1 Speaking: Systems of education

1.3 Real-time speaking Education in the UK

A Previewing vocabulary
1 2 3
1. g 1.12 Listen to the words on the right. Tick the correct
column to show the number of syllables. a. 'after 3
2. Mark the stressed syllable on each two- and three- b. children
syllable word.
c. level
3. g 1.12 Listen again and repeat the words.
d. nursery
B Hearing a model
e. primary
You are going to hear a short talk from a student to his
study group at university. f. secondary
1. g 1.13 Listen to the first part of the talk. g. called
Complete Table 1 below. h. exam
2. g 1.14 Listen to the second part of the talk.
i. school
Tick in Table 1 below:
• the schools he went to. j. sixth
• the exams he took.
3. How does the student organize his talk? Vocabulary box
4. Which tense does he use in each part of the talk? Why? exam (n)
leave (v) [school]
Table 1: Education in the UK
nursery (n)
type of school age range exams at the end primary (adj)
nursery secondary (adj)
stay (v) [at school]
take (v) [exams]

C Practising a model
1. Study the sentences below. Underline the important words or phrases in each sentence.
a. Britain has four kinds of school. They are f. Children take exams called GCSEs at the age of 16.
nursery, primary, secondary and sixth form.
g. You can leave school after GCSEs or A levels.
b. Children don’t take exams at nursery school. However, about 50 per cent of British teenagers go
c. At four or five, they move to primary school. on to university.
d. They stay there for six years and then they h. I didn’t go to nursery school.
move to secondary school. i. I was good at primary school and I liked the teachers.
e. Secondary school lasts five years. j. I went to secondary school.
2. g 1.15 Listen and check.
3. Practise saying the sentences.
D Producing a model
1. Make some notes on:
• the education system in your country.
• your own education.
2. Give a short talk.

14 Theme 1: Speaking
Everyday English Asking about words and phrases

A Activating ideas
What can you remember about these phrases?
• nursery school
• GCSE
• sixth form
• A levels
• primary
• take an exam/make an exam
B Studying models
Cover the conversations in Exercise C. Do you take an exam or make an exam?
1. Look at the questions on the right. They are from Does primary mean first?
conversations between students and tutors. What Is sixth form for 17- and 18-year-olds?
is the rest of the conversation in each case? What does GCSE mean?
2. g 1.16 Listen to the conversations. Number the What are A levels?
sentences on the right 1 to 6 in the order you
hear them. What’s a nursery school?

C Practising conversations
Uncover the conversations. Practise in pairs.

1 A: What’s a nursery school? 4 A: What are A levels?

B: It’s a school for young children. B: They’re exams in Britain.
A: How old are they? A: When do you take them?
B: They’re between three and five. B: You take them at 18.

2 A: What does GCSE mean? 5 A: Is sixth form for 17- and 18-year-olds?
B: It’s an abbreviation. B: Yes, it is.
A: I know. But what does it mean? A: Why is it called sixth form?
B: It means General Certificate of B: Because it starts with the sixth year of
Secondary Education. secondary school.

3 A: Does primary mean ‘first’? 6 A: Do you take an exam or make an exam?

B: Yes, it does. B: We use the verb take with exams.
A: So does secondary mean ‘second’? A: And what about assignments?
B: That’s right. B: You do assignments.

D Real-time speaking
Work in pairs. Ask and answer questions about some words and phrases. Use patterns from the
conversations above.
Student A Student B
1. Look at the information on page 160. 1. Look at the information on page 161.
Learn the meanings of some words Learn the meanings of some words
connected with education. connected with education.
2. Ask B about the other words. 2. Answer A’s questions about your words.
3. Answer B’s questions about your words. 3. Ask A about the other words.

Theme 1: Everyday English 15

 1.4 Learning new speaking skills Giving general and personal information
A Saying vowels
1. Say each pair of words on the right. Make sure your
partner can hear the difference. A B
2. Look at the transcript of the talk in Lesson 1.3 1. fill feel
(Tracks 1.13 and 1.14 on page 191).
2. still steal
a. Underline some words with the vowel sound /f/.
3. will wheel
b. Circle some words with the vowel sound /áW/.
4. list least
B Identifying a new skill (1)
5. ill eel
1. Read Skills Check 1. How is the talk in Lesson 1.3
organized? 6. sit seat
2. What can you remember about the talk in Lesson 1.3? 7. this these
• General facts?
• Personal experiences? 8. hill he’ll
3. Look at the extracts below from a talk about drama. 9. his he’s
Mark each sentence G for general facts or P for 10. is he easy
personal experiences.

Children learn a lot about themselves in Drama. Skills Check 1

G 1 Drama is a very important subject. Organizing a talk
P 1 I took Drama for GCSE. You must organize information in a
talk in a logical way.
I got a good pass in the examination. In the talk in Lesson 1.3, the student
I was the main person in one of the plays. wanted to describe:
• education in general;
I wasn’t very good, but I had a lot of fun. • his own education.
Most secondary schools in Britain have The best organization in English is:
Drama classes. • general facts; then
• personal experiences.
Some children take examinations in Drama Within each paragraph, the best
at GCSE or A level. organization is:
We did a lot of drama games, and we put • chronological – earliest to latest,
e.g., nursery, then primary, then …
on a play every term.
4. Number the G sentences in a logical order.
Vocabulary box
5. Number the P sentences in a logical order.
chronological (adj)
C Rehearsing a new skill
Drama is a very drama (n)
Practise saying the sentences in Exercise B in order. important subject. experience (n)
Remember to stress the key words. logical (adj)
pass (n and v)
play (n)
subject (n)

16 Theme 1: Speaking
D Identifying a new skill (2) Skills Check 2
1. Read Skills Check 2. Choosing the correct tense
2. Look again at the extracts in Exercise B. Underline all You must choose the correct tense for
the present simple verbs. Circle all the past simple verbs. each part of a talk.
1. We talk about general facts that
E Making general statements are true now with the present simple.
Read the facts below about the There are four kinds of school in Britain.
education system in Britain. My country has three Children go to primary school at
Give a general fact about the kinds of school. four or five.
education system in your country. Secondary school lasts five years.
1. Britain has four kinds of school. Children don’t take exams at the
2. They are nursery, primary, secondary and sixth form. end of primary school.
3. Many British children start school at four or five. 2. We talk about events in the past
with the past simple.
4. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16.
I was good at primary school.
5. Pupils can leave school at 16. I started primary school at five.
6. Many pupils go on to sixth form. I didn’t take the 11+ exam.
7. There are exams called A levels at 18.
8. Fifty per cent of pupils go on to university.

F Making negative general statements

Make each sentence negative.
1. Children take exams at 16.
Children don’t take exams at 16.
2. We have many types of school.

3. Children start school at five.

4. Secondary school lasts six years.

5. The school day ends at 4.00 p.m.

6. Some children go to nursery school before primary school.

G Asking questions about general facts

Ask two questions about each piece of information in Exercise F.

Yes/No questions What, When, Where, How long, How many?

1. Do children take exams at 16? When do children take exams?
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Theme 1: Speaking 17
 H Making statements about the past (1)
1. Write was or were in each space.
a. My father was a teacher.
b. He head of department in a secondary school.
c. My parents at the same school as children.
d. I often late for school.
e. My brothers good at sports.
f. They n’t good at Maths.

2. Make a Yes/No question about each piece of information above.

a. Was your father a teacher?
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

I Making statements about the past (2)

Read each fact about the education system in Britain.
Give true information about your own education I started school at four.
in the past tense.
1. Many British children start school at four or five.
2. Many British children like their first school.
3. Pupils take exams at 16.
4. Many pupils don’t like doing exams.
5. Some pupils leave school at 16.
6. Most pupils stay at school up to the age of 18.

J Making past tenses

Write the past tense of each regular verb.
Tick the past tense words with an extra syllable.
1. start started 3
2. like liked 7
3. want
4. open
5. listen
6. call
7. last
8. finish
9. stay
10. try
11. treat
12. marry WB pp. 12–17

18 Theme 1: Speaking