topic-specific vocabulary

Education
1 Look at the sentences below and fill in the gaps using the appropriate w o rd from A , B or C.

1. He d id n 't get a go o d grade the first tim e he did his IELTS exam, so decided t o .............................. it.
A . resit B. rem ake C. repair

2. People w h o attend university later in life are often c a lle d .............................. students.
A. aged B. mature C. old

3. A lth o u g h she had left school and was w o rk in g , she w e n t to evening classes at the local College of
.............................. Education.
A . Upper B. Fu rth e r C. H ig h e r

4. A fte r he left school, he decided to go on t o .............................. education and applied for a place at
E dinburgh University.
A . fu rth e r B. u p p e r C. h ig h e r

5. He received a local g o v e rn m e n t.............................. to help him pay fo r his course.

A . fee B. fare C. g ra n t

6. Education helps us to acquire know ledge and learn n e w ..................................

A . skills B. p o w e rs C. abilities

7. A lth o u g h she already had a first degree from university, she decided tha t she w an ted to w o rk
tow ards a .............................. degree later in life.
A . fu rth e r B. senior C. h ig h e r

8. W e should make the best of e v e r y ............................ to learn.

A . chance B. o p p o rtu n ity C. ava ilab ility

9. N o w a d a y s ,........................... education is p ro m o ted a lot in schools.

A. body B. h ealth C. vita lity

10. A large n um b er o f parents are dissatisfied w ith t h e .............................. education system, and put
th e ir children into private schools instead.
A . g o v e rn m e n t B. n a tio n a l C. state

11. Because so m any students find exams stressful, some colleges offer a system o f ........................................
assessment instead.
A . co n tin u a l B. co n tin uo u s C. co n tin u in g

12. He has read a lot of books a n d .............................. a lot of know ledge.

A . acquired B. w o n C. achieved

13. University students have a ..............................w h o they m eet on a regular basis to discuss the ir w ork.
A . teacher B. tu to r C. lecturer

14. The re w ere m ore than 50 students at Professor B ry a n t's.............................. on city planning.
A . lecture B. sem inar C. tu to ria l

2 Complete the passage on the next page w ith a suitable w ord or phrase from the box.

course day release degree discipline enrol evening class

graduate kindergarten literacy numeracy on-line pass
primary qualifications secondary skills

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topic-specific vocabulary Education
W h e n M ichael was three years old, he started g o in g to a local (1 )............................................................. and
tw o years later began a tte n din g his local (2 )............................................................. school, w h e re he
learned basic (3 )............................................................. such as (4 ).............................................................. and
(5 )................................................................A t the age o f 11, he started at (6 )...............................................................
school. He w asn't a very keen pupil, and his teachers often com plained th a t he lacked
(7 ) .................................................................. H owever, when he to o k his school-leaving exams, he
(8 ) .............................................................. the m all w ith go o d grades.

W h e n he left school at the age of 18, he decided he w an ted to continue his studies. He foun d a
university w hich offered a full-tim e (9 ).............................................................in M o d e rn A rt and Design, and
(1 0 ).............................................................on it a fe w days before his 19th birthday. For three years he w orked
hard, and ( 11) .............................................................w ith a (1 2 )..............................................................in M od e rn A rt
and Design. A fte r that, he did an (1 3 )............................................................ course in P hotography from a
college in the US.

Th e (1 4 ).............................................................. th a t he had gained, com bined w ith his creative talents,

impressed an advertising agency th a t he w a n te d to w o rk for, and the y offered him a job . T h e agency
encouraged him to develop his passion fo r all things creative, and w h ile the y w e re n 't prepared to
offer him (1 5 )............................................................... to study d u rin g w o rk in g hours, the y paid fo r him to join
an (1 6 )............................................................. at his local College of Further Education.

3 N o w read this essay and com plete the gaps w ith one o f the w o rd s or phrases from Exercises 1 and 2.
You w ill need to change the form of some of the w ords.

'Y o u are n e v e r to o o ld to learn'. D o y o u agree w ith this statem ent?

Education is a long process that not only provides us w ith basic (1 ).......................................................... such as
(2 ).......................................................... and (3 ).......................................................... , but is also essential in shaping
o ur future lives. From the m om ent w e enter (4 ).......................................................... as small children, and as
w e progress th ro ug h (5 ).............................................................................................................................................. and (6 ).. ed
w e are laying the foundations for the life ahead o f us. W e must (7 )..........................................................
ourselves to w o rk hard so tha t w e can (8 ).......................................................... exams and gain the
(9 ) .......................................................... w e will need to secure a good job. W e must also
(10 ) .......................................................... valuable life skills so tha t w e can fit in and w o rk w ith those around
us. A n d of course ( 11) .......................................................... education helps us to understand h o w w e can stay
fit and healthy.

For most people, this process ends w h e n the y are in the ir m id-to-la te teens. For others, however, it is
the b egin n in g of a lifetime of learning. A fte r they finish school, m any progress to
(1 2 )............................................................. education w h e re the y w ill learn m ore useful skills such as com puter
literacy or basic business m anagem ent. Others will (1 3 )............................................................. on a program m e
of (1 4 )............................................................. education at a university w he re , w ith hard w o rk , the y w ill have
the o p p o rtu n ity to (1 5 ).............................................................. after three or fo u r years w ith a w ell-earned
(1 6 ) A fte r that, they m ay w o rk fo r a w hile before o p tin g to study for
a (1 7 )............................................................. degree - an M A , fo r example, or a PhD. Alternatively, they
m ay choose to attend an (1 8 )............................................................. after w o rk or, if the y have a
sym pathetic em ployer, obtain (1 9 )............................................................. so th a t they can study d urin g the
w eek. And if the y live a long way from a college or university, they m ig h t fo llo w an
(2 0 )............................................................. course using the Internet. In fact, it is largely due to the
proliferation o f com puters tha t m any people w h o have n ot been near a school fo r m any years, have
started to study again and can p rou dly class themselves as (2 1 )................................ ............................ students.

W e live in a fascinating and constantly changing w o rld , and w e m ust continually learn and acquire
n e w k n o w le d g e if w e are to a da pt and keep up w ith changing events. O u r schooldays are just the
b e g in n in g of this process, and w e should m ake th e best of every ( 2 2 ) .............................................................
to develop ourselves, w h e th e r w e are 18 o r 80. You are, indeed, never to o old to learn.
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