4.SYSTEM OŚWIATY
Ćwiczenie 4.
Przeczytaj teksty. Wykorzystując zawarte w nich słownictwo, odpowiedz na pytania.
The oldest and most famous British universities are Oxford and Cambridge founded in the 13th and 14th century; Scottish universities at Edinburgh and St Andrews were also founded in the Middle Ages and enjoy a very good reputation, too. Together with such New Universities as Warwick or Leeds, they offer the highest academic standards and, in consequence, attract the country's top students.
British universities do not have entrance exams. Students are admitted on the basis of their A-level results. For example, if you want to study at Oxford or Cambridge you must take your A levels in at least three 'hard' subjects (English, History, Maths, Science) and score top marks (As) in all of them. If your marks are mostly Bs and Cs, you'd better apply to one of the less prestigious universities.
With the abolition of grants and introduction of tuition fees, most students are stretched particularly if students are paying tuition fees out of the loan. Around 42% of full time students have a part time job and many institutions now have their own 'job centre' with details of employers who specifically want student staff.
Students to face £21,000 debt
Students in the UK can expect to face debts of £18-21,000 when they leave university in future, says Education Secretary Charles Clarke.
The government has published controversial proposals to allow universities to charge students top-up fees of up to £3,000 for their studies. Up-front fees of £1,100 a year will be scrapped, and graduates will not have to repay the new loans until their earnings have reached a certain level. A new regulator will also be appointed to ensure that universities admit students from poorer families.
Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis said long-term debt would put many young people off going to university. He said: "Burdening students with a mortgage-style 20-year debt creates a huge barrier for students from poorer families."
Meet Veronica, who's about to start studying History and English at The University of York. Her grandparents were disappointed she didn't get into Oxford, but we all know York is better than Oxford anyway. "Having finished my gap year I start an honours course in History and English in October. I studied A-levels at a sixth form college before taking a gap year to get a break from exams, get some
work experience and the traditional 'Round the World trip'."
I'm the oldest of three sisters and have seriously disappointed my grandparents by not getting into Oxford but am looking forward to studying at York! Whilst at Uni I hope to get involved in some societies, meet a wide range of people and also get a degree which I can build on with an MA in Creative Writing. My ideal future career would involve writing for children.
Pytania
1. In Britain all university students pay the same tuition fee (about £1,000 a year). Do you think that this is fair? Should the fees vary depending on the subject or university? Why? Why not?
2. How important is it for you to get into a prestigious university? Present and justify your opinion?
Dodatkowe zagadnienia
1. What are your favourite school subjects? Why?
2. Which school subjects have taught you the knowledge that you most frequently use in your everyday life? Do you value the subjects that give you practical skills more than the theoretical ones? Justify your opinion.
3. British prestigious public schools are usually boarding schools, i.e. children as young as 11 live in the school 'house' and visit home three times a year. Can you think of the advantages and disadvantages of attending a school like that? What are they? What is a good age to leave home to go to school or university in your opinion?
4. Do you think that universities should set separate entrance exams? Or should the results of your secondary school finals be the only criterion for university entry? Present and justify your opinion.
5. To what extent should the state assist students financially? Should scholarships funded by the state be offered only to those studying at state universities for free? Give reasons for your opinion.
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