Exam. Education

Education 

1. Let’s talk about education. What can you tell me about your school?

2. Does your school differ from any other school you know?

Our modern world makes a person be flexible and mobile, creative and inventive. Modern life makes a person broaden his horizons, use modern technologies and learn foreign languages.

To get knowledge people need education, they need to turn theoretical knowledge into practical skills. Nowadays we can get education at school, college and university. There are also many possibilities for self-education.

According to our Constitution each citizen of the Republic of Belarus is guaranteed the right to get education. Preschool education is not compulsory in Belarus but around 70% of children attend nursery and kindergarten before they start school. Getting primary and basic secondary school education is compulsory. All students must follow the basic education curriculum up to the age of 15, and the vast majority of them stay at school until they finish secondary school at 17. Children study at school for 9 years then they may either continue their education at school or go to colleges and vocational schools.

Pupils start going to school at the age of 6 or 7. The school year lasts from the first of September to the end of May and is divided into 4 terms. The school day lasts from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school uniform in our schools and gymnasiums is required.

It's common knowledge that the success of school education depends mainly on the teachers, their professional skills, the kind of relationship they can establish with pupils. The task of school is not only to pass some information. Children's characters and perception of the world are formed here.

To begin with, when I am talking about my school I mean a whole complex of things which made up my life there, influenced my views and outlook, formed my character to some degree. I study at school №94 in Minsk. It is famous for its high quality of education. Here I'd like to say that my teachers are highly educated people. They are strongly devoted to their work. My favorite subject at school is mathematics. We have a very good and enthusiastic teacher who inspired in me an interest in the exact sciences. She is a very fair person and the manner of her teaching is perfect. The pupils are well-disciplined and well-behaves at her lessons.

To come second, I like friendly atmosphere at my school. It gives me a real pleasure to go there and to communicate with my friends. I like my class. I always fell at home there. Everybody is so friendly and easy to get along with. I am on good terms with my classmates and we often spend our free time together.

In conclusion I should say that our school looks nice and lovely. It's a clean and attractive three-storeyed building. The school building itself is of a typical design with the same layout and the distribution of classrooms, administrative offices, canteens, gyms and libraries as you can see in most other schools.

3. Ask me whether I liked school when I was a pupil?

1. Was your school life interesting?

2. What did you like most of all during your school years?

3. What was your favourite subject?

4. Did you take part in extra-class activities?

5. Did you have any problems when you were a student?

4. You are talking with a British student. What would you advise him/her to do to prepare for an exam well?

If you want to pass your exams with flying colors, try to follow these easy tips to make your preparation time more productive and enjoyable.

Exam Rules and Regulations

1. Find out more about the exam. Study carefully all the tasks that will be included in your exam card. Get past papers, do some online research or talk to other people who have already taken the exam).

Notes Organization

2. Keep your notes tidy and complete. If you miss a class, get the notes from a friend or ask your teacher what you missed.

3. Organise your notes into different sections, e.g. vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, speaking, reading, listening, writing. This will make it easier to find the section you need to revise for the exam.

4. Look through your notes regularly, not just the day before the exam.

5. Use different coloured pens and highlighter pens to help you focus on the most important things you have to learn.

6. Make summaries of your notes. Include the most important things in your summaries. Write short summaries on small cards that you can carry around with you and read them on the bus or when you have some free time.

7. Make mind maps, visuals and diagrams.

8. If you don’t understand something in your notes, ask a classmate or your teacher to explain it to you.

Time Management

9. Many students have lots of exams close together. It is useful to plan how much time you have to revise and make a revision timetable.

10. Work out how much time you have to study each subject and complete a table or grid with the subjects you are going to study and when you are going to study them. Try to stick to your revision timetable to make sure you have enough time to do everything.

11. Don’t leave your revision until the last minute. Try to revise for each exam more than once to help you learn things well. Our long term memories remember more if we look at things more than once so look at your notes regularly.

12. Remember to take regular breaks while you study. Take a 15-minute break after every hour you study. This will help you concentrate during your study time.

5. Today some young people want to study abroad because they believe that the level of education is higher there. Do you agree with them?

Studying abroad can be one of the greatest opportunities a student ever experiences. In fact, the number of students participating in study abroad programs is increasing each year. According to UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics, the number of students studying abroad is growing by around 12% every year. What is the secret behind this rapid growth? Why study abroad?

1. Get international experience

Studying internationally gives students insight into different cultures and also allows for networking opportunities. Building relationships with international companies opens the doors to new opportunities after graduation and prepares students for the global landscape companies are now working in.

2.  Apply for international scholarships

Firstly, for students who choose to pursue a long term graduate program in another country, the costs of your degree can be decreased significantly by grants. Secondly, unlike domestic grants, there is much less competition for international grants because there aren’t as many students that opt for a long-term study abroad program. Thirdly, the cost of living can also be significantly less.

3. Learn about a different culture

Many students choose to study internationally to learn about a different culture. Most study abroad programs give students the ability to explore the area and learn about the history and culture.

4. Grow and develop personally

Putting yourself in an unfamiliar environment allows you to really learn about yourself and what you’re capable of.

5. Learn a new language

If you can learn a new language while in college, it will be a great skill that you can carry with you throughout the rest of your life. The ability to speak any second language is always desirable; you never know when the skill will come in handy. The more fluent you are (speaking and writing) the more attractive you’ll be to employers.

References:

• Why Study Abroad?

• 10 Ways to Pass an English Exam

• Your English Exam Support: Подготовка к экзамену по английскому языку: пособие для учащихся учреждений общего среднего образования / [сост. Н.А. Сергиенко]. – Мозырь: Белый Ветер, 2015. – 97, [3] с.

• Английский язык: билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену / Л.В. Данилович. – Минск: Экоперспектива, 2015. – 67 с.