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Spain : Appendix

• Appendix 1 - Pre-LOGSE secondary education

Last updated: 24-Mar-2005
Appendix 1 - Pre-LOGSE secondary education

The 'pre-reform' provisions outlined in this section were superseded by the LOGSE reforms, detailed in the main body of this Archive, in accordance with the timetable which follows:

1996/97 Year 1 of ESO (compulsory secondary education, age 12-13)

1997/98 Year 2 of ESO (compulsory secondary education, age 13-14)

1998/99 Year 3 of ESO (compulsory secondary education, age 14-15)

1999/2000 Year 4 of ESO (age 15-16),

2000/2001 Year 1 of bachillerato (post-compulsory secondary, students aged 16-17) and of intermediate level specific vocational training

2001/2002 Year 2 of bachillerato (students aged 17-18) and of intermediate level specific vocational training

Pre-LOGSE secondary education referred to the level of post-compulsory education following EGB (general compulsory education as it existed from age 6 - 14) and catered for students aged 14+ in two main branches:

BUP - Bachillerato Unificado y Polivalente (integrated upper secondary education) which lasted three years and normally prepared students aged 14 to 17 for access to university. In addition to the three years, students also followed a one-year university orientation course - COU (Curso de Orientación Universitaria). BUP also prepared students for employment.

FP - Formación Profesional (vocational training) which was divided into two levels: FP I lasting two years (for 14- to 16-year-olds) and FP II lasting three years (for 16- to 19-year-olds). FP prepared students for specific occupations as well as continuing their general education. FP courses could be studied in a day regime, an evening regime or, in the case of FP II, as an external student.

Admissions criteria

In order to be admitted to the BUP, students had to have the Basic Education School Graduate Certificate (Graduado Escolar). The School Attendance Certificate (Certificado de Escolaridad) was sufficient for FP I. Students who had completed FP I could either enter FP II or the second year of the BUP. The COU was open to students who had successfully completed BUP or FP II.

Length of school year (in days) and day (in hours)

In BUP, COU and FP, the school year ran from 1 October to 30 June covering 170 days per year, five days per week.

Student progression through the phase

There were special examinations in September for students who did not pass all subjects in June. Students who did not pass the special examinations in September were obliged to repeat the entire school year, unless, in BUP, they had failed only one or two subject areas, or in COU, they had failed no more than three. The maximum period a student was allowed to complete the bachillerato was six years and to complete the COU, three years. The marking system was based on a numerical scale of one to ten. In vocational training, if a student passed every one of the subjects making up a subject area, an overall grade was given. If students failed any of these subjects, support measures were implemented. Students who did not pass the entire year course during the school year were entitled to sit a special examination in September. Under FPII, students were promoted from one year level to the next, provided that they had failed no more than two subjects from the previous year. However, if one of the outstanding subjects was a practical course, students had to pass this before they were allowed to proceed to the next year level.

In BUP, COU and FP, each group of students had a form/class teacher, whose responsibilities focused on coordinating student counselling and guidance on future educational and career prospects.

Compulsory subjects

BUP and COU

Compulsory curriculum for the first and second year of the BUP, students aged 14-16

Source: EURYDICE and CEDEFOP (1995).

There were compulsory and optional subjects during Year 3 of the BUP course. Students had to study the following:

foreign language;

physical education and sport;

religion/ethics;

history of Spain;

technical/vocational education and activities; and

philosophy.

In addition, there were various optional subjects. Full details are provided below.

There were, similarly, compulsory and optional subjects for the pre-university COU course.

Pre-reform FP (formacion profesional, vocational education)

FP I and FP II both had two components:

· general education;

· specialist training in a particular branch, which included practical training in the school workshop or in the workplace.

The general education component of the curriculum covered similar material to that of the BUP but in less depth. See table below.

Compulsory subjects for vocational education courses

Source: EURYDICE and CEDEFOP (1995).

Time allocation, BUP and COU

BUP and COU courses could be followed as day or evening courses, either at education institutions or through distance learning. The day regime was the most common, with a full timetable of 29 lessons of 50 minutes per week. Studies could be arranged in one of three ways: spread over the morning and the afternoon; as a continuous session in the morning; or as a continuous session in the afternoon. The evening regime was always subject to a reduced timetable.

The COU common subjects and option stream subjects covered 26 hours per week.

Time allocation, pre-reform FP courses

FP I lasted two years and was divided into three areas of knowledge:

Core training (360 hours each year).

Applied sciences related to the chosen vocational branch (126 hours in Year 1 and 198 in Year 2).

Technical studies and work experience specific to the chosen occupation (540 hours each year).

There were two types of FP II: general and specialised. The general type lasted two years and was divided into three areas of knowledge:

Core training (216 hours in Year 1 and 288 in Year 2).

Technology and work experience (792 hours in Year 1 and 684 in Year 2).

Business training (72 hours in Year 1 and 108 in Year 2).

The specialised type lasted three years and was divided into two areas:

Basic training (468 hours during the three years).

Further studies (612 hours during the three years).

Optional subjects

BUP

In the BUP course, options were selected for the third year of the course, students aged 16+. Students chose three options from A or B:

Option A: Literature, Latin, Greek and mathematics

Option B: Literature, natural sciences, physics and chemistry, and mathematics.

In addition, during the three years of the BUP, students could study a second foreign language (three hours a week) as an optional subject, and devoted one or two hours a week to areas where they felt they were having trouble, or to areas which they wanted to study in greater depth.

COU

From the 1988/89 school year, the curriculum of the COU changed in order to allow greater choice of university studies. From 1988/89, it included four option streams instead of the previous two. Each option stream comprised two compulsory subjects and four optional subjects from which the students had to choose two.

Curriculum for the COU

COU curriculum	Option A (sciences and technology)	Option B (biology and health)	Option C (social sciences)	Option D (humanities and languages)
Common core	foreign language; (Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy	foreign language; (Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy	foreign language; (Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy	foreign language; (Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy
Compulsory subjects	mathematics I; physics	chemistry; biology	mathematics II; history of contemporary society	Literature; history of contemporary society
Optional subjects	chemistry; biology; geology; technical drawing	mathematics I; physics; geology; technical drawing	literature; Latin; Greek; Art history	Latin; Greek; Art history; Mathematics II
Free options	In addition, students can study a second foreign language, sport or religion as optional subjects.

FP

FP I and FP II had 21 specialist branches: administration and commerce, agriculture, graphic arts, automotive engineering, construction, technical drawing, electricity and electronics, community services, hotel and tourism, image and sound, metal, wood, mining, fashion and tailoring, marine and fisheries, hairdressing and beauty treatment, skins and leather, chemistry, health, textiles, glass and ceramics.

Purpose of assessment

COU

Students had to successfully complete the COU course in order to have access to university education. They normally also had to take an entrance examination organised by each individual university (pruebas de aptitud para el accesso a la universidad - PAAU, commonly known as "selectividad").

Administration of assessment/assessment procedures

BUP

Students in state and state-subsidised private schools were assessed continuously throughout the year and, at the end of the year, received an overall mark determined by all their teachers. There were two examination periods per year - in June and September.

COU

Assessment procedures were the same as for the BUP.

Pre-reform vocational training

Students were subject to continuous assessment throughout the year by every subject teacher, and received a mark at the end of each assessment period.

Consequences of assessment

BUP

Students who failed in any subjects in the June examinations were able to retake these subjects in September. Those who failed in September in more than two subjects had to repeat the year. Those who failed in only one or two subjects progressed to the next year but followed remedial classes in the subject(s) concerned. Students who completed the three-year course successfully were awarded the bachillerato; there was no final examination.

COU

Assessment procedures were the same as for the BUP. Students who failed in more than three subjects in the second examination session in September had to repeat the whole year. Students who failed in less than three subjects had to re-enrol in the COU to follow remedial courses. They were allowed to enrol in the COU for a maximum of three times.

Pre-reform FP

Students were subject to continuous assessment throughout the year by every subject teacher, and received a mark at the end of each assessment period. If they passed all subjects in a certain field, they received an overall mark for that. If they had a negative mark in one subject they were required to take remedial courses. The final mark for the year (an average of the different assessments) was based on the marks received in each field. Students who did not pass, were able to take examinations during the two examination periods per year, in June and September (the same as in the BUP).

Successful students in FP I received the assistant technician's certificate ("técnico auxiliar"). This qualified students for second tier general vocational training, FP II; specialised FP II vocational training; the BUP, where they could be granted credit for some subject areas, and enrol to take the second year at the same time as the first year subjects for which they had not been credited; the bachillerato; intermediate level training cycles; various areas of the enseñanzas de régimen especial; or employment.

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