2. Translate the text education in great britain

In Britain children start going to school when they are five and continue studying until they are sixteen or older. Many children in Britain attend nursery school from the age of about three, but these schools are not compulsory.

Compulsory education begins at the age of five, when children go to primary school. Primary education lasts for six years. They attend the infant school from five to seven and then junior I school until they are eleven.

In infant school children don't have real classes. They get acquainted with the classroom, desks, they mostly play and learn through playing. They know some numbers and also how to add them.

When children are seven real studying begins. They have classes, sit at desks, read and write and don't play as much as it was in infant school. Then pupils go to secondary school. Children study English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History, Art, Music, a Foreign language, and Physical education. The first three are called "core" subjects. Pupils take examinations in the core subjects at the age of 7, 11 and 14. Most secondary schools teach French and some other schools - Spanish, German, Italian and Russian.

After five years of secondary education, pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination. Most pupils take examinations in all subjects. Ordinary Levels - normally called "O"-levels. People take "O"-levels in as many subjects as they want to; some take just one or two, others take as many as nine or ten.

If you get good "O"-level results, you can stay on at school until you are 18. Here you prepare for Advanced Level Exams ("A"-levels). Again, you take as many of these as you want to. Most people take two or three. Three good "А''-level exams are the entrance exams for universities. But Oxford and Cambridge have special ones.

Higher education begins at eighteen and usually lasts for three or four years. Students go to universities, polytechnics or colleges. There are now about 80 universities.

Some parents choose to send their children to private schools where they pay for their education.

State education is free. More than 90% of Britain's children attend state schools.

Higher education has become more available in the second half of the 20th century. In 1960 there were less than 25 universities in Britain. By 1980 there were already more than 40, and by 1995 there were over a hundred institutions with university status. Universities take the better students, that's why nearly all students complete their studies. The normal course of study lasts 3-4 years. Students are not supposed to take a job during the term. Unless their parents are rich, they receive a state grant, which covers most of their expenses, including the cost of accommodation. Quite a lot of students live on campus (or in college) or in rooms nearby.

However, nowadays the government reduces the amount of the students and encourages a system of top-up loans. That's why quite a lot of students can't afford to live in college and many more of them are forced to do a part-time job, but this reduces the traditionally high quality of British university education. And, in addition, the number of students from low-income families has been greatly reduced.

There are no great distinctions between different types of universities in Britain. But still there are some categories of them.

First of all, Oxbridge. Oxford and Cambridge were founded in the medieval period. These universities consist of semi-independent colleges, each of them having its own staff ("Fellows").

The "Fellows" teach the college students either one-to-one or in very small groups. This system is unique in the world and known as tutorials in Oxford and supervisions in Cambridge.

Then, Scotish universities. By 1600 Scotland had 4 universities - Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and St Andrews. St Andrews resembles Oxbridge very much. In the other three most of the students live at home or find their rooms in town. The process of study at these universities is very close to the continental one.

There is less specialization than at Oxbridge.

During the 19th century various institutions of higher education (usually technical ones) were founded in the industrial towns and cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Their buildings were of local brick, so they got the name "redbrick" universities. They contrasted chiefly with Oxford and Cambridge. At first, they prepared students for London University degrees, but later they were given the right to award their own degrees. They became universities themselves. Now they accept students from all over the country. These universities are financed by local authority.

One of the developments in education in Britain is certainly the Open University. It was founded in 1971. Some people don't have an opportunity to study full-time, and this university allows them to study for degree. The university's courses are taught through television, radio and coursebooks. Its students work individually and with tutors, to whom they send their papers. The students discuss their work at meetings or through correspondence. In summer they attend short courses.