Post-Reading Activities

4. Answer the questions:

1. What is the right to education in Russia ensured by?

2. What are the stages of compulsory schooling in Russia?

3. What programs of study do different types of schools in Russia offer?

4. What is a vocational school?

5. What is necessary for entering a higher education establishment? [13]

Name the steps of the social ladder which a student must pass to climb up to the position of the rector. Use the words from the list below, placing one word on one step.

Dean, assistant lecturer, head of department, vice-rector, associate professor, assistant professor, subdean, professor [6].

6. Match the word phrases with their definitions:

Project Work

7. Work in pairs; make the Power Point Presentation. Share your ideas about following situation: Many young people go to university after leaving school. However, a number of school graduators feel that university is not for them and choose not to go. What can you say for and against entering the university.

Follow the plan:

1. Make a general statement of the problem.

2. Give arguments for entering the university.

3. Give arguments against entering the university.

4. Make a conclusion.

Education in the UK

                          Pre-Reading Activities

8. Study the active topical vocabulary and learn it by heart:

National Curriculum, an assessment test, intelligent, comprehensive schools, public schools, vocational education, to lead, employment, a desire, ties, to offer, a course, per cent, single-sex boarding schools, during term-time [6].

Reading

9. Read and translate the text, order the paragraphs:

 1. ____ 2. ____ 3. ____ 4. ____ 5. ____ 6. ____ 7. ____ 8. ___

A. The GCE Advanced (A) level is normally taken after a further two years of study. Good A’ level results in at least 2 subjects are necessary to get a place at a university. Universities choose their students after interviews. There are about 100 universities in Britain. The most famous of them are Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

B. In 1988, for the first time in British history, a National Curriculum was introduced. The National Curriculum tells pupils which subjects they have to study, what they must learn and when they have to take assessment tests.

C. Between the ages of 14 and 16, pupils study for their GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams. Pupils must take English Language, Maths, and Science for GCSE, as well as a half of GCSE in a Foreign Language and Technology. In addition, they must also be taught Physical Education, Religious Education and Sex Education, although they do not take exams in these subjects.

D. At the age of 5 children go to infant school which is the first stage of primary education. From 7 to 11 they attend junior schools, the second stage of primary education. In primary school children are taught the so-called 3R’s: reading, writing and arithmetic.

E. The basic features of the British educational system are the following: 1) education is compulsory from 5 to 16; 2) the academic year usually begins in September and runs to early July; it has 3 terms, divided by the Christmas and Easter holidays. In addition, all schools have a ’half-term holiday’, lasting a few days or a week, in the middle of each term; 3) compulsory education is free of charge, but parents may spend money on educating their children if they want to; 4) there are three stages of education. Children move from the first stage (primary) to the second stage (secondary) at around the age of eleven or twelve. The third stage is ’further’ education at university or college.

F. Those who get good GCSE grades can stay at their school for another two years, if it has a sixth form and teaches the desired subjects, and then take ’A’ level (Advanced Level) exams. Otherwise they have to leave their school and go to a sixth-form college or college of further education. Further education colleges have strong ties with commerce and industry and offer courses in engineering, cooking or hairdressing.

G. At the age of 11 children enter the secondary school. There are three types of state secondary schools in Britain. They are: grammar schools (for the most intelligent children), modern schools (for the less intelligent children) and comprehensive schools (for children of all abilities). Grammar schools lead towards higher education, and the others give general or vocational education to prepare students for employment or for further technical education. The regular secondary schools offer 7 years of schooling, with students from 11 to 18 years of age. The last two years (16–18) maybe spent in a separate sixth form college, which concentrates on career training.

H. About seven per cent of students go to private schools, where parents have to pay for their children. The most expensive private schools are called public schools. Most of these are single-sex boarding schools and students can live there during term-time [6].