British and American schools

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hartlepool_museum/4398580312/

British schools:

1. What is the difference between a ‘comprehensive school’ and a ‘grammar school’?
2. A ‘secondary school’ is a school for pupils aged ____-_____.
3. What is the difference between ‘further education’ and ‘higher education’?

4. Children in the UK have to legally attend primary and secondary education,

   which runs from about _____ years old until the student is _____ years old.

5. The education system in the UK is also split into key stages: Key Stage 1 (from ___ to ___ years old);

6. Key Stage 2 (from ___ to ___ years old);

    Key Stage 3 (from ___ to ___ years old); and

    Key Stage 4 (from ___ to ___ years old).

7. What is the name for a school that is funded by the government so pupils don’t have to pay fees?
8. What is a ‘public school’? Give some examples of famous public schools.

9. The ______________________

    was introduced by the UK government

   under the Education Reform Act of 1988. It consists of a set of core and foundation subjects. The _______ subjects are English, maths and science, and the _______ subjects are design & technology, information and communication technology (ICT), history, geography, art & design, music, physical education, modern foreign languages (Key Stage 3 only) and citizenship (Key Stage 3 and 4 only).

10. The most important assessment occurs at age 16

    when students pursue their GCSE’s or _____________________________________________________

    .

11. The Cerificate of Education Advanced Level (A-level)

     is obtained by the age of _____ and

     the grades obtained

     will be taken into account when applying for a place in Higher

    Education.

12. What are ‘vocational qualifications’?

13. Universities fall into four broad categories:

     the ancient English foundations

    (_________ and ________, founded in the 13th and 14th centuries

    respectively),

    the ancient Scottish ones

     (_________, _________, _________ and _________, all founded in the 

    15th and 16th centuries), 

    the ‘redbrick’ universities

     (founded in the major industrial cities of England in the _________

    era),

    and the ‘plateglass’ ones

    (founded in the 1960s).

14. There is also a successful _________ University,

     which uses a variety of methods for distance learning.

15. The first degree offered at British universities is 

    the ___________________ (typically three years).

16. During a first degree

     students are known as ___________________.

17. Students who have completed a first degree

     are eligible to undertake a ___________________ degree,

    which includes

    a ___________’s degree (typically taken in one year) or

    a ____________ degree (typically taken in three years).

American schools:

1. In the USA compulsory education is divided into three levels: ____________ school, ____________ school and ____________ school.
2. Children are divided by age groups into ________________.
3. Elementary school covers education from 6/7 year-old to 10/11 year-old, going from ____ grade to ____ grade.
4. Middle school covers from ____ to _____ grade (from 11/12 year-old to 13/14 year-old)
5. High school covers from ____ to ____ grade (from 14/15 year-old to 17/18 year-old).
6. The last four grades in high school are called _________, _________, _________ and _________.
7. A major characteristic of American schools is the high priority given to ___________________ activities, such as sports, clubs, orchestras…
8. High schools have guidance ____________ to whom children can go privately if they have any problems, especially about their careers.
9. At the end of the 12th grade, students attend the ‘_______’ event, which is a very formal dance where girls wear long evening dresses and boys wear __________.
10. The completion of High School (when students obtain the High School Diploma) is called ______________ and it is celebrated with a formal ceremony where students wear a special cap and _________.
11. The fact that most children have had foreign-born parents for generations means that schools have been used to build up a sense of Americanness and the majority of schools start each day with the Pledge of ___________.
12. Home_________ is another option of education in the USA.
13. Post-secondary education in the United States is known as __________ or university.
14. Like high school, the four undergraduate grades are commonly called __________, ___________, ____________, and _____________ years. 
15. Once admitted in university, students engage in undergraduate study, which consists of satisfying university and class requirements to achieve a bachelor’s degree in a field of concentration known as a _____________. 
16. Most students receive federal ________ to cover part of the cost of their studies and some receive federal ________ or scholarships from other sources. Some students get scholarships to universities if they show promise in sports like football, baseball or basketball. 
17. Private universities composing the _____ League, like Harvard, __________ and __________, are the best-known.
18. It is said that in terms of research output and of Nobel prizes won by academic staff, the most prestigious is the University of ____________ at Berkeley, which is a public institution.