Text 3: My Study

I am a first-year full-time student of Moscow State University of Railway Engineering. I study at the Institute of Railway Operation and Information Technologies My speciality is Operation and Management on Railway Transport. I have to study for five years to get a diploma and become a specialist.

There I have met a great number of students who come to acquire knowledge and to storm the summits of science.

Our group consists of 30 students. We attend the University 5 days a week. I study a wide range of general subjects such as History, Foreign languages, mathematics, physics and special subjects such as transport engineering and operation management of railways stations, passenger and freight transportation and etc. We have English classes once a week. I’m good at these subjects and hope to be a good specialist. Our classes begin at 8.30 a.m. Every day except Saturday and Sunday we listen to lectures, have seminars and tutorials on various subjects. There are different laboratories where we do research work. I try to miss no classes because they are very important for my study. Many lecturers from different chairs teach us. Teachers try to connect theory with practice experience.

There is a library at students’ disposal and I attend a reading-room in order to do my homework. Our academic year consists of two terms: the first is from September till the end of January and the second term is from February till the end of June. At the end of each term we take test and exams. Those students who pass all exams well get grants. If students pass successfully the exams at the end of the academic year they have an opportunity of going abroad to improve their professional skills and foreign languages according to the Programme of Students’ Exchange.

Some students of our group live in a hostel but I live with my parents. Our university has a Sports centre which offers many training facilities so all my groupmates go in for different kinds of sports. There is a Community Centre not far from the University where I can spend my leisure time. In my spare time I enjoy visiting cinema or theatre, going out with my friends or spend hours by using “chat” services.

At the end of my study I’ll pass final university exams and write a graduate work to get a diploma. The graduates of our university work for different firms and in the sphere of railway transport. In five years I’ll graduate from the University and I hope to get a good job in the sphere of transport communication where I’ll become a highly-qualified specialist.

Text 3: Education in Great Britain

The British system of education has a very long history, but in the recent years there have been many changes in it. Now the Educational Reform Act has led to a compulsory National Curriculum for pupils aged 5 to 16 in state schools. It consists of English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography and some other subjects. The Act also aims to give parents a wide choice of schools for their children. Non-selective comprehensive education is available for children of all abilities, though 7% of children attend private fee-paying schools, called public schools. The well-known ones are Eton and Harrow.

The education system in the UK is divided into four main parts: primary education, secondary education, further education and higher education. Children in the UK have to attend primary and secondary education which runs from about 5 years old till the student is 16. School starts in September and finishes in late July.  There are 3 terms, a two-week break between terms and 6 weeks summer holidays.

The most important examination is the assessment at the age of 16 which is called GCSE or General Certificate of Secondary Education. Once students get their GCSEs, they have the choice whether to go to further education or go into the working world. Pupils can continue studying for two more years, concentrating on three main subjects, and then at 18 they take the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level exams. There is also a Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education, for those staying at school from 16 till 17.

Further education (FE) is the term used to describe education and training that take place after the school-leaving age of sixteen. FE takes place in colleges, of which there are over 600 spread across the UK. These colleges provide education and training services for the whole of the community that they are part of. They will also run courses for people who are in work and wish to continue their training.

Students who are admitted to English universities take part in ‘undergraduate studies’ which leads to a bachelor’s degree in a main field of study known as a ‘major’. The most common degrees are Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc), although there are others. There are also sandwich courses which offer work placement whereby students work for a short period of time in a relevant industry before completing their studies. Taking a sandwich course may make the degree last a year longer than otherwise. Graduate study, conducted after obtaining an initial

degree, leads to a more advanced Master’s degree. The Oxbridge universities (Oxford University and Cambridge University), which are amongst the world`s oldest universities, are generally ranked at or near the top of all UK universities. These universities denote an elite education. They consist of a number of colleges, each self-governing and independent.