1. Complete the collocations by filling in the missing words according to the meaning given in brackets.

1. League tables (lists of schools from best to worst)

2. selective education (entry to schools is decided by exam results)

3. equality of opportunity (when everyone has the same chances)

4. perpetuate inequalities (making inequalities continue forever)

2. Change the underlined words, using more formal and more appropriate word from a. Make any other changes that are necessary.

1. Inequality is built into the education system. inherent in

2. Giving access only to privileged groups is bad for the country in the long term. elitism

3. Education where everyone gets into the same type of school without exams is a basic political ideal in many countries. comprehensive schooling

4. A system where there are two levels (two-tier system) of schools reduces (depresses) the opportunities for children from poorer (less well-off) families and favours those from richer (better-off) families.

5. Some private schools have lots of wealth and receive gifts of money, and this means they can have better resources. well-endowed

6. All parents want their children to achieve the best possible results at school. excel

7. Emphasis on the three Rs is considered by parents to be the key to success. perceived

3. Which words or expressions from b mean …

1. the ability to read? Literacy

2. the ability to count and do basic maths? numeracy

3. changes made to the official programme of education in a country? Curriculum reform

4. the traditional basic skills of reading, writing and maths? the three Rs

5. a student who is older than the typical age, for example, in a university? mature student

6. teaching with one teacher and just one pupil? one-to-one

4. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right. The words refer to people involved in education. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. PTA (parent-teacher association) b)	a) teacher who works in a school when needed (e.g. if someone is sick)
2. school governors d)	b) group consisting of teachers and parents who meet regularly
3. supply teacher a)	c) teacher who works in different schools and travels between them
4. peripatetic teacher [perıpə′tetık] c)	d) group which oversees all the business of the school

Cramming for success: study and academic work

A Study and exams

Before an exam you can revise or cram¹ for it. If the exam happens every year, you can look at past papers². Some things can be memorized or learnt off by heart. But rote-learning³ is not sufficient for most subjects. It is also possible to use mnemonics⁴. But tricks alone are not enough, and the best idea is to bury yourself in your books⁵ until you know the subject inside out⁶.

¹ study intensively for a short time

² exam papers from previous years

³ learning purely by repetition

⁴ tricks that help you remember something, for example: ‘i’ after ‘e’ except after ‘c’ is a mnemonic for English spelling (e.g. friend, but receive)

⁵ spend the maximum time studying

⁶ know it completely

B Written work for courses, etc.

word	description
composition	could be just 50 – 100 words, often used to refer to children’s work
essay	longer than a composition, more serious, hundreds or even thousands of words
assignment	a long essay, often part of a course, usually thousands of words
project	like an assignment, but emphasis on student’s own material and topic
portfolio	a collection of individual pieces of work, not necessarily written
dissertation	a long, research-based work, perhaps 10 – 15,000 words, for a degree or diploma
thesis	a very long, original, research-based work, perhaps 80 – 100,000 words, for a higher degree (e.g. PhD)

C The writing process and evaluation

It’s a good idea to start with a mind-map when preparing an essay. Always write a first draft before writing up the final version. Your essay should be all your own work; plagiarism is a very serious offence in most colleges and universities. There is usually a deadline. After the essay is submitted, it will be assessed and usually you can get feedback.

mind-map - diagram that lays out ideas for the topic and how they are connected to one another

first draft - first, rough version

plagiarism - using other people’s work as if it was yours

deadline - date by which you must hand in the work

submitted - handed in (formal)

assessed - evaluated and given a grade

feedback - comments from the teacher/tutor

D Aspects of higher academic study

University academics carry out [less formal ‘do’] research and are expected to read academic journals [note: not magazines], which publish papers/articles on specialized subjects. If a library does not have a book or journal, you can usually get it through inter-library loan [system where libraries exchange books/journals with one another]. Academic study can be very demanding and intensive, and some students drop out [leave the course before the end because they cannot cope], but the majority survive till finals [the last exams before receiving a degree].