Education
Talk about school, university and learning: subjects, qualifications, exams and study habits — with the right collocations.
In this lesson you will
- Use education vocabulary and collocations
- Talk about your own education
- Discuss education issues
Learn
Stages: nursery/kindergarten → primary school → secondary school → university/college. You go to school, study a subject, get / earn a degree, graduate from university.
Collocations: take / sit / pass / fail an exam, do homework, do research, make progress, attend lectures, get good grades/marks, apply for a course, drop out of university.
People and places: lecturer, tutor, head teacher, classmate, campus, library, hall of residence, tuition fees, scholarship.
Note: make a mistake, do an exam in some varieties, but take/sit an exam is standard; you learn a skill but teach someone.
Examples
- She graduated from university with a degree in economics.
- I failed my driving test the first time.
- He dropped out of college to start a business.
- Tuition fees have risen sharply in many countries.
Vocabulary
graduate
finish a university degree
degree
a university qualification
tuition fees
money paid for teaching
scholarship
money given to pay for study
drop out
leave a course before finishing
grade
a mark for work or an exam
Practice
I need to ___ an exam next week.
Listening: Choosing a course
Audio isn’t available in this browser — read the transcript instead.
Advisor: So, what would you like to study?
Daniela: I’m torn between engineering and architecture.
Advisor: Engineering has more practical labs; architecture involves lots of design projects.
Daniela: I’ve heard architecture has a very heavy workload.
Advisor: It does — many students work late in the studio. But you could apply for both and decide later.
Daniela: Good idea. And are there scholarships?
Advisor: Yes, for students with top grades in maths.
1.What is Daniela choosing between?
2.Architecture has a light workload.
3.Who can get scholarships?
Speaking
Describe your education so far: schools, favourite and least favourite subjects, exams, and what you’d change about your country’s education system.
Writing
Write a paragraph (100–120 words): Should university education be free? Give your opinion with reasons.
Lesson quiz
He ___ his exams and went to university.
Review
Key points
- take/sit/pass/fail an exam; do homework/research; make progress.
- graduate from, apply for, drop out of.
- tuition fees, scholarship, lecturer, campus.
What you learned
- ✓ I can talk about my education.
- ✓ I use education collocations.
- ✓ I can discuss education issues.