Education

Exercise 1: Complete sentences 1 18 with a word or words, and write these into the grid
below. Some of the letters are already in the grid. If you do this correctly, you will reveal a
two-word expression in the shaded vertical strip that can be used to complete sentence 19.
Note that where an answer requires two words, you do not need to leave a space in the
grid.
1. U S
2. S E
3. C D O L
4. R Y
5. E N
6. U O
7. L U Y
8. B

9. M H
10. E I S
11. E E
12. U E
13. G H
14. G
15. N G S
16. A S
17. P R T
18. C U O

1. Many children begin their educational development at a __________ school (also called a
kindergarten) from the age of 3.
2. Most schools in the UK are __________ schools: they are supported with money from the
government and provide free education for children.
3. Most schools in the UK are _____-_____, which means that girls and boys are educated together.
4. Between the ages of 5 and 11, children go to __________ school.
5. Between the ages of 11 and 16, 17 or 18, children go to __________ school.
6. Although education is free, parents are expected to pay for their child's school __________ and
sports wear.
7. Schools often ask parents to make __________ contributions for school activities, but children will
not be excluded from these activities if the parents cannot or will not make these payments.
8. Independent schools are privately run, but are often confusingly called __________ schools.
9. All schools ask parents to sign a 'contract' known as a _____-_____ agreement, in which both
parents and the school promise to do everything they can to help children with their education.
10. All schools have to run __________ education classes, but parents can withdraw their children from
these classes if they want.
11. All children receive __________ advice from their schools from the age of 14.
12. When they are 16 or 17, many young people go to their local college to continue with their
education or learn a skill. This is known as __________ education, and is free for people up to the
age of 19.

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13. The answer to number 12 above should not be confused with __________ education, which is
education at a university or at a college of a similar level.
14. At the age of 16, most children in England and Wales take their __________ examinations before
either leaving school or continuing with their education.
15. People who want to develop and improve their English can join an ESOL course at a local college.
ESOL is an abbreviation for English for Speakers of Other __________.
16. Students who continue with their secondary education until they are 18 take exams called
_____-_____: they will normally need these to get into university.
17. If parents fail to ensure their children go to school, they could be __________. In extreme cases,
this might involve a prison sentence.
18. Education is free and __________ for all children between the ages of 5 and 16.
19. State schools have to follow the __________ __________, which covers such subjects as English,
mathematics, science, history, geography, foreign languages, etc.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct word or words in bold to complete these sentences.

1. After leaving school, and before going to university, many young people take a / an gap / space /
open year (= a year out of education) in order to get work experience, earn money or travel.
2. Students apply for a place at university in January or February, and encroachment / entrapment /
enrolment usually takes place in September.
3. A student at university for the first time is called a / an graduate / undergraduate /
pre-graduate.
4. Students in England and Wales are expected to pay money towards their tuition fees / fares /
prices (in Scotland they are free).
5. Students who need help paying for their university course can apply for a government lend / loan
/ lease.
6. Some students in exceptional circumstances might receive a grant / grunt / gaunt to help pay for
their course.
7. A BA is one of the types of degree that students work towards at university. BA stands for
Britannicus Achievius / Briton of Authority / Bachelor of Arts.
8. A talk given to a class of students at university is known as a lesson / lecture / lectern.
9. A meeting of a small group of university students to discuss a subject with a teacher is called a
semester / semolina / seminar.
10. A teaching session between a teacher and one or more students at university is called a tutorial /
tutelage / tutor.
11. A / an ante-graduate / postgraduate / graduate-plus is someone who is studying after
receiving a first university degree.
12. Because so many students find exams stressful, many universities combine exam results with a
process of continuing / continual / continuous assessment in order to grade their students at
the end of a course of study.