of each comunidad autonoma (Therefore, since the curriculum is not the same in all the
autonomous communities throughout all the compulsory education and Baccalaureate courses, it
does not make sense that the final entrance test should be the same for everyone. It is logical to
think that it contains a common base, but also that it includes its own characteristics in each
autonomous community.)
Ley Organico 7/1999, a law basically ensuring that comunidades autonomas have the right to
protect their local authority from being infringed upon by the state by clearly outlining the
unconstitutional nature of threats or disrespect to this local authority.

Article 11 of the European Charter of Local Autonomy

LOTC (Ley Orgánica del Tribunal Constitucional or the Organic law on the Judicial Powers),
probably best to be used in combination with 7/1999 but can also be quoted to show that it
defines “d) Of the constitutional conflicts of jurisdiction between the State and the Autonomous
Communities or those of these between themselves.” and “f) Conflicts in defense of local
autonomy.” (both from article 10) among others as valid rationale to seek a case with the court

Real decreto del nuevo EBAU “Por su parte, las administraciones educativas y las universidades
serán las encargadas de la organización de esta prueba de acceso y de garantizar su adecuación al
currículo del bachillerato.”

LOSE (Ley Organico del Sistemo Universitario) reiterating the autonomous nature of public
universities in being governed by local authorities

Real Decreto 243/2022, de 5 de abril, por el que se establecen la ordenación y las enseñanzas
mínimas del Bachillerato:
2b. Key competencies: skills that are considered essential so that students can progress with
guarantees of success in their training itinerary, and face the main global and local challenges. They
are the adaptation to the Spanish educational system of the key competencies established in the
Recommendation of the Council of the European Union, of May 22, 2018, regarding key
competencies for lifelong learning. (intended that education is less rigid, and is based on the
acquisition of skills, which is what will allow the student to advance in their training and that will
allow them to manage themselves, based on the common contents set by the ministry, each
Community must have the possibility of relating the competencies with contents specific to its
autonomous community. The entrance test should reflect this. Uniformity in the territory is
provided by the fact that everyone has acquired the same skills, although not exactly the same
content.)

1) Ineffectiveness of a single EBAU

a) Different communities have different needs (e.g. language)
i) Specialisation towards certain economies, alienation of Baleares y Canarias
from the central Spanish economy, generalisations are futile in providing a
better education
 ii) Some comunidades lack the educational resources to be able to keep up
with such a system, unfairly penalising able students for legislative matters
outside of their control “due to the lack of availability of government
funding, some comunidades cannot maintain the quality of the system,
and so students are being unfairly penalised for something totally outside
of their control area”, strays away from a meritocracy and formulates
into a plutocracy, that is to say, those who can afford the best education
will get the best jobs due to their accessing of university
iii) Completely different entities, can’t be considered the same under a blanket
exam due to the plethora of idiosyncrasies and cultural differences each
comunidad autonoma possesses
b) Can create political tension due to Spain being decentralised
i) Cataluña, Pais Vasco, even Andalucians taking pride in being able to
propose and maintain their own selectividad. Infringing on that is a
deterioration of identity and culture, a cruel abuse of power, and an act
going against article 2 and something in articles 137 to 156 as well as the
statutes of autonomy for each comunidad autonoma
ii) Fire added to an already tense situation
c) Decentralised education between comunidades autonomas
i) Each comunidad autonoma determining their own academic standards
and curriculum for the bachillerato, this content is what the ebau is based
on so therefore switching the ebau would mean altering the course of
education for many students regardless of the wishes of the comunidad
autonoma
ii) Forces comunidades autonomas to teach content that aren’t inherently
relevant, useful or necessary for their students: waste of time and efforts.
(can use an anecdote of like when you’re sitting in class and you just think
to yourself, when am I ever going to use this)
iii) Infringement on the rights of self governance for each comunidad
autonoma to dictate what is best for their students and their comunidad as
a whole, use legal sources like article 2 of CE or statutes of autonomy,
rights to self governance, see legal ideas for sources
2) Superiority of alternatives
a) Unify partly rather than completely
i) Certain key aspects becoming standardised but each community able to
maintain the autonomy they have come to endorse over this period of
modernity ie. maths, literature, science in order to truly evaluate students
fairly while also allowing for idiosyncrasies within each comunidades’
 education system to flourish, contained within this the idea of a common
core curriculum could be implemented rather than a single exam, a hybrid
system is a further option where regional examinations combine with a
standardised one
ii) A system could be implemented to harmonise exams rather than unify,
coordination rather than singularity. There could be certain assessment
criteria and content standards that could be regulated by the Spanish
government, regulation being the key term. Regulation, not enforcement.
This approach would reduce discrepancies in difficulty while still
maintaining regional diversity
iii) A weighted system, using normal distribution and grade boundaries to
realise the weighted value of each region’s ebau, therefore resolving the
difficulty differences but maintaining each comunidad autonoma’s
authority over their education system
b) Recognition in different regions
i) Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: celebrate the cultural and linguistic
diversity across Spain's autonomous communities. Tailoring assessments to
regional contexts allows for the inclusion of cultural and linguistic nuances
in the educational experience, fostering a sense of identity and belonging
ii) Local Relevance and Specificities: supports the idea that education should
be relevant to local needs and specificities. Alternative exams can be
designed to address regional priorities, ensuring that the content aligns
with the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of each area
iii) Autonomy and Local Decision-Making: upholds the principle of
autonomy for autonomous communities. They empower regions to make
decisions that align with their unique educational philosophies, enabling
local authorities to tailor curricula and assessments to meet the specific
needs of their students
iv) Community Engagement and Participation: Local communities, including
parents, educators, and stakeholders, may be more actively involved in
shaping educational policies and practices when they see that their unique
perspectives are valued (importance of smaller communities vs. larger
enforced decisions, Hannah Arendt and the importance of the political
voice)
v) Flexibility and Innovation: smaller political bodies, systems and
communities allow for a faster rate of change for educational shifts if
deemed necessary or wanted, plus cooperation between the wider state and
the local governments is fostered due to the recognition of the autonomous
nature of these communities
 vi)Preservation of Cultural Heritage: recognition of regional differences
supports the preservation of cultural heritage. Alternative approaches can
incorporate elements of local history, literature, and traditions,
contributing to the safeguarding of regional cultural identities
vii) Reduced Resistance to Change: see 2bv. Communities may be more likely
to embrace reforms and innovations when they perceive that their unique
identity and educational values are respected and incorporated, therefore
improving the national quality of education
c) Contextual, cultural approaches to tertiary education
i) Shift in focus to a higher emphasis on continuous assessment models,
higher weighted importance towards el bachillerato and the exams that
occur during primero y segundo de bachillerate rather than a single high
stakes (and often perceived as biassed) examination. Draw inspiration from
education systems shifting towards coursework based examinations and
away from solely a final exam. Included within this would be interviews
and portfolio style assessments for evaluation of university admissions.
ii) Multifaceted approach

Other Notes
Often judges enjoy an argument centralised in morality, especially because we have the auxiliary
verb “should” again

Webinar:
- Equality and justice aren’t the same things (all proposition arguments will be centred
around a singular ebau being fairer), also uses the example of differing resources
(Extremadura) that a single ebau would be unfair for, same with Islas Baleares studying the
Spanish economy that has nothing to do with their own autonomous community, a
system of compensation rather than a singular exam
- Argument centred around the identities of comunidades autonomous, does it make sense
for these individual regions to be studying the same literature and history (see above islas
baleares) and for the Spanish government to be making such mass generalisations about its
territory: here we can really delve into the moral repercussions of the actions, 17 different
exams protecting the culture and individual integrities of each comunidad autonoma
- Opportunity, outline key political conflicts (specifically Cataluña, Pais Vasco) and the fire
it would add to those fighting for independence, it is an insult to remove their right to
impose their own educational standards and state that a comunidad autonoma is unfit to
determine the capabilities of their students, explore the reactions that would occur
(consequences of such a law passing)
 - Better alternatives, recognise that there is a problem, but explain to the judges how there
are better solutions available. The main issue of the unfairness regarding the discrepancies
in difficulty and finding a way to overcome this without, make sure to think about
alternatives critically and understand how plausible they truly are to implement.

Key strategies:
- Is there really a problem or not? It is up to us to prove whether or not the problem exists
and we go for an alternative solution or we disprove the problem’s existence.
- Realise that educational arguments don’t tend to support this stance
- Alternatives are your trump cards. They are necessary because it is hard for proposition to
prepare refutations because they don’t know what the alternatives are

Alternative solutions

Standardised Components within Regional Exams:

● Each autonomous community could maintain its own entrance exam but agree to
include standardised components that assess fundamental skills and knowledge.
This approach allows for regional variations while ensuring a common baseline for
evaluation.
Harmonisation of Regional Exams:
● Autonomous communities could collaborate to harmonise their regional exams by
establishing common guidelines, assessment criteria, and content standards. This
approach aims to reduce significant disparities while still acknowledging regional
diversity.
Common Core Curriculum:
● Implementing a common core curriculum across all autonomous communities
could be considered. This would involve defining a set of essential subjects and
topics that every student must study, providing a foundation for a standardised
evaluation while allowing for flexibility in additional subjects.
Weighted Scores or Adjusted Percentiles:
● Maintain regional exams but introduce a standardised mechanism for adjusting
scores or percentiles based on the difficulty of each exam. This approach aims to
account for variations in exam rigour and maintain fairness in university
admissions.
Dual Evaluation System:
● Combine regional exams with a national standardised test. Students could be
assessed both on their performance in the regional exam and a standardised
 national exam. This hybrid approach could balance regional autonomy with the
need for a common evaluation standard.
Adopting a Common Exam for Specific Subjects:
● While keeping most of the regional exams intact, a common national exam could
be introduced for specific subjects where standardisation is particularly crucial.
This targeted approach allows for flexibility in regional exams while addressing
concerns in specific subject areas.
Continuous Assessment Models:
● Shift towards continuous assessment models where students are evaluated based on
their performance throughout the academic year. This approach reduces the
reliance on a single high-stakes exam and provides a more comprehensive view of a
student's capabilities.

University Entrance Interview or Portfolio:

● Introduce alternative evaluation methods such as university entrance interviews or
portfolio assessments. While not eliminating exams entirely, this approach
diversifies the evaluation process and takes into account other aspects of a student's
abilities and achievements.