To begin with In conclusion Some people argue that In my view Finally

Sending one's children to boarding school used to be the most acceptable way of educating them, but over the past few years people's opinions have begun to change.(1)___________, however, sending one's children away to school can be extremely beneficial for them in later life.

(2)____________, children who go to boarding school learn at a young age to become independent and to live without their parents. This means that they are better pre­pared to live on their own when the time comes for them to go to university or start work after leaving school.

(3)_________, boarding school teaches young people how to get along better with others, since they live with their classmates twenty four hours a day. This can
help them later on in life to cooperate with colleagues at work and with people around them in general.

(4)___________, boarding schools are bad for children because children need to be able to spend time with their parents on a daily basis. It is said that this is especially true for younger children, who may feel that their parents have abandoned them by sending them away.

(5)__________, I feel that boarding schools have a lot to offer. This is shown by the fact that children who have been to boarding school are often far better equipped for life than those who have not.

(taken from Virginia Evans and Jenny Dooley Enterprise 4 Intermediate Workbook, p. 69)

Writing

Description of the education system in your country

Task 29. 1. Read a short description of school system in America.

SCHOOLS IN AMERICA

American kids go to school from the age of 5 to 18, but many children attend preschool first. Children attend elementary school from kindergarten up to the 6th grade. Then they attend junior high school from grades 7 to 8, and high school from grades 9 to 12.

The school year in the US runs from early to mid September until late June. Students go to school on weekdays (from Monday to Friday). School starts at 8:30 am and finishes at 3:30 pm. Public school students don't wear uniforms, but private and Catholic school students do.

Students in the US can go to summer school during the summer vacation break to catch up with their classes or to take an extra course. Most schools have clubs students can join and extracurricular activities such as sports, drama, and music. After students graduate from high school, they join the workforce or continue on to college.

(adapted from Virginia Evans and Neil O’Sullivan Click on 3 Culture Corner)

Write a short text about education in your country using the text above as a model.

Part 2. Getting Ready for University.

Tertiary Cycle in Great Britain Vs High School in the USA

Task 1.Discuss the following questions in pairs:

1. What choices do pupils have at the age of 16 in your country?

2. When do pupils leave school in your country?

3. What subjects do pupils usually learn when they are seniors in your country?

4. What do you need to enter University in your country?

5. What examinations do pupils take on the completion of secondary school in your country?

Task 2. Read the following text about “The Tertiary period of education in Great Britain” and answer the questions afterwards:

Text 1

Children in Great Britain finish their secondary education at the age of 16 when they take National Tests.

Two public academic examinations are traditionally set, one on the completion of the compulsory cycle of education at the age of sixteen, and one on the completion of the two voluntary years. At 16 pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), which allows the whole range of ability to be judged. It also makes it possible to assess children on class work and homework as well as in the examination room. It is regarded as a more reliable form of assessment. After that pupils going on to higher education spend two year of study either in the sixth form of a secondary school, or in a separate sixth-form college. During these two voluntary years of schooling, pupils specialize in two or three subjects and take the General Certificate of Education (always known simply as GCE) and Advanced Level, or ‘A level’ examination, usually with a view to entry to a university or other college of higher education. These examinations are not set by the government, but by independent examination boards, most of which are associated with a group of universities.

Pupils who don’t want to have professional training may choose vocational subjects such as catering, tourism, secretarial or building skills. Subsidized courses in these subjects are run at colleges of further education. A new qualification was introduced in 1992 for pupils who are skills, rather than academically, oriented, the General National Vocational Qualification, known as GNVQ. This examination is taken at three distinct levels: the Foundation which has equivalent standing to low grade passes in four subjects of GCSE; the intermediate GNVQ which is equivalent to high-grade passes in four subjects of GCSE’ and the Advanced GNVQ, equivalent to two passes at A level and acceptable for university entrance.

Scotland, with a separate education tradition, has a slightly different system. Children take the Scottish Certificate of Education (SCE) usually at the age of sixteen and, instead of A levels, they take the Scottish Higher Certificate which is more like continental European examinations since it covers a wider area of study than highly specialized A level courses. Many take their ‘Highers’ aged 17 rather than 18, with some opting to take a further examination later, the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies.

(adapted from http://rudocs.exdat.com/docs/index-148646.html?page=32)

Task 3. Work in pairs or mini-groups, use the information from the text to answer the following questions:

· What choices do pupils have at the age of 16 in Great Britain?

· How are the two final years of secondary education called?

· What kinds of courses do these two final years provide?

· What does the General Certificate of Secondary Education allow?

· What does the General Certificate of Secondary Education assess?

· How many subjects do pupils generally specialize during the two voluntary years?

· What does General Certificate of Education allow to do?

· Are these two public academic examinations set by the government?

· What kind of pupils is the new exam, introduced in 1992, more aimed at?

· How many levels does it have?

· How is it graded?

· How is the Scottish educational tradition different from that of the rest of the country?

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