Learning and Education

Maturita topic 9, general part, at Cambridge B2 First level. The specific part of this topic is Presentations, Storing and Organizing Data.

What to talk about

• your school – subjects, teachers, what you like and dislike
• the education system in the Czech Republic compared with the UK and the USA
• ways of learning – at school, online, lifelong learning, learning languages
• exams, marks and pressure
• your plans after the school-leaving exam

Model answer

I’m in my final year at a secondary technical school, where I study information technology. Apart from general subjects like Czech, English and maths, we have a lot of specialised subjects – programming, networks, databases and hardware. My favourite subject is programming, because I like solving problems and seeing that my code works. On the other hand, I’ve never been good at physics. What I appreciate about our school is that the practical lessons are well equipped and some of our teachers have experience from IT companies.

The Czech education system starts with nursery school, which is compulsory for one year before primary school. Compulsory education lasts nine years at a basic school. Then students choose between a grammar school, which prepares them for university, a secondary technical school like mine, or a vocational school where they learn a trade. Secondary education usually ends with the maturita, the school-leaving exam, which is necessary for university studies. Most universities in the Czech Republic are public, and studying at them is free of charge.

The British system is different. Children start school at the age of four or five, and at sixteen they take GCSE exams in many subjects. Those who want to go to university continue for two more years and take A-levels, usually in only three or four subjects. Most British pupils wear school uniforms, and university tuition fees are high. In the USA, students go to high school until eighteen, and university, or college, is also very expensive.

I think the way we learn is changing. Thanks to the internet we can learn almost anything online – from video tutorials and online courses to apps for learning languages. I learnt a lot of my English from films and games. But I still believe that a good teacher who can motivate students can’t be replaced. In the future, lifelong learning will be necessary, especially in IT, where knowledge becomes out of date very quickly.

After the maturita I’d like to apply to a technical university and major in computer science. If I don’t get in, I’ll start working and study part-time.

Vocabulary

Grammar worth showing

• present perfect for experience: I’ve been learning English for ten years.
• first conditional for plans: If I pass the maturita, I’ll apply to…
• have to / must / don’t have to: In Britain pupils have to wear uniforms; we don’t have to.

Useful phrases

• What I appreciate about our school is…
• I wish we had more…
• The main difference between the Czech and British systems is that…
• In my experience, the most effective way to learn is…
• I’m planning to… / I’m hoping to…

Speaking practice

Part 1 – about you

Part 3 / 4 – discussion