Page 85 - English Vocabulary In Use upper intermediet and advance

Education

Stages in a person's education
Here are some names that are used to describe the different types of education in Britain.
play-school pre-school mostly play with
nursery school (2-5 years old) some early learning
4
infant school primary basic reading, writing.
junior school (516-12113) arithmetic, art, etc.
4
comprehensive wide range of subjects
secondary
school or in arts and sciences and
(12113-16/18)
grammar school technical areas
4
college or furtherlhigher degreesldiplomas
polytechnic or in specialised
university (IS+) academic areas
Note: Comprehensive schools in the UK are for all abilities, but grammar schools are usually
by competitive entry. Public schools in the UK are very famous private schools. Polytechnics
are similar to universities, but the courses tend to be more practically-oriented. Colleges
include teacher-training colleges, technical colleges and general colleges of further education.

Exams and qualifications

take/do/sit/resit an exam pass / do well in an exam fail / do badly in an exam
Before an exam it's a good idea to revise for it.
If you skip classesllectures, you'll probably do badly in the exam. [informal; miss
deliberately]

Some schools give pupils tests every week or month to see if they are making progress. The
school-leaving exams are held in MayIJune. In some schools, colleges and universities,
instead of tests and exams there is continuous assessment, with marks, e.g. 65%, or grades,
e.g. A, B+, for essays and projects during the term. If you pass your university exams, you
graduate /'graedjuert/ (get a degree), then you're a graduate I1graedjuat/.
Talking about education

Asking somebody about their country's education system.
What age do children start school at?
What's the school-leaving age?
Are there evening classes for adults?
Do you have state and private universities?
Do students get grants for further education?
Note: A professor is a senior university academic, not an ordinary teacher. University and
college teachers are usually called lecturers or tutors.

English Vocabulary in Use