COL – collocation
PHR – phrasal verb
WF – wordformation
PREP – preposition
IDIOM
TERM – term
SP - spelling
Uni life
Types of school
nursery school UK term = a school for children between the ages of two and five
kindergarten US term = the first year of school, for children aged 5
playschool/playgroup term = an organized group for children aged between 3 and 5 to play and learn together informally at regular times in a place outside their homes, run by parents or trained leaders
elementary school/primary school term = a school which provides the first part of a child's education, usually for children between five and eleven years old
grammar school term = a British school, especially in the past, for children aged 11-18 who are good at studying. In America, especially in the past, it is a school for children aged 5-12 or 5-14
comprehensive school term = a school in Britain for children above the age of eleven in which children of all abilities are taught
state school UK / public school US = a school that is free to go to because the government provides the money for it
private school term = a school which does not receive financial support from the government
single-sex school term = describes a school that is for either girls or boys, but not both
co-educational school term = having male and female students being taught together in the same school or college rather than separately
home-schooling (to be home-schooled)/to homeschool smb term
(to develop/design/plan) a syllabus term = a list of the topics, books, etc. that students should study in a particular subject at school or college
curriculum term = the subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc: Spanish is ON/IN the curriculum
Getting into the university
to receive/get/have a degree col = the qualification obtained by students who successfully complete a university or college course
to get into university/college phr = to be accepted to study at a university
to get through a test/exam phr = to reach a good enough standard to pass a test
to get SMB through a test/exam = to help someone pass a test/exam
university entrance exam term
entrance requirements term
to leave smb behind phr = to make much better progress than somebody
to put smb through school/university/college phr = to pay for someone to be a student at school, university, etc.
To pay your way through college idiom
tuition fee term
First steps at university
freshers’ week also welcome week/orientation week term = period of time at the beginning of the academic year at a university or other tertiary institution during which a variety of events are held to orient and welcome new students
to be/feel confident about smth prep/wf from ‘confidence’
to be/feel excited about smth prep
to be/feel anxious about smth prep/wf ‘anxiety’
to feel (incredibly) lonely/isolated wf
attitude TO/TOWARDS smth prep
to fool yourself = to trick yourself by making yourself believe smth that is not true
to be/become un/familiar WITH smth prep = knowing smth very well
to be a change = a new activity or experience that is different or enjoyable
to lead/live a double life idiom = a life of a person who leads two different lives which are kept separate from each other, usually because one of them involves secret, often illegal or immoral, activities
on/off duty idiom = working/not working at a particular time
to experience/face a problem col
to grapple WITH smth/to do smth prep = to try hard to find a solution to a problem
to cope WITH smth prep = to deal successfully with smth difficult
to manage your studies col
to avoid pitfalls col
To bury yourself in smth phr
To give up your life for study phr/prep
To cut smb off from civilization idiom
to be/become a social outcast idiom = a person who is not accepted by other people and who sometimes has to leave their home and friends
to immerse yourself/smb in smth prep = to become or make somebody completely involved in something
University studies
lecture term = a talk that is given to a group of people to teach them about a particular subject, often as part of a university or college course
lecture hall/room term
seminar term = a class at a university or college when a small group of students and a teacher discuss or study a particular topic
tutorial term = a period of teaching in a university that involves discussion between an individual student or a small group of students and a tutor
to enroll ON/IN a course col/prep
to register FOR a course col/prep
to sign up for a course phr/prep
to do/take a course IN smth col/prep
to go on a management training course col
to complete a course col
(course) to be designed as smth/to do smth col = This course is designed as an introduction to the subject. | This course is designed to introduce students into the theoretical foundations of political economy.
to major in smth phr = to study smth as your main subject at college or university
Learning skills
to develop/gain study skills col
to be good/bad AT smth prep
to give smb training IN smth col/prep
to structure an essay/report col
to submit smth (your essay) in a final form
to attend/go to/turn up for/listen to lectures col/prep
to miss/skip lectures col
to make/take notes col
to polish smth up phr = to improve a skill by practicing
to pick smth up phr Each Coleg Gwent campus runs day and evening workshops where you can pick up useful skills and qualifications for the work environment.
The writing process
[to make/draw] a mind map term/col
[to write] a first draft term
to impose/set a deadline col
to extend a deadline col For example, when a student asks me to extend a deadline or give extra credit, I say: “In the interest of fairness, I can't make an exception for one person…”
to meet a deadline col
to miss a deadline col
to be/get behind with smth = late or too slow in doing things that you have to do
to write smth up phr When you come to write up your essay, you should avoid excessive and uncritical quotation from the work of others
to submit / hand in your essay col
to give smb feedback ABOUT/ON smth col/prep
to get/have/receive feedback ABOUT/ON smth col/prep
positive/negative/useful/valuable feedback ABOUT/ON smth FROM smb col/prep
to assess smth
to do / give assessment col/wf
to give advice ON/ABOUT smth prep
to give/pass on (good/handy/helpful) tips ON smth/FOR smb col/prep
to come across phr = if smth such as an idea comes across when you speak, you make it clear to people When you complete this book, you will know how to write with clarity and style, so your ideas come across clearly and quickly.
Studying books/textbooks
to pore over phr = to examine and read smth very carefully and in a lot of detail
to skim through phr
to check off phr
to cross smth off phr
to scribble notes col = to write something quickly and carelessly, especially because you do not have much time
Violating school rules and being punished
to play truant idiom = to be regularly absent from school without permission
to skip classes col
to fall behind phr = to make less progress than other people who are doing a similar job or activity
to cheat / cheating term
to plagiarize / plagiarism term
to expel smb FROM smth FOR smth prep expulsion (from …) wf
to throw smb out phr
to drop out phr
a dropout = a person who leaves school or college before they have finished their studies
to mark smb down phr = to give a student a lower mark for a particular reason
to count against smb phr = to be a disadvantage in a particular situation
Assessing your progress
to grade smb AmE / to mark smb/smth BrE = to give a mark/grade to a student or to a piece of their written work
mark term = a number or letter that is given to show the standard of somebody's work or performance or is given to somebody for answering something correctly
to get a good/poor mark IN English col
to give somebody a high/low mark col
What’s the pass mark (= the mark you need in order to pass)? Col
Cramming for exams
to buckle down (to smth) phr/prep = to start working hard and seriously
to keep your studies up phr
to revise FOR an exam col/prep
to cram FOR an exam SYN swot col/prep = to learn a lot of things in a short time, in preparation for an exam
to brush up on smth phr = to quickly improve a skill, especially when you have not used it for a time: I need to brush up on my Spanish before I go to Seville.
to mug up on smth phr/prep = to learn something, especially in a short time for a particular purpose, for example an exam
to swot up on smth phr/prep = to study a particular subject very hard, especially in order to prepare for an exam
to memorise sth wf = to memorise smth carefully so that you can remember it exactly
to learn smth (off) by heart idiom
to learn smth by rote idiom
rote learning term = the process of learning something by repeating it until you remember it rather than by understanding the meaning of it
parrot-fashion revision
to use mnemonics term/spelling
[to look at] past papers term = previous year exam questions on a particular subject; the answers that people write to the questions
to come up phr = if a question or subject comes up in an exam, that question is asked or questions about that subject are asked in the exam
Taking exams
Academic success
to do well at university col
discipline = the ability to control your behaviour or the way you live, work, etc
competitive spirit wf
organizational skills wf
perseverance wf from ‘persevere’ = the quality of continuing to try to achieve a particular aim despite difficulties: Excellent marks are a result of hard work and perseverance.
intelligence wf from ‘intelligent’
morale = the amount of confidence and enthusiasm, etc. that a person or a group has at a particular time
an important factor IN smth (success) prep
to match smb’s expectations col
to impress smb WITH smth (your ideas) prep
to upset smb BY smth prep
a groundbreaking piece of research
to cope WITH long lists of required reading prep
to be selective ABOUT/IN smth prep
to follow a recipe FOR success col/prep
(to require) a good attendance record term
at the expense of smb/smth idiom = with loss or damage to somebody/something: an education system that benefits bright children at the expense of those who are slower to learn
to know the subject inside out idiom = to know someone or something very well
to pass an exam with flying colours idiom
to scrape through phr = to succeed in doing smth, but not in a very impressive way
to sail through phr = to deal with smth very easily
to count towards phr = to be included as part of something that you hope to achieve in the future: Students gain college credits which count towards their degree.
to cream smb off phr = to take the best people or things from a larger group to form a smaller special group
to leave smb behind phr = to make much better progress than somebody
New words from interview with Rita