3 Gett i ng a n ed ucati o n
Exam focus: Answe r i n g s h o rt - a n swer q u est i o n s
Aims: Wo rk i n g out m e a n i n g fro m co ntext I Recog n i s i n g key words i n a sentence
Fi n d i n g and u n d e rsta n d i n g s p e c i f i c i n forma t i o n I Kee p i n g to t h e wo rd li m it
Ta k i n g n ot e s
Part 1: Vocabulary
1 The pictures a b ove show items of school u n iform that pare nts i n Brita i n may have to buy
for t h e i r childre n . M atch the pictures 1-6 with the words a-f.
a a b lazer __ c a g i n g h a m d ress __ e p u m ps __
b a card i gan __ d a pi nafore d ress __ f t racksuit bottoms __
2 Match the words 1 -7 to the definitions a-g.
a com pass __ a a flat, s e m i - c i rc u la r piece of plastic o r metal which i s used fo r
measuri n g a n g les
2 a test tube __ b a n a rea of la nd that co nta i n s the m a i n b u i ld i ngs of a u n ive rsity
o r college
3 a p rotractor __ c a b u i ld i n g with ro o m s o r flats, usua lly b u i lt by u n ive rsities or
colleg es, i n wh i c h stu d e nts live d u ring the term
4 a la boratory __ d a h i nged V-shaped i n st ru ment that yo u use fo r d rawi ng c i rc les
24 Reading for IELTS
U n it 3
5 a hall of e a small tube-shaped conta i ner made fro m glass, used i n
residence __ laboratories
6 a lectern __ f a room co nta i n i ng scientific eq u i p ment where students a re
taught science subjects such as chemistry
7 a ca mpus __ g a high sloping desk on which someone p uts their notes when
they a re sta n d i n g u p a n d g ivi ng a lecture
3 Underline at least five words or phrases related to the topic of education in the following
text. Use your dictionary if necessa ry.
If you send you r c h i ld to a board i ng school you ca n be looking at fees of a lmost £8,000
per term. Eton will charge £7,896 a term from September - a rise of 5.8% on last yea r's
fees. Wincheste r's fees have gone u p 5% fro m £7,457 to £7,833 a term . Day schools are
cheaper, but even these are charg i n g a n average of £2, 796 a term - £8,388 a yea r.
If you have a baby this yea r a n d plan to send h i m o r her to a p rivate day school for
secondary education, it will set you back a bout £ 1 50,000, accord i n g to a n i ndependent
adviser.
If you r c h i ld is start i n g senior school this September, the school fees between 1 1 a n d
1 8 wi ll total a n average o f £75,500, assu m i n g the fees rise b y 7 % a yea r.
4 Match the words 1-10 with the definitions a-j.
a d ay school __ a a school for pu pils between the ages of 1 1 or 1 2
a n d 1 7 or 1 8
2 a special needs school __ b a school for child ren between the ages of 5 a n d 1 1
3 a board i n g school __ c a school suitable for the majority of children
4 a mai nstream sc hool __ d a school i n Brita i n for child ren aged between 1 1
and 1 8 who have a high acad emic abi lity
5 a seco ndary/senior sc hool __ e a state school in wh ich children of all abilities are
ta u g ht together
6 a p rivate school [ Brita i n ) __ f a school for child ren who need special help or care ,
for exa m p le because they a re p hysica lly or menta lly
disabled
7 a college __ g a school which is not supported financially by the
g overnment and which parents have to pay for their
ch ildren to go to
8 a primary school __ h a school where the students g o home every eve n i ng
a n d do not live at the school
9 a gra m mar school __ a n i nstitution where students study after they have
left school
1 0 a com p rehensive school __ a school which some or all of the p u pils live i n
d u ri n g the school term
Education 25
5 Answer the questions 1 -7. Use you r dictionary if necessa ry.
1 If yo u cram for a n exa m i nat ion, you a re lea rning as much as possible in a short time
j ust befo re you ta ke the exa m i nation. Do yo u norma lly cram for an exa m , or do yo u plan
you r revision ca refu lly?
2 When you g rad uate from un ive rs ity, yo u have successfully com pleted a degree course.
Do you know a nyone who has recently g rad uated ?
3 When you q ua lify, yo u pass the exa mi nations that you need to be able to work i n a
particu la r profession. Do yo u know a nyone who has recently q u a lified as a doctor or a
lawye r?
4 I n B rita i n , you can ta ke GCSE exams when you a re sixteen. Do yo u know what GCSE
sta nds for?
5 If a pupil is expelled from school, they a re officially told to leave because they have behaved
badly. If a pupil is suspended, they are asked to leave fo r a certain period of time because
they have behaved badly, but they ca n then come back. Can you give exam ples of bad
behaviour in school that may lead to a student being suspended or expelled ?
6 I n B rita i n , a reception class is a class that c h i ldren g o i nto when they fi rst sta rt school
at the age of fo ur or five. H ow old a re c h i ldren when they sta rt school in yo u r cou ntry?
7 A tru a nt i s a p u p i l who stays away from school without permission. H ow were trua nts
p u n ished at yo u r school?
6 Wo rk out the meaning of the wo rds and phrases in italics 1 -6 by studying their context i n
t h e passage below.
A g ra nd mother has set u p her own school to cater for her autistic g ra ndson. Josh u a , 7,
was u na b le to cope at the local school a nd h is parents were stru g g l i ng to get his needs
met.
·1 used to ta ke J oshua to his mainstrea m school,' says h is mother. 'He would literally
( 1 1 howl a ll the way down the very long d rive. I used to feel li ke a monster.'
She took Jos h u a out of the school on the a dvice of his teache rs, but (21 hit a brick wall
with the loca l ed ucation a uthority, who wanted to place him i n a school for 90 c h i ldren
with a huge ra n g e of lea rning d iffic u lties - contra ry to the modern expertise on
(31 autism, which recomm ends specia list care in small u n its.
N ow, Joshua is (4) flourishing in a small school for a utistic you n g sters. 'It is costing us
£ 1 5,000 a yea r but ifs worth it to see Joshua m a k i n g progress. He is a different c h i ld . '
The spec i a l needs school recently passed its first i nspection fro m t h e Office for
Standards in Ed ucation with a 15) glowing report. Desp ite this, the education a uthority
has refused to pay for Joshua's educatio n there.
Receivi ng a d ia gnosis of a lea rn i ng disa b ility is a terrible b low to fam i lies, and the
rea lisation that you face years of fighting to obta i n the e d ucati o n that wi ll h e lp you r
c h i ld is (6) devastating. Many pare nts can not face the struggle a n d many c h i ldre n a re
denied the cha nce to i m p rove their qua lity of life.
26 Reading for IELTS
Unit 3
1 howl 4 flourishing
a cry loudly to express pain or a flowering
unhappiness b developing rapidly and
b sing lou dly successfully
c r un quickly c studying
2 hit a brick wall 5 glowing
a have an accident a satisfactory
b agree about most things b expressing approval
c be unable to make progress c with an intense colour and shine
3 autism 6 d evastating
a a type of mental condition, present a d ifficult in the beginning
from early childhood b not pleasant
b a type of cold or flu c causing shock or distress
c a mental illness characterised by
a refusal to eat
7 Complete the table with words from t h e passages in Exercises 3 and 6.
Verb Noun Adjective
1 an assumption
2 a r ise
3 expert
4 young
to progress 5 progressive
to inspect 6
to d iagnose 7 d i agnostic
to realise 8
Pa rt 2 : Practice exerc ises
Exam information: Short-answer questions
In this task type, you are asked about factual details. The task tests your ability to find
and understand specific infor m ation in a text. Your answers will consist of no more
than a certain number of words or nu mbers. N ote:
• N u mbers can be written as words (e.g.
eight) or figures (e.g. 8 ) .
• Hyphenated words count as one word !e.g. merry-go-round).
The questions are normally in the same order as the infor mation in the text. In other
words, the answer to question 1 occurs in the text before the answer to question 2 ,
and s o on.
Education 27
1 How many wo rds a re there i n the sentences 1-4 b elow?
1 Describe t h e ha bi tat of the ora n g - uta n .
2 'The fact that two major d e s i g n e rs have i n cluded blue- black j e a n s i n t h e i r s u m m e r
ra n g e d o e s not m a ke t h e m fa sh i o n . ' D i scuss.
3 Outline the rig hts of old - a g e pensioners i n soc i ety, especia lly the ove r-seve nties.
4 Eva luate t h e ava i la b i lity of ove r-the-co u nter m e d i c i n es .
2 Answer the q u esti ons 1 -8 i n no more than three words.
1 H ow d i d you use to trave l to school?
2 Do you re m e m b e r the n a m e of yo u r fi rst school tea c h e r?
3 N a m e yo u r t h re e favou rite s u bjects i n secon d a ry school.
4 What i s yo u r favo u rite m e m o ry of yo u r t i m e at school?
5 G ive a n exa m p le of a neg at ive experience you had i n school.
6 Describe the type of food you used to eat at school.
7 H ave you eve r fa i led a n exa m o r test?
8 What wo u ld you l i ke to study at college or u n iversity?
· · ······················ ··· ······· · ···················· · ········ · · · ··· · ·················· · ··· · ·· ·· ··· ·· · ··· ·· ········· ··· · ·· · ······························ · ··· · ······················· ···· · ····· ··· ·
I Exam tip: If you ca n n ot find a n a n swe r to a q u estio n , go to the next one. If yo u find the
1 a nswe r to that q u esti o n , you will k n ow that yo u need to g o back i n t h e text to find the
[ a n swe r to the p revi o u s one.
_
3 The quest ions 1 -4 a re a b out the text be low. They s h o u ld b e i n the same o rd e r as the
i nformati on in the text but they have been m ixed u p . Put the qu estions in the right order.
You do not have to answer them.
1 M o ney i s o n ly one consideration fo r poli ticia ns. Give evi dence from the text to show this.
2 I llustrate how cele b rities can i nflu ence politicians.
3 G ive exa m p les from the text of d i ffe rent types of policies.
4 Apa rt fro m cele b rities, wh ich other forces can i nflu ence politicians?
Po licies ca n b e i nflu e n ced by m a ny forces. Fo r exa m p le , J a m i e Ol ive r·s TV p ro g ra m m e ,
Jamie 's School Dinners, atta c k i n g the q u a lity o f food i n schools, eventua lly persuaded
the M i n i ster for E d u cation to reth i n k poli c i es a bout the eating ha bits of c h i ld re n , as well
as b u d g ets. E q u a lly so, very la rge o rg a n i sations with a g lobal p resence i n flu e n ce po licy
m a ke rs a ll a ro u n d the wo rld ove r co ncerns such as oil, a rms, the enviro n m e nt a n d
h u m a n rig hts.
28 Reading for I E LTS
u n n ..>
4 Skim-read the passage a n d d ecide what type of i nformation is i n each para g ra p h . Make
short notes a bout t h is i nformation.
Plans to a llow u n iversities to charge u n l i m ited tuition fees we re today greeted with
dismay from students and lectu rers but welcomed by vice-chancellors at top -fli ght
i nstitutions. Fees of u p to £6,000 a year wou ld go d i rectly to u n iversities, but a bove that
figure they wou ld pay a levy that would i ncrease for each a d d itional £ 1 ,000, restri cting
the extra i n co me, u nder pro posals set out by a review of higher ed ucation fu nding.
Gra d uates wou ld a lso repay their loa ns later and over a longer period.
Lord B rowne of Madingley proposed a new system under which one graduate i n five in
lower-paid jobs would repay less than today but higher-ea rni ng g raduates wou ld pay
more. His pro posals, following a review of higher ed ucation fina nce lasting a lmost a year,
will form the basis of a new system for funding u n iversities from autu m n 201 2. ' U nder
these p lans u nive rsities can start to vary what they charge,' he sa i d , 'but it will be up to
students whether they choose the u n iversity. The money will follow the student, who will
follow the q u ality. The student is no longer taken for granted, the student is in charge.'
Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students sa i d : 'If adopted , Lord
Browne's review wou ld h a n d u n iversities a bla nk cheque a n d force the next generation
to pick up the ta b for devastating cuts to h i g her ed ucation. The only thing students and
their fam i lies wou ld sta nd to gain fro m h i g her fees wou ld be h i g her debts. A m arket
in course prices between u n iversities wou ld increasin g ly put p ressure on stu d ents to
make decisions based on cost rather t h a n aca d e m i c a bi lity or a m b ition.'
The review reco m mends:
• Graduates would not start to repay stu dent loans until they earn £2 1 ,000 a yea r. This
threshold would rise i n line with earn i ngs to protect gra d uates with lower inco m es.
The c urrent threshold is £ 1 5,000.
• Repayments would stay at 9 per cent of i ncom e but graduates with higher earn ings
would pay a h i gher interest rate of 2.2 per cent above i n flation, e q ua l to the
Govern me nt's cost of bo rrowin g . Lower- p a i d g raduates wou ld conti n u e to pay no rea l
i nterest rate o n loans.
• Student loa ns wou ld be paid ove r a maxi m u m of 30 yea rs, after wh ich they wou ld be
written off. The cu rrent maxi m u m is 25 years.
• Student support should be s i m p lified, with a flat livi ng loa n of £3,750 for all
undergrad uates a n d m a intenance g ra nts of u p to £3,250. Full g ra nts wou ld go to
stu dents whose fa m i ly i ncom e was £25,000 or less a n d partial g ra nts to those with
house hold i ncom e up to £60,000.
Professor Steve S m ith, president of U n iversities U K, which represents vice-cha n cellors,
sai d : ·we a re extremely p leased that Lord B rowne's p roposals b u i ld o n the fa i r a n d
progressive elements o f t h e c u rrent system. N o pare nt or stu de nt wou ld have t o pay
t u ition fees u pfro nt, only a g ra duate wou ld pay when they are earn i ng £ 2 1 ,000 per
year. This will be crucial i n supporting t hose from disadva ntaged backg rou nds through
u niversity. ·
But u nion leaders a n d representatives o f n ewe r u n iversities warned of t h e 'devastating·
i m pact on fam i lies if the reco m mendations a re i mp lemented. Professor Les Ebdon,
chair of m i llion+, which represents new u niversities, sai d : 'There is a rea l ris k that
Education 29
some st u d e nts who wo u ld have gone to u n ive rsity wi ll decide not to go a n d that
opport u n i ty a n d social m o b i lity will be fatally u n d e rm i n e d . '
Lord B rown e , the former g ro u p c h i ef executive of B P , s a i d t h a t despite h i g h e r fees the
n u m be r of people g o i n g to u n iversity s h o u ld exp a n d . His p la n s a llow for a 10 p e r cent
i n c rease i n t h e n u m be r of stu dent p la ces ove r the n ext fo u r yea rs . Pa rt -ti m e stu d ents
wo u ld a lso h ave a ccess to stu dent loa n s to cover the cost of thei r tuition fees, g iving
m o re peo p le a seco n d c h a nce to study for a d e g ree late r i n life, h e said. His p la n s wou ld
c reate a m a r ket i n h i g h e r e du catio n , with m a ny resea rc h u n iversities likely to c h a rg e
£6,000 o r £7,000 a yea r, a handful o f t o p u n iversities c h a rg i n g h i g h e r fees, but m a ny
n ewer u n ive rsities that focu s o n tea c h i n g c h a rg i n g less.
Pa ra g ra p h 1 : I ntrod uction of the pla n s
Pa ra g ra p h 2 : ----------------------------
Pa ragra p h 3 : ----------------------------
Pa ra g ra p h 4 : ----------------------------
Pa ra g ra p h 5 : ---------------------------
Pa ra g ra p h 6 : ----------------------------
Pa ra g ra p h 7: -----------------------------
5 Look at the followi n g q u esti on about the passag e i n Exercise 4 a bove.
Fro m the point of view of stu d ents, what wou ld be the negative conseq uences of h i g h e r
tuition fees?
Which of the strateg i es 1-6 d o you think wou ld be useful to fi n d the a nswe r?
1 u n d e rli n i ng the i m porta nt i nfo rmation i n the text
2 u n derli n i n g the key word s i n the q u e st ions
3 rea d i n g the text before rea d i n g the q u estions
4 rea d i ng the q u estions slowly befo re rea d i ng the text
5 n u m be ri n g t h e p a ra g ra p hs i n the text
6 sca n n i n g the text [moving yo u r eyes down ove r the text to find the i nfo rmation yo u a re
lo oking fo r, wit hout rea d i n g the text wo rd fo r wo rd]
Exa m tip: I n o rd e r to find the co rrect a nswe r i n a text, fo c u s on what yo u a re lo oking fo r.
One way to do that is to t h i n k a bout the key wo rd s i n the q u est ions.
Example: What is your favourite memory of your time in school ?
The question word ['What'] is im portant. The nouns ['memory· and ·school' ] also ca rry a
lot of i nfo rmation. Wo rds li ke ·yo u r· a n d 'of a re not necessary to understa n d the q u estion.
N ote that 'time· is not a key wo rd : the q u estion asks a bout memories, not time.
· . .................................................................................................................................................................................................... -
30 Read ing for I E LTS
u n n .,
6 Und erline the key words or p h rases in the q u estions 1 - 1 0.
1 Who is against the proposed changes to student tuition fees?
2 How could a future loan repayment schedule be described in comparison to today's?
3 According to the official statement from the National Union of Students, who will suffer
financially?
4 From the point of view of students, what would be the negative consequences of higher
tuition fees?
5 In the future, what may become the deciding factor for students choosing a university?
6 What will happen to the maximum period of repayment?
7 What will students whose parents earn a total of £55, 000 receive ?
8 According to Unive rsities U K, who would especially benefit from the new system?
9 According to newer universities, what might happen to the number of people who are
able to move up in society?
1 0 Who may ask for fees of over £7,000?
7 As q u ickly as you ca n , find the a nswers to the q u estion s 1 - 1 0 i n Exercise 6 by referri ng to
the text on pages 29 and 30. Then a n swer the q u est ions i n no more than three wo rds.
8 Read the q u estion s 1 - 1 0 and the a n swers one st udent fou n d i n a passage. In order for
her answers to be vali d , the a nswers must be exp ressed in no m o re than three words.
Rewrite the answe rs. The first one has been done for you .
Quest ions Stu d ent's answers Short answers
How much do they need to Th ey need to pay f<o,000 per year. £6, 000 annually
pay?
2 How will students finance With a combination of loaM and
their education? salaries- from pa rt-time jobs-.
3 How did the university react They immediately released a
to the news? S"tatement to the preH.
4 What are the disadvantages There is- a pos-s-ibility that s-tvdents-
of cramming? will become too ti red.
5 Give one reason why students It is- c los-e r to their place of s-tvdy.
might want to choose
accommodation on campus?
6 What do students need to do They need to complete a covrs-e that
before they can qualify as a las-ts- for fovr yea rs-.
lawyer?
7 What do parents consider They look at a nvmber of different
when they choose a school? factors-: location, cos-t and S'Chool
res-vlts-.
Education 31
8 What a re the a dva nta g e s of TJ,e les-s-ons- are plan ned witJ,
h o m e schooli n g ? individval s-tvdents- in mind and tJ,e
teacJi ers- know tJ,e s-tvdents- very
well.
9 Why is i t a good i d e a to send TJ,e cJ,ildren develop tJ,eir abi lity to
c h i ld re n to n u rsery school? be s-ocial.
1 0 G ive a reason why some TJ,ey J,ad a mobile pJi one on tJiem.
stu d e nts h ave b e e n p u n i s h e d .
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................
1 Exam tip: It can be d i fficult to limit yo u r a n swe rs to t h re e wo rds. Sometimes it ca n h e lp
\ to c h a n g e a verb to a n o u n, o r to use n o u n s as adjectives.
_
9 Rewrite the an swers 1 -9 in no more than three words. Do not use any verbs in you r answers.
Example: Question: What sort of technical difficulties has the school been having ?
Answer: There have been problems with the systems tha t are currently used by
the computers.
computer system problems
1 0: What i d e a has t h e H ea d Tea c h e r come u p wit h ?
A: Her idea is to a d a pt the way the college co m m u n i cates.
2 0: What action do they need to take f i rst?
A: They need to co rrect the i nfo rmation in the t i m etables.
3 0: What is eve n m o re u rgent than i m p rovi ng co m m u n icat ions?
A: They need to fi n d methods to help them save t i me.
4 0: N a m e o n e o f t h e a i ms that a re m e nt i o n e d o n t h e f i n a l list.
A: The school l i b ra ry wa nts to i n c rease the n u m b er of books it le n d s out.
5 0: What is the m a i n prio rity i n term s of aft e r-sc h o o l a ctivities?
A: They wo u ld l i ke to put o n plays d u ri n g term time o n ly.
6 0: Wh at e lse wo u ld they like t o i n c rease?
A: They a lso a i m to do more sports a ctivities aft e r school.
7 0: What is t h e school satisfied wit h ?
A: They a re h a p py with t h e way they k e e p co ntro l of t h e i r re s o u rces.
8 0: What aspect of t h e school's p e rformance st ill needs t o b e determ i n e d ?
A: They need to assess how satisfi ed t h e st u d e nts a re.
32 Reading for I E LTS
U n it 3
Pa rt 3 : Exa m practic e
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each , answer the following questions.
1 Why d o p rivate p roviders fee l they need to pay as much as childre n ·s centres?
2 What is the most a se nior n u rsery n u rse cou ld earn?
3 Out of all c h i ld re n , how many ta ke u p p laces i n private n u rseries?
4 What types of n u rseries do fathers a n d mothers prefer?
Parents face a sharp i ncrease i n n u rsery fees fro m January as new government-subsid ised
child re n ·s centres d rive up staff costs for private d ayca re .
C h i ldren's centres are offerin g u p t o £7,000 a yea r more for managers a n d nursery n u rses
to staff their pre m ises, forcing private provid ers to m atch the pay offe r or risk losi n g their
best employees. Fees a re p rivate n u rseries· only source of i ncome so they have no option b ut
to pass on the 1 2- 1 5 per cent salary i ncreases to pare nts. Salaries account for 80 per cent of
ru nning costs and fees are a n average of £ 1 40 a week .
The a n n ua l pay survey for Nursery World magazine fou n d that t h e salary o f a n u rsery
manager i n the p rivate sector h a d risen by a n average of 1 2.3 per cent this year, to £2 1 ,547,
as owners attempted to hang on to their staff. Desp ite the increase, c h i ld ren's centres a re
offeri n g a bout £27,000 for a manag er. Senior n u rsery n u rses have had a n average 1 7 per
cent i ncrease this year, with sa la ries of a bout £ 1 4,000, but cou ld still earn up to £ 1 7 ,000 if
they switc hed to a c h i ld re n 's centre .
'Children's centres a re heavily subsidised and are offering m u c h bigger salaries than anywhere
else i n the sector, · sa id C laire Schofield , head of membership at the National Day Nurseries
Association. 'Shouldn't the subsidy be ava ilab le across the board?' Private providers cu rrently
account for 78 per cent of all nu rsery p laces. The Government p lans to open 3,500 child ren's
centres by 20 1 0 - five i n each parliamentary constituency. Each centre will offer dayca re and
other services for children and parents. The Department for Education and Skills esti mates that
the cost of each p lace will be about £250 a week, well above private sector fees. B ut a generous
subsidy administered by local authorities brings the fees down to a bout £ 1 37 a week.
Liz Roberts, ed itor of Nursery World, p redicted that m a ny n u rseries wou ld face fi nancial
d ifficulties a s a result. ' N u rseries will put u p their fees a bit, but there is a li mit to what
parents ca n afford so it is beco m i n g terri b ly d iffic u lt. Some n u rsery owners bare ly pay
themselves as it is, so may just decide to close,· she said.
A Department for Ed ucation and Skills study found that only 25 per cent of p rivate nurseries
made a profit, with 3 1 per cent breaking even . Wh ile children's centres will offer parents value
for money at first, there is no guarantee that the Government will continue to pay the su bsidy.
If the fu nding is reduced, parents will have no choice but to pay more for their nursery places,
especially if local private nurseries have been driven out of business.
Parents have also made clea r d u ring pu blic consultations that they like private and voluntary
sector nurseries, which are often smaller and more i ntimate than local authority providers, and
the Government has said that it is com mitted to d iversity of supply.
Education 33
