Did you know that 93% of English learners care more about fluency than anything else, and yet,
of all the skills, speaking is the one skill that is most neglected.
“I don’t know why I bother…I’m just wasting my time”
So dust off your vocal cords and let’s get chatting. Today you’ll answer questions about
your studies. The questions are intended for students preparing for the IELTS exam,
however, speaking practice is speaking practice, useful for everyone.
Before we start, let’s learn some topic-related vocabulary and phrases that will impress
the examiner and your friends. There is a very useful PDF that you can down so that you have
all the important phrases to hand in future. Simply click on the link below,
sign up to my ESL mailing list and I will send the download link directly to you. The great thing is,
once you’re on the list, you will get all future notes sent to you too. Happy days!
IT'S VOCABULARY TIME!
Firstly, we have “compulsory education”. “Compulsory education” refers to a period
of full-time education that is, you guessed it, compulsory. It’s something you have to do.
All those in favour of compulsory education between the ages of 5 to 18 say “aye” AYYEEE
Within “compulsory education” there are various stages. There’s “primary school”, for ages 5 - 11.
Being a Primary School teacher is great! Not exhausting at all! Don’t paint on the walls!”
“Secondary school” is for ages 11 - 16, and then there’s “sixth-form” or “college”
for 16-18 year olds. This is my last exam of secondary school.
If I pass, I’ll study History, French and Music at Sixth Form. Wish me luck! Susssh
Just so you know, the vocabulary I’m teaching you today is based on the British educational system,
take a look at the PDF notes to see vocabulary based on the American educational system.
Some people attend “single-sex” schools. These are schools with students of one sex,
for example, a school for girls. A “co-educational school”, on the other hand,
is a mixed-gender school. I went to a co-ed school.
A what?!
A co-ed!
A code school? A school for spies! Cool!
No! A co-educational school, a mixed-gender
school. Ah right, cool. Well, a spy school would have been cooler, to be honest... but...
Everything you learn at school is set in the "curriculum”. The “curriculum” refers to the
subjects studied at schools and the topics within those subjects.
There are 11 compulsory subjects within the British national curriculum,
including maths, science, English, and history.
To refer to activities outside of the curriculum, for example, choir, football, or book club,
we say “extracurricular”. Sorry Miss,
I have to leave class early today. I’ve got netball practice at 3 pm then off to band
rehearsal at 4 pm, and then it’s Impressionism art club at 5. Byyye! Come back here,
Anna Tyrie! You’re not meant to be doing extracurricular activities during maths class!”
If you decide to continue your education after sixth form or college, you move onto “Higher
Education”. Again, this is split into stages. If you go to university, you’ll first
study for an “undergraduate or bachelor's degree”. After completing your degree,
you might go on to study a “Master’s” and if you’re really loving your studies,
you might take the plunge and study a PHD (a Doctor of Philosophy). If you decide that the
academic route isn’t for you, perhaps you’ll do a “vocational course”. A “vocational course”
is industry-specific training that usually has a more practical and hands-on approach.
To finish off, here are three phrases that will surely get you those top marks!
Firstly, “to pass with flying colours”. If you pass an exam with flying colours,
you pass it easily with a high grade. “I passed the exam with flying colours.
I was so pleased as it meant to could go to my first-choice university.”
If you are the “teacher’s pet”, you’re the teacher’s favourite.
“I was definitely the teacher’s pet at school. I always had my hand up in the classroom!”
Lastly, “bookworm”. If you are a “bookworm”, you read a lot!
“I’ve never been a bookworm. This reading list is going to be the death of me.”
Let’s put this new language into practice. We’re going to start the conversation in, 5, 4, 3,
2, 1......
Hi, how are you today?
Great. Today we’re going to talk about your studies. Are you studying now?
Describe the course you are studying?
How interesting. What about when you were younger? What did you enjoy most at school?
OK,
great. I always loved science at school but for some reason
struggled with science exams. Which exams do you or did you usually find challenging?
Oh right. So, I went to a co-educational school and really enjoyed it,
but do you think there are benefits to single-sex schools?
That’s interesting. In fact, can you tell me a bit more about your country’s education system?
Thank you for sharing. Great work! If you struggled answering the questions, perhaps
pause after each question and write some notes. Use your notes as a prompt to help you answer.
Would you like to chat some more? I have a playlist
full of fun conversation practise. Link is in the description below.