Téma: Education – UK, USA
Predmet: Angličtina
Zaslal(a): Nicol
USA
- little children start their education with kindergarten between the ages of five and six
– they are divided into groups and spend their time playing - some children may attend pre-school from as early 3 or 4 years, parents have to pay for this education
- elementary school formally starts their compulsory education and covers 5 grades
- they learn English, math and basic facts from science, biology and chemistry
- on the daily schedule is also a little patriotic Pledge of Allegiance, which children have to recite every morning before the start of their classes
- most children go to public schools without charge, but if they choose a private school, they must pay for it
- students are graded on a system of A-F, with A being the best and F meaning fail
- in grade 6 students go to middle school and in the ninth grade they change to high school
- high school includes 4 grades – first year students are called freshmen, the second year sophomores, the third juniors and the last year they are seniors
this usually lasts until students are 18 y. o. - high school offers academic lessons as well as mechanics or computers
- most of the testing takes place in the form of quizzes, essays and other projects
- when students are juniors, they take Scholastic Aptitude Test – this 4 hour test quizzes students on their language, writing, math and critical thinking skills
- the scores on this national test determine whether you succeed when applying to the university of your choice
- the completion (end) of high school is celebrated with a graduation ceremony in which students dress in long gowns in colours of their alma mater, receive their diplomas and throw up (over yourself, blow up) in the air their mortarboards (funny flat hats)
- at the end of every school year students attend a dance, called the prom, which is an opportunity to dress up and have a good time with friends
- there are more than 2 000 universities and colleges – private elite institutions such as Yale or Harvard and state universities or local community colleges
- there you can earn your Bachelor’s and then Master’s degree
- a Bachelor’s degree is designed to take 4 years, but some students take longer
- after that students continue with their education for about another 2 years to earn their Master’s degree
Great Britain
- British children begin quite early – very small children aged 3 and 4 are sent to nursery school or a playground
- at the age of 5 they have to start attending primary school, which can be either state-funded or private
- primary school is divided into two cycles
- infant schools, where children learn basic skills like writing, reading and maths
- at 7 they go on to junior school with more complex subjects such as history, science, …
- the transfer to secondary school takes place at the age of 11
- they take General Certificate of Secondary Education that consists of 8 or 9 exams
in maths, English, a foreign language, a science and a humanities subject - at the age of 16, students are free to leave school
- if they carry on with their education, they study for two more years in an institution called
a sixth form college - usually they take 4 subjects in the first year, which ends with an exam
- if they pass, they have AS-Levels in these subjects and can go on to study three of them
at A-Level - exams are marked in letters, usually from A (very good) to E (bad), U means fail
- there are also vocational courses, where students go to school and take exams in practical subjects such as mechanics or painting and decorating
- after the age of 18, people find jobs or go to university
- there are a lot of universities in the UK offering bachelor’s degrees for either 3 or 4 years
- after receiving their degree, a person is a graduate and cas pursue a master’s degree
in science or arts - most people in the UK have to fund part of their university education – it’s similar to the US
- if you come from a poor background you may be excused all or part of your tuition fees or you can apply for a loan from the government, which you have to pay back once you start earning a certain amount of money