SGK Tiếng Anh 12 - Unit 4: SCHOOL EDUCATION SYSTEM

SCHOOL EDUCATION SYSTEM
A. READING
Before'you read
Read the facts below and decide whether the statements about schools in Vietnam are true (T) or false (F). Then compare your results with your partners
Facts about schools
Children start Grade 1 when they are 6 years old.	I	II	I
Schooling is compulsory from the age of 6 to 16.	DD
The school year generally begins in September and
ends in late May.	I II I
The students do not have any examinations when they finish secondary school.
A school year consists of two terms.	I lí I
Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.
Schooling is compulsory for all English children from the age of 5 to 16. The academic year in England runs from September to July and is divided into 3 terns. Autumn Term is from the beginning of September to mid-December. Spring Term is from the beginning of January to mid-March and Summer Term from early April to mid-July. Each term is separated by a one-week break called half term, usually at the end of October, mid-February and the end of May.
There are two parallel school systems in England. The first is the state school system, which is free for all students and paid for by the state. The second category is the ‘independent’ or ‘public’ school system, which is fee-paying. The state school system, which educates 93% of the pupils in England, can be divided into two levels of education: primary education and secondary education.
See the Table below for more information about the school education system in England.
The National Curriculum is set by the government and must be followed in all state schools. It is made up of the following subjects: English, Design & Technology, Geography, Maths, Information Technology, Music, Science, Arts, Physical Education, History, and a Modem Foreign Language. English, Maths and Science are core subjects, which are compulsory in the national examinations at certain stages of the school education system.
School education system in England
Level
of education
Grade/Year (from - to)
Age
(from - to)
Pre-school
childcare
environment
3-4
in an Infant or Primary school
4-5
Primary
education
1 - 3
5-7
4-6
8-10
	:
Secondary
education
7-9 •
11 - 14
10 - 11
14-16 (end of compulsory education)
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
IfsTTask 2. Answer the questions.
 	When do children , in England start their compulsory education at school?
 	How many terms are there in a school year in England?
 	What are the two school systems in England?
 	Do children have to pay fees if they go to “independent” or “public” schools?
 	How many core subjects are there in the national curriculum?
 	When can students take the GCSE examination?
After you read
Work in groups. Tell the others one of the most difficult school subjects you are studying and what you would like your friends and your teacher to do to help you learn that subject more effectively.
 T;'t Find words or phrases in the reading passage which have the following meanings.
Schools in which all children can attend without paying tuition fees
A stage of study for children aged from 5 to 10
A stage of study for children aged from 11 to 16
Put into force by the law
The examinations children sit at the end of compulsory education
A detailed plan for a course of study offered in a school or college
B. SPEAKING
Work in pairs. Study the table below then ask and answer the questions about the school education system in Vietnam.
Level
of education
Grade/Year (from - to)
Age
(from - to)
Pre-school
Nursery
3-4
optional
Kindergarten
4-5
Primary
education
1 - 5
6-10
compulsory
education
Secondary
education
Lower
Secondary
6.-9
11 - 14
Upper
Secondary
10-12
15 - 17
National examination for GCSE
Example:
A : When do the children in Vietnam go to primary school? B : When they are 6 years old.
A : How long does the primary education last?
B : 5 years.
IW Task 2. Work in groups. Talk about the school education system in Vietnam, using the information from Task 1.
Or Ta Work in groups. Talk about the similarities and differences between the school system in Vietnam and in England.
G. LISTENING
Before vou listen
Work in pairs. Ask and answer these questions.
What school subjects are you good at?
Which ones do you enjoy most/least in your class? Explain why.
Listen and repeat.
tearaway	methodical	well-behaved
disruptive	actually	struggle
While you listen
Listen to the conversation between Jenny and Gavin. Put a tick (/) to the question to which the answer is “Yes”.
Jenny
Gavin
1
"Did you always work very hard?"
/
/
2
"Did you always listen carefully to your teachers?"
3
"Did you always behave well?"
4
"Did you pass your exams easily?"
5
"Did you always write your homework slowly and carefully?"
—
6
"Did you think school days are/were the best days of your life?"
Listen again and answer the questions.
When did Gavin think he listened to the teacher well?
How did Gavin find the exams?
Why couldn’t Gavin pass the exams easily?
Why did Gavin say he didn’t think his school days were the best time of his life?
After you listen
Work in pairs. Talk about the results of your current exams at school and what you will do to prepare for the next exams.
WRITING
In about 150 words, write a paragraph on the formal school education system in Vietnam, using the information given in Speaking Tasks on page 47. You may follow the suggestions below:
Levels of education: primary (5 years; start from the age of 6)
lower secondary (4 years) ' upper secondary (3 years)
Compulsory education: 9 years (primary & lower secondary)
The academic year: 35 weeks (9 months, from September to May)
School terms: 2 terms: term 1 (Sept - Dec.), term 2 (Jan. - May)
Time of the national examination for GCSE (early June)
LANGUAGE FOCUS
Pronunciation: Stress in three-syllable words
Grammar: Passive voice
Pronunciation
• Listen and repeat.
algebra
carefully
politics
physical
chemistry
academic
primary
statistics
computing
cinema
compulsory
September
• Practise reading these sentences.
The academic school year generally commences in September.
The typical school day normally finishes at 3.00 p.m. in England.
The national curriculum is usually set by the government.
The GCSE stands for the General Certificate of Secondary Education. English, Maths and Science are compulsory in the national examination at certain stages of the school education system.
Exercise 1. Fill each blank with the simple present passive form of the verb in brackets.
The academic year in England 	into three terms, (divide)
The academic year in England is divided into three terms.
Each term	by a one-week break, (separate)
The national curriculum 	 by the government and
	in all state schools, (set, must follow)
The national curriculum 	 of more than ten subjects.
(make up)
The state school system	for by the state, (pay)
The advanced students	to take part in the annual
International Olympic Competition, (select)
Exercise 2. Rewrite the following sentences using the passive voice.
They built this school in 1997.
They first published this dictionary in 1870.
The students in my class are going to organize a surprise party tomorrow evening.
They are painting the kitchen now.
Shakespeare wrote “Romeo and Juliet” in 1605.
They have translated Shakespeare’s tragedies into many languages.
They have just built a new primary school in my village.
They will speak English at the conference.
Jane hasn’t cleaned the floor yet.
They will repaint the house soon.
Exercise 3. Fill in the spaces of the following passage with the correct tense in passive voice of the verbs in brackets.
The world’s first electronic computer	 (1. build) by the
University of Pennsylvania in 1946. However, computers	
( 2. sell) commercially for the first time in the 1950s. Much progress
on computers	(3. make) since 1950. Computers are
now much smaller and more powerful and they	(4. can
buy) much more cheaply.
Computers	(5. use) in many fields - in business, science,
medicine, and education, for example. They	(6. can use) to
forecast the weather or to control robots which make cars. The
computer’s memory is the place where information 	
(7. store) and calculations	(8. do). A computer cannot think
for itself - it	(9. must tell) exactly what to do. A lot of
difficult calculations 	 (10. can do) very quickly on
computers.