Grades aren't everything in life, but knowing when to rest matters
Alba Ortega and Inés García tied for top marks despite different raw scores, both reaching 13.84 after subject weighting for their chosen degree programs. Alba aims for Medicine at Valladolid with a perfect 10.0 Bachillerato average, while Inés pursues Physics or a double degree in Physics-Engineering at Bilbao.
- Alba Ortega and Inés García both scored 13.84/14 on PAU exams in June 2026
- Alba has a perfect 10.0 Bachillerato average; Inés scored 9.825 in the general phase (highest in province)
- 98.9% pass rate across Burgos province (1,703 of 1,722 students); average score rose from 6.7 to 7.17
Two Burgos students, Alba Ortega and Inés García, achieved the highest PAU scores (13.84/14) in the province. Both excelled through consistent study habits and will pursue STEM fields at leading Spanish universities.
Alba Ortega and Inés García walked out of their university entrance exams in early June with something most students only dream about: the highest scores in their province. Both landed on 13.84 points out of a possible 14—a tie that tells you something about how the Spanish university system works, and something else about who these two students are.
They didn't arrive at this moment by accident. Alba, a student at IES Pintor Luis Sáez, finished her Bachillerato with a perfect 10.0 average. Her raw PAU score was 9.925, but when weighted for the specific degree she'd chosen—Medicine at the University of Valladolid—it climbed to 13.84. Inés, from IES Cardenal López de Mendoza, took a different path through the same destination. Her unweighted score of 9.825 was actually the highest in the general phase across the entire province, yet after the mathematics and physics weightings for her chosen programs, she too arrived at 13.84. The system rewards precision in preparation.
Both students describe their success the same way: relentless, organized work over months. Alba calls her second year of science-focused Bachillerato "intense but manageable," and identifies the real challenge as the mental shift required in September—accepting that what you learn then must stick until June. Once the rhythm sets in, she says, everything becomes simpler. When she sat down for the actual PAU exams, she found them easier than the practice tests her teachers had given her in class. Still, there's a gap between imagining a high score and seeing it confirmed on paper.
Inés had similar sensations but different expectations. She'd done the math after finishing her exams and thought, optimistically, she might reach 13. The actual result surprised her. She studied the Technological Bachillerato track, finishing with a 9.88 average, and credits both her accumulated work and the support of her teachers. But she's careful not to let the numbers define her. "Grades aren't everything in life," she reflects, emphasizing that knowing how to study matters less than knowing when to rest.
Their futures diverge slightly from here. Alba is certain: she'll study Medicine in Valladolid, though she hasn't yet chosen a specialty. Surgery interests her. Inés remains open. Physics is her passion, and she's considering a double degree in Physics and Electronic Engineering at the University of Bilbao, though she hasn't ruled out other combinations involving mathematics.
Their success sits within a larger story about Burgos province this year. The ordinary PAU session, held June 2-4, saw 1,703 students pass out of 1,722 who sat for the exams—a 98.9% pass rate, up sharply from 96.4% the previous year. Only 19 students will need to retake the exam in the extraordinary session at the end of June. The average score across the province rose from 6.7 to 7.17. Andrés Serna, director of university access and excellence programs at the University of Burgos, attributes the improvement to students arriving better prepared. "Once they get past the initial nerves, they can handle the exam with confidence," he says. The results have been remarkably consistent across the four testing sites in the province—Aranda de Duero, Miranda de Ebro, and Medina de Pomar all achieved perfect pass rates, while the capital's site recorded 98.57%.
For Alba and Inés, the exams are behind them now. What comes next is the actual work—years of study in fields that demand precision, persistence, and the same kind of organized thinking that got them here. They've already proven they know how to do that.
Citas Notables
If you organize yourself well, you can do everything in the end— Alba Ortega, on managing intensive science coursework
I did the math and thought I might reach 13 with luck, but I didn't expect this much— Inés García, on her exam results
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What strikes you most about these two students reaching the exact same final score despite different raw results?
It shows how the system is designed to reward specificity. They didn't just study hard—they studied *toward* something concrete. Alba knew she wanted Medicine, Inés knew she wanted Physics. The weightings for those programs are what pushed them both to 13.84. It's not luck; it's alignment.
Alba said the exams felt easier than her practice tests. Isn't that usually a sign she underestimated the difficulty?
Sometimes, yes. But she also had a perfect 10.0 average going in. She wasn't overconfident—she was prepared. The practice tests her teachers gave her were probably designed to be harder than the real thing, to build margin. That's good pedagogy.
Inés seems more cautious about what her score means. Why?
She's thinking like a physicist. She did the math, set realistic expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. But then she steps back and says grades aren't everything. That's not false modesty—that's someone who understands that a number on an exam doesn't predict whether you'll actually love the work or be good at it over four years.
The pass rate jumped nearly 2.5 points. Is that because students got smarter, or because the exam got easier?
The director says students are arriving better prepared. The consistency across all four testing sites suggests it's not random variation. Something in how Burgos is preparing its students has shifted. Whether that's better teaching, better resources, or just a cohort that happened to be stronger—that's harder to say.
What happens to these two now? Do they stay in the spotlight?
They disappear into their programs. Alba becomes one of hundreds of Medicine students at Valladolid. Inés becomes one of dozens in Physics at Bilbao. The score that made them provincial news becomes just a line on their transcript. The real test starts in September.