Students’ Answers - Speaking 4-2 Part 2 and Part 3 practice

Describe a school or college which you went to.

You should say:

when you went there how many people studied there how long you spent there and explain what you liked and disliked about it.

• I’m not totally / exactly sure how many people studied there / how many students were at my school, but I guess that it’s around / approximately 200 students.
• (I’ve been here for 6 months.)
• I graduated from Liceum, which is like high middle school in Ukraine. It corresponds to high school in Canada. The main subject is Mathematics and Physics.
• elementary school / primary school = grades 1-6.
• junior high / junior high school / middle school = grades 7-9.
• high school = grades 10-12.
• My commute from my home to the university took 25 minutes.

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Attitudes to education

How has education changed in your country in the last ten years? Is a good education more important to a boy or a girl? Why?

• The education system of my country is designed to find / discover / focuses on finding / discovering a lot of people who have all kinds of talents.
• entrance requirements
• I’m worried / concerned that my scores / grades aren’t high enough to be accepted into the university that I applied to.
• The university may not accept my scores / grades, because I’m afraid / worried / concerned that they’re too low / not high enough.
• Education in my country has changed in three ways: in thinking, behaviour and attitude. The result is an increased number of well educated / highly educated people.
• We did more assignments and projects just like in college.
• Education has become more and more important, because in China if you don’t have a diploma from a university it’s difficult to get a job.
• Education in my country has focused more and more on exams in the last ten years.
• One way the system has changed is in elementary school. When I was in elementary school I started to learn English in grade three / the third grade, but now students start to study English when they are in kindergarten.
• Boys and girls are equal in many ways, including in education.
• Education / The education system is completely different if you compare things / the situation in my country right now and education /  the education system a decade ago.
• There is a huge difference in the education system in my country now (as) compared to ten years ago.

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The focus of education

How well do you think schools prepare young people for working life? Do you think schools should teach subjects like art, music and dancing? Why (not)?

• They doesn’tdon’t prepare students really goodwell.
• it depends on the school
• a vocational school = specific courses on jobs such as cooking, car repair, jewelry design etc.
• develop your gift(s)
• should be teachedtaught
• release / relieve / reduce students’ stress
• the workplace
• for the science students, it’s useless
• The left brain and right brain should be used together to make a more balanced person.
• it’s good for preparepreparing to go to university / it’s good preparation for university
• may well request a high level of art or music

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Education and technology

How important is it for schools to have computers for their students? Is the Internet a valuable educational tool?

• studying (STUH-dee-yyeeng)
• computers are important because useusing computers during class will save our time
• makes studying more convenient and easier
• don’t need textbooks anymore
• there are both advantages and disadvantages
• we have to use it in the right way
• enrich our knowledge
• receiveget a good job in the future
• can be prosperous
• some students haven’tdon’t have independent learning skills
• a bad thing for studying