Speak With Me About Your Education - English Speaking Practice

Did you know that 93% of English learners care  more about fluency than anything else, and yet,  

of all the skills, speaking is the  one skill that is most neglected. 

“I don’t know why I bother…I’m  just wasting my time”

So dust off your vocal cords and let’s get  chatting. Today you’ll answer questions about  

your studies. The questions are intended  for students preparing for the IELTS exam,  

however, speaking practice is speaking  practice, useful for everyone. 

Before we start, let’s learn some topic-related  vocabulary and phrases that will impress  

the examiner and your friends. There is a very  useful PDF that you can down so that you have  

all the important phrases to hand in  future. Simply click on the link below,  

sign up to my ESL mailing list and I will send  the download link directly to you. The great thing is,  

once you’re on the list, you will  get all future notes sent to you too. Happy days!

IT'S VOCABULARY TIME!

Firstly, we have “compulsory education”.  “Compulsory education” refers to a period  

of full-time education that is, you guessed  it, compulsory. It’s something you have to do.

All those in favour of compulsory education  between the ages of 5 to 18 say “aye” AYYEEE

Within “compulsory education” there are various  stages. There’s “primary school”, for ages 5 - 11.  

Being a Primary School teacher is great! Not  exhausting at all! Don’t paint on the walls!”

“Secondary school” is for ages 11 - 16,  and then there’s “sixth-form” or “college”  

for 16-18 year olds. This is my  last exam of secondary school.  

If I pass, I’ll study History, French and  Music at Sixth Form. Wish me luck! Susssh

Just so you know, the vocabulary I’m teaching you  today is based on the British educational system,  

take a look at the PDF notes to see  vocabulary based on the American educational system.

Some people attend “single-sex” schools.  These are schools with students of one sex,  

for example, a school for girls. A  “co-educational school”, on the other hand,  

is a mixed-gender school. I went to a co-ed  school.

A what?!

A co-ed!

A code school? A school for spies! Cool!

No! A  co-educational school, a mixed-gender

school. Ah right, cool. Well, a spy  school would have been cooler, to be honest... but...

Everything you learn at school is set in the  "curriculum”. The “curriculum” refers to the  

subjects studied at schools and the topics  within those subjects.

There are 11 compulsory subjects within  the British national curriculum,  

including maths, science, English, and history.

To refer to activities outside of the curriculum, for example, choir, football, or book club,

we  say “extracurricular”. Sorry Miss,  

I have to leave class early today. I’ve got  netball practice at 3 pm then off to band  

rehearsal at 4 pm, and then it’s Impressionism  art club at 5. Byyye! Come back here,  

Anna Tyrie! You’re not meant to be doing  extracurricular activities during maths class!”

If you decide to continue your education after  sixth form or college, you move onto “Higher  

Education”. Again, this is split into  stages. If you go to university, you’ll first  

study for an “undergraduate or bachelor's  degree”. After completing your degree,  

you might go on to study a “Master’s”  and if you’re really loving your studies,  

you might take the plunge and study a PHD (a  Doctor of Philosophy). If you decide that the  

academic route isn’t for you, perhaps you’ll  do a “vocational course”. A “vocational course”  

is industry-specific training that usually  has a more practical and hands-on approach.

To finish off, here are three phrases  that will surely get you those top marks!

Firstly, “to pass with flying colours”.  If you pass an exam with flying colours,  

you pass it easily with a high grade.   “I passed the exam with flying colours.

I was so pleased as it meant to could  go to my first-choice university.”

If you are the “teacher’s pet”,  you’re the teacher’s favourite.   

“I was definitely the teacher’s pet at school.  I always had my hand up in the classroom!”

Lastly, “bookworm”. If you are a “bookworm”, you  read a lot!

“I’ve never been a bookworm. This reading  list is going to be the death of me.”

Let’s put this new language into practice. We’re  going to start the conversation in, 5, 4, 3,  

2, 1......

Hi, how are you today?

Great. Today we’re going to talk about  your studies. Are you studying now?  

Describe the course you are studying?

How interesting. What about when you were  younger? What did you enjoy most at school?

OK,  

great. I always loved science  at school but for some reason  

struggled with science exams. Which exams  do you or did you usually find challenging?

Oh right. So, I went to a co-educational  school and really enjoyed it,  

but do you think there are  benefits to single-sex schools?

That’s interesting. In fact, can you tell me a  bit more about your country’s education system?

Thank you for sharing. Great work! If you  struggled answering the questions, perhaps  

pause after each question and write some notes.  Use your notes as a prompt to help you answer.

Would you like to chat some  more? I have a playlist  

full of fun conversation practise.  Link is in the description below.