One of the best students of the Selectividad, on the new elite Baccalaureate: "I'm not sure if it would have helped me with my grades"

Palma“As a student who has gone through Baccalaureate and Selectivity and knows the pressure to get a good grade, I find that this Excellence Baccalaureate is a good idea, especially when it comes to learning and expanding knowledge. Having the option to deepen subjects, do laboratory practices, or have the ease of doing a double modality is an opportunity that enriches you a lot and can open more doors for you for the university future, something I would have liked to have at the time”, explains Fèlix Coll, former student of IES Biel Martí de Ferreries and with one of the best grades in the 2025 Selectivity (9.35 unweighted).

However, I also see a "yes, but". "High school, and especially the second year, is a super intense stage in itself. If you want to get high grades to get into the career you want, the pressure is already enormous. For this reason, I'm not very clear if adding more extension and more intensity would have helped me much in terms of grades, or if it could even stress students even more. In summary: in terms of knowledge and training, it seems like a fantastic idea, but we'll have to see how all this extra demand coexists with the need to get a very high cut-off grade for university," he adds.

Risk of segregation

The proposal by the Department of Education and Universities to create an Excellence Baccalaureate pathway for the 2026-2027 academic year has opened a debate between those who see it as a commitment to talent and those who warn of a possible risk of segregation. Within this latter group, critical voices from the educational world are clear. Several pedagogues and teachers warn that the model could consolidate a "segregating two-speed education," separating students based on performance rather than educational needs, which they consider contrary to the principle of inclusion. They also warn that the departure of students with better results from ordinary schools could impoverish classrooms, as positive role models are lost and the group's learning dynamics are altered.

Moreover, some experts question whether grouping only high-achieving students truly improves results, and point out that it can increase pressure and competitiveness at an already very demanding stage. Finally, the equity of the access system is also called into question, as the tests and requirements could favor students with more resources or prior preparation, widening inequalities instead of reducing them.