34. Exam link. Work in pairs to speak about the system of primary and secondary education in gb.

You should say:

Where primary and secondary education is provided

What subjects are taught

What exams are taken

And what is the most crucial advantage and disadvantage of state and independent schools.

	WRITING. For and against essay “Are exams a good thing?” 35. Study the essay format. In pairs discuss how you can organize this type of essay.
INTRODUCTION Paragraph 1. State topic
MAIN BODY Paragraph 2-3. Arguments FOR exams (justifications and examples) Supporters of exams would argue that there are many benefits to children taking exams. One of the most important is that ….
Paragraph 4-5. Arguments AGAINST exams (justifications and examples) On the other hand, those who oppose exams would argue that ….
CONCLUSION Final paragraph. Balanced consideration or your opinion expressed directly or indirectly

36. Before writing, in pairs discuss ideas for your essay.

a) Which of the following are arguments in favour of exams and which arguments are against?

1) It is generally maintained that exams encourage students to try harder.

2) On the other hand, sitting in exam conditions to take written tests in a subject makes children stressed.

3) Furthermore, the teacher’s assessment of the pupil’s performance in a subject (the exam results) might not be objective.

4) What is more, the exam system has also received criticism for failing to distinguish between bright students and the very brightest.

5) Moreover, There are simply too many exams / tasks in the test.

6) One argument against exams is that in recent years, educationalists blame the English exams system for “failing” the many young people who leave school at 16, lacking the qualifications needed for the modern world of work.

b) Replace the phrases in bold with other similar ones from the box of Exercise . Module 1.

c) Match examples / justification a-f to each argument 1-6 above.

a) Exams make everyone try to get the best marks they can. I don’t think I’d bother studying if we didn’t have exams. I use my exam grades to find out whether I am improving in a subject or not.

b) Exam results may depend on how you feel on a particular day. I studied for weeks before my last exam, but on the day itself I was so nervous that I couldn’t remember a thing!/ I wasn’t feeling well on the day of the exam, so I didn’t do well.

c) The boy sitting next to me hadn’t studied at all, but he copied my answers and passed the exam.

d) Universities in particular say it is hard choose high-quality candidates.

e) I write very slowly, so I hardly ever have enough time to finish an exam.

f) SATs, for example, don’t involve a pass or fail. They are just for teachers to complete assessments to provide information about pupils’ progression in the area. Teachers can compare how well each child is doing with their peers, both in their school and across the country. They can also measure how much each child improves from one Key Stage to another. So, it is teachers not children who are more interested in these exams.

b) In pairs discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exams. Use the Essential Strategy Language.